Mac with ARM and Surface with ARM clashed in tests. The results are humiliating for Microsoft

The Geekbench database has the results of testing two new devices, which are most likely Apple devkit and Surface Pro X with a new processor. The results are informative … and compromising on one of the parties.

Apple has joined the race, which aims to build a PC with an ARM processor and thanks to which we will not be looking at competition with x86 systems. It is very late, after all, Microsoft, Google and their partners have been selling their first laptops and tablets with such a processor for some time. Apple, however, can win this race – it bets on the victory of absolutely everything, completely abandoning x86, while competitors treat it as a potential place for expansion.

The challenge is not small, because in recent decades overwhelming majority of applications dedicated exclusively to x86 architecture have been written. This means that computers with ARM processors must introduce an additional layer of emulation, which significantly affects the performance of the device. At least until new applications appear natively running on a different architecture.

Emulation of ARM’s great luggage.

At the same time, Google has the easiest task due to the lack of x86 application ecosystem – there is nothing allowed to act here, because nothing like that actually exists. From the very beginning, Android and Chrome OS have focused on ARM and web languages. Apple and Microsoft have a much more difficult task.

The creators of Windows have used the WOW64 emulation layer, which according to current tests adds about 35% markup on 32-bit application emulation performance and supposedly so high on 64-bit performance that the mechanism is currently inactive. Apple uses the Rosetta 2 mechanism, whose impact on performance is not yet known.

Microsoft and Apple are preparing new players.

Comparison of the performance of the Surface Pro X prototype and the development machine with the Apple A12Z ARM processor.

But it will hurt.

Above you can see the results of the Geekebench test of the device, which, looking after the entries in the benchmark registry, is most likely Surface Pro X with a new processor. Instead of the SQ-1 system based on Snapdragon 8cx, it is probably SQ-1 + (made up name) based on Snapdragon 8cx + . Geekbench has a Windows version of ARM64, so it is not emulated in any way.

Looks like somebody uploaded DTK benchmark results for Geekbench 4, and it completely spanks my iMac even in Rosetta virtualization. We’re finally getting to test the longstanding ‘the chip in this iPad is faster than most Macs’ theory, like for like pic.twitter.com/mwFm61dBpQ

– Steve Troughton-Smith (@stroughtonsmith) June 29, 2020

Above you can see the results from Apple’s development machine, which is to help programmers in creating or moving applications to ARM64 on macOS. The results are whole orders of magnitude better. Admittedly, this raises some concerns when it comes to comparing Macs with ARM and Macs with Intel systems – the iMac placed here for comparison uses the already old Sandy Bridge systems. For Surface Pro X (and with a new processor!) This is a disgrace. Oh, one more thing: Geekebench in this test works on the emulation layer of Rosetta 2, there is no native version for Apple processors yet.

Ouch!

I remind you that the processor located in devkit is the one from the iPad. It should be expected that Apple processors dedicated to PCs will be significantly faster. Especially in desktops where energy consumption is not so important. Looking at these results, Microsoft should ask Qualcomm – with whom it is building ARM systems for devices with Windows – if it even knows what it does. After all, these results are downright humiliating.

It seems that all hope in Intel and AMD. Both companies have less than two years to develop systems that are as efficient as those from Apple (which in itself should not be such a difficult task) and were characterized by equal energy efficiency (it will be a very difficult task). I am only afraid that this hope is vain – although on the other hand, it is worth enjoying it. Macs will finally have a chance to get out of the niche they are in now – I am in favor of putting more and more pressure on the so-called Wintel. After all, the fiercer the fight on the market, the greater the benefits for consumers.

Mac with ARM and Surface with ARM clashed in tests. The results are humiliating for Microsoft

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