New benchmark shows Apple's A6 processor may be clocked at 1.3GHz
According to a newly-released build of benchmarking tool Geekbench, Apple's A6 processor found in the iPhone 5 is clocked at around 1.3GHz, not 1.02GHz as originally reported.
When the sixth-generation iPhone was released last week, reviews noted a substantial boost in processing speed compared to last year's iPhone 4S, mostly due to Apple's new A6 SoC. At the time, the chip was thought to be clocked at around 1GHz, however a new benchmark using Primate Labs' Geekbench for iPhone shows a consistent clock speed of 1.3GHz.
Primate Labs' John Poole told Engadget that the latest version 2.3.6 released on Wednesday provides more accurate CPU reporting as a result of an improved processor frequency detection algorithm.
"Earlier versions of Geekbench had trouble determining the A6's frequency, which lead to people claiming the A6's frequency as 1.0GHz as it was the most common value Geekbench reported," Poole said.
Initial reports found on Geekbench's online device log, presumably from a reviewer testing the handset's prowess, showed the handset's CPU to be twice as fast as the previous A5 series despite being clocked at 1.02GHz. The relatively low clock speed prompted speculation as to how Apple managed to squeeze out the dramatic performance improvements, with theories ranging from new memory handling methods to a totally redesigned core.
Coming on the heels of Wednesday's discovery, some publications have reported the A6 as having the ability to dynamically overclock itself during CPU-intensive situations, however Poole disagrees with the hypothesis.
"I don't believe the A6 has any form of processor boost," Poole said. "In our testing, we found the 1.3GHz was constant regardless of whether one core or both cores were busy."
To confirm Poole's results, AppleInsider tested an AT&T version of the iPhone 5 with Geekbench 2.3.6. Curiously, the first run pegged the A6 at 1.10GHz, though after killing and reopening the app, the software reported a consistent clock speed of 1.29GHz.
The A6's dual-cores were in fact designed in-house by Apple and feature a "manual" layout that is said to be faster than computer-constructed counterparts.
When the sixth-generation iPhone was released last week, reviews noted a substantial boost in processing speed compared to last year's iPhone 4S, mostly due to Apple's new A6 SoC. At the time, the chip was thought to be clocked at around 1GHz, however a new benchmark using Primate Labs' Geekbench for iPhone shows a consistent clock speed of 1.3GHz.
Primate Labs' John Poole told Engadget that the latest version 2.3.6 released on Wednesday provides more accurate CPU reporting as a result of an improved processor frequency detection algorithm.
"Earlier versions of Geekbench had trouble determining the A6's frequency, which lead to people claiming the A6's frequency as 1.0GHz as it was the most common value Geekbench reported," Poole said.
Initial reports found on Geekbench's online device log, presumably from a reviewer testing the handset's prowess, showed the handset's CPU to be twice as fast as the previous A5 series despite being clocked at 1.02GHz. The relatively low clock speed prompted speculation as to how Apple managed to squeeze out the dramatic performance improvements, with theories ranging from new memory handling methods to a totally redesigned core.
Coming on the heels of Wednesday's discovery, some publications have reported the A6 as having the ability to dynamically overclock itself during CPU-intensive situations, however Poole disagrees with the hypothesis.
"I don't believe the A6 has any form of processor boost," Poole said. "In our testing, we found the 1.3GHz was constant regardless of whether one core or both cores were busy."
To confirm Poole's results, AppleInsider tested an AT&T version of the iPhone 5 with Geekbench 2.3.6. Curiously, the first run pegged the A6 at 1.10GHz, though after killing and reopening the app, the software reported a consistent clock speed of 1.29GHz.
The A6's dual-cores were in fact designed in-house by Apple and feature a "manual" layout that is said to be faster than computer-constructed counterparts.
Comments
No Swiss org is going to assert that this random clocking is their trademark.
Naw.. we CANT be wrong! ....
lol
It's showing the dB level. You, too can see it by dialing *3001#12345#* on the keypad.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Adrayven
Unless it is dynamic and it's just reporting actual speed at time of assessment.. I mean.. they ran it once.. it grabs cpu speed.. then puts it through paces... then then rerun it grabs new current cpu speed, which was bumped because of intensive test previously done prior. It would at least suggest their own assessment that it is not dynamic would be incorrect itself..
Naw.. we CANT be wrong! ....
lol
By dynamic i think they are referencing the face that the cores cant be clocked independent of each other. All modern cpu's are dynamic in that they have a base speed and clock higher depending on the load amount.
Making the cores dynamic of each other is something that the Qualcomm S4 does in order to save power, if a single threaded app is running there would be no need to run both core at a full 1.3 ghz. I would not be surprised to find out later that these cores are actually dynamic, Apple did an awesome engineering job in designing the A6 to be extremely powerful so if they had the skill to do that then making them clock independently of each other to save power would also be very likely.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SolipsismX
It's showing the dB level. You, too can see it by dialing *3001#12345#* on the keypad.
HAHAHA.... mean!
Doesn't matter what it's clocked at or whether it's faster...Maps is Epic Fail...sigh...
Anandtech.com initially reported the A6 was clocked at 1.2 GHz. They were really close.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ChristophB
One thing is certain.....
No Swiss org is going to assert that this random clocking is their trademark.
Haha well said!
Are you serious?
This has been common technology for a couple of years, at least. Look at most of the chips that Intel sells. Not to mention, of course, that we don't know if the A6 has the ability to change its clock speed or not.
My lack of seriousness is based on an understanding and appreciation of the history of overclocking. Apple, designing and using its own processor, has no need to design ways to prevent it from being overclocked. In fact, the very idea of "overclocking" a processor you design yourself is ridiculous. Thus, my remarks, as always, are intended to be humorous. Because, Dude, DogCowabunga!!!!