Apple A12X Bionic vs Intel Core i7-4870HQ

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CPU comparison with benchmarks

-VS-

CPU lineage

Apple A12X Bionic or Apple A12X Bionic – which processor offers superior performance? In this comparison, we examine disparities and assess which of these two CPUs outperforms the other. We delve into technical specifications and benchmark outcomes.
The Apple A12X Bionic features 8 processor cores and has the capability to manage 8 threads concurrently.
It was released in Q3/2018 and belongs to the 12 generation of the Apple A series series.
The Intel Core i7-4870HQ features 4 processor cores and has the capability to manage 8 threads concurrently.
It was released in Q3/2014 and belongs to the 4 generation of the Intel Core i7 series.
To use the Intel Core i7-4870HQ, you'll need a motherboard with a BGA 1364 socket.
Apple A12/A12X/A12Z Group Intel Core i 4000M/4000H
12 Generation 4
Mobile Segment Mobile
Apple A12X Bionic Name Intel Core i7-4870HQ
Apple A series Family Intel Core i7
 
 

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Apple A12X Bionic has 8 CPU cores and can calculate 8 threads in parallel.
The clock frequency of the A-Core is 2.49 GHz.
The number of CPU cores greatly affects the speed of the processor and is an important performance indicator.
Processors with hybrid (big.LITTLE) architecture strike a balance between performance and power efficiency, making them ideal for mobile devices.
The Intel Core i7-4870HQ has 4 CPU cores and can calculate 8 threads in parallel.
The clock frequency of the Intel Core i7-4870HQ is 2.5 GHz
and turbo frequency for one core is 3.7 GHz.
8 Threads 8
1.59 GHz B-Core Frequency None
None None 4x
8 CPU Cores 4
hybrid (big.LITTLE) Core architecture normal
4x Vortex Cores A None
No Hyperthreading Yes
2.49 GHz A-Core Frequency None
No Overclocking No
4x Tempest Cores B None
None None 3.7 GHz
None None 2.5 GHz
 
 

Internal Graphics

The Apple A12X Bionic has integrated graphics, called iGPU for short.
Specifically, the Apple A12X Bionic uses the Apple A12X, which has 448 texture shaders
and 56 execution units.
The iGPU uses the system's main memory as graphics memory and sits on the processor's die.
The Intel Core i7-4870HQ has integrated graphics, called iGPU for short.
Specifically, the Intel Core i7-4870HQ uses the Intel Iris Pro Graphics 5200, which has 320 texture shaders
and 40 execution units.
448 Shaders 320
Q3/2018 Release date Q2/2013
7 nm Technology 22 nm
-- Direct X 11.1
6.0 GB Max. GPU Memory 2.0 GB
-- Max. displays --
56 Execution units 40
1.34 GHz GPU frequency 0.2 GHz
9 Generation 7.5
-- GPU (Turbo) 1.2 GHz
Apple A12X GPU name Intel Iris Pro Graphics 5200
 
 

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

8 Neural cores @ 5 TOPS AI specifications --
Apple Neural Engine AI hardware --
 
 

Hardware codec support

A photo or video codec that is accelerated in hardware can greatly accelerate the working speed of a processor and extend the battery life of notebooks or smartphones when playing videos.
Decode / Encode VP8 No
Decode VC-1 Decode
Decode / Encode JPEG Decode
No AV1 No
Decode / Encode h265 / HEVC (8 bit) No
Decode AVC Decode / Encode
Decode / Encode h264 Decode / Encode
Decode / Encode VP9 No
Decode / Encode h265 / HEVC (10 bit) No
 
 

Memory & PCIe

The processor supports a maximum memory capacity of 6.0 GB distributed across 2 memory channels. It offers a peak memory bandwidth of 68.2 GB/s. Both the type and quantity of memory can have a substantial impact on the overall system performance.
The processor supports a maximum memory capacity of 32.0 GB distributed across 2 memory channels. It offers a peak memory bandwidth of 25.6 GB/s. Both the type and quantity of memory can have a substantial impact on the overall system performance.
pci PCIe pci
No AES-NI Yes
LPDDR4X-4266 Memory type DDR3L-1600, DDR3L-1333
No ECC No
6.0 GB Max. Memory 32.0 GB
2 Memory channels 2
68.2 GB/s Bandwidth 25.6 GB/s
 
 

Thermal Management

The processor has a thermal design power (TDP) of 15 W watts.
TDP indicates the cooling solution needed to effectively manage the processor's heat. It generally provides an approximate indication of the actual power consumption of the CPU itself.
The processor has a thermal design power (TDP) of 47 W watts.
15 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 47 W
-- Tjunction max 100 °C
 
 

Technical details

The Apple A12X Bionic is manufactured using a 7 nm process.
A smaller manufacturing process indicates a more contemporary and energy-efficient CPU.
A substantial cache can significantly enhance the processor's performance, particularly in scenarios like gaming.
The Intel Core i7-4870HQ is manufactured using a 22 nm process.
In total, this processor boasts a generous 6.0 MB cache.
Q3/2018 Release date Q3/2014
None Virtualization VT-x, VT-x EPT, VT-d
ISA extensions SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX2
7 nm Technology 22 nm
Chiplet Chip design Monolithic
-- Release price --
A12 Architecture Haswell H
0 bytes L3-Cache 6.0 MB
iOS Operating systems Windows 10, Linux
Technical data sheet Documents Technical data sheet
ARMv8-A64 (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) x86-64 (64 bit)
-- Part Number --
Socket BGA 1364
8.0 MB L2-Cache 0 bytes
 
 

Benchmarks

AnTuTu 8 Benchmark

Apple A12X Bionic
8C 8T @ 2.49 GHz
713640
713640

Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)

Apple A12X Bionic
8C 8T @ 2.49 GHz
4745
4745
Intel Core i7-4870HQ
4C 8T @ 2.5 GHz
3787
3787

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Multi-Core)

Apple A12X Bionic
8C 8T @ 2.49 GHz
4718
4718
Intel Core i7-4870HQ
4C 8T @ 2.5 GHz
3467
3467

Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)

Apple A12X Bionic
8C 8T @ 2.49 GHz
1341
1341
Intel Core i7-4870HQ
4C 8T @ 2.5 GHz
1050
1050

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Single-Core)

Apple A12X Bionic
8C 8T @ 2.49 GHz
1124
1124
Intel Core i7-4870HQ
4C 8T @ 2.5 GHz
860
860