Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU) vs Intel Core i7-990X

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CPU comparison with benchmarks

-VS-

CPU lineage

Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU) or Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU) – 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 A15 Bionic (5-GPU) features 6 processor cores and has the capability to manage 6 threads concurrently.
It was released in Q3/2021 and belongs to the 15 generation of the Apple A series series.
The Intel Core i7-990X features 6 processor cores and has the capability to manage 12 threads concurrently.
It was released in Q1/2011 and belongs to the 1 generation of the Intel Core i7 Extreme Edition series.
To use the Intel Core i7-990X, you'll need a motherboard with a LGA 1366 socket.
Apple A15 Group Intel Core i7 900
15 Generation 1
Mobile Segment Desktop / Server
Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU) Name Intel Core i7-990X
Apple A series Family Intel Core i7 Extreme Edition
 
 

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU) has 6 CPU cores and can calculate 6 threads in parallel.
The clock frequency of the A-Core is 3.23 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 i7-990X has 6 CPU cores and can calculate 12 threads in parallel.
The clock frequency of the Intel Core i7-990X is 3.46 GHz
and turbo frequency for one core is 3.73 GHz.
6 Threads 12
2.02 GHz B-Core Frequency None
None None 6x
6 CPU Cores 6
hybrid (big.LITTLE) Core architecture normal
2x Avalanche Cores A None
No Hyperthreading Yes
3.23 GHz A-Core Frequency None
No Overclocking Yes
4x Blizzard Cores B None
None None 3.73 GHz
None None 3.46 GHz
 
 

Internal Graphics

The Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU) has integrated graphics, called iGPU for short.
Specifically, the Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU) uses the Apple A15 (5 GPU Cores), which has 1280 texture shaders
and 160 execution units.
The iGPU uses the system's main memory as graphics memory and sits on the processor's die.
The Intel Core i7-990X does not have integrated graphics.
1280 Shaders --
Q3/2021 Release date --
5 nm Technology --
-- Direct X --
8.0 GB Max. GPU Memory 0 bytes
-- Max. displays --
160 Execution units --
0.6 GHz GPU frequency --
12 Generation --
-- GPU (Turbo) --
Apple A15 (5 GPU Cores) GPU name
 
 

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

16 Neural cores @ 15.8 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 --
Decode VC-1 --
Decode / Encode JPEG --
No AV1 --
Decode / Encode h265 / HEVC (8 bit) --
Decode AVC --
Decode / Encode h264 --
Decode / Encode VP9 --
Decode / Encode h265 / HEVC (10 bit) --
 
 

Memory & PCIe

The processor supports a maximum memory capacity of 6.0 GB distributed across 1 memory channels. It offers a peak memory bandwidth of 34.1 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 24.0 GB distributed across 3 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 No
LPDDR4X-4266 Memory type DDR3-1066
No ECC No
6.0 GB Max. Memory 24.0 GB
1 Memory channels 3
34.1 GB/s Bandwidth 25.6 GB/s
 
 

Thermal Management

The processor has a thermal design power (TDP) of 8.5 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 130 W watts.
8.5 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 130 W
-- Tjunction max --
 
 

Technical details

The Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU) is manufactured using a 5 nm process.
A smaller manufacturing process indicates a more contemporary and energy-efficient CPU.
In total, this processor boasts a generous 32.0 MB cache.
A substantial cache can significantly enhance the processor's performance, particularly in scenarios like gaming.
The Intel Core i7-990X is manufactured using a 32 nm process.
In total, this processor boasts a generous 12.0 MB cache.
Q3/2021 Release date Q1/2011
None Virtualization VT-x, VT-x EPT
ISA extensions SSE4.1, SSE4.2
5 nm Technology 32 nm
Chiplet Chip design Monolithic
-- Release price 1059 $
A15 Architecture Gulftown
32.0 MB L3-Cache 12.0 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 LGA 1366
16.0 MB L2-Cache 1.5 MB
 
 

Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU) and Intel Core i7-990X in leaderboards