Apple A5 vs Apple A6X. Specifications, performance, tests

Comprehensive background on the processors being compared, detailing their series, generation, and targeted market segment.

• Family
  Apple A series Apple A series
• CPU group
  Apple A5/A5X Apple A6/A6X
• Segment
  Mobile Mobile
• Generation
  5 6
• Predecessor
  -- Apple A5X
• Successor
  Apple A6 Apple A8X

Essential parameters including the number of cores, threads, base and turbo frequencies, and cache size. These metrics provide insight into the processor’s speed—higher values generally indicate better performance.

• CPU Cores / Threads
  2 / 2 2 / 2
• Core architecture
  normal normal
• A-Core
  2x Cortex-A9 2x Swift
• Frequency
  1.00 GHz 1.40 GHz
• Turbo (1 Core)
  No turbo No turbo
• Turbo (2 Cores)
  No turbo No turbo
• Hyperthreading
  No No
• Overclocking
  No No

The integrated graphics (iGPU) do not influence the CPU performance significantly; they serve as a substitute for a dedicated graphics card in the absence of one or are utilized in mobile devices.

• GPU name
  PowerVR SGX543MP2 (2 Cores) PowerVR SGX554MP4 (4 Cores)
• GPU frequency
  0.20 GHz 0.30 GHz
• GPU (Turbo)
  No turbo No turbo
• Execution units
  4 16
• Shader
  32 128
• Max. displays
  1 1
• Direct X
  10 10
• Technology
  32 nm 32 nm
• Release date
  Q1/2012 Q3/2012

This section details the built-in codecs used for encoding and decoding media content, which significantly enhance processing speed and efficiency.

• h265 / HEVC (8 bit)
  No No
• h265 / HEVC (10 bit)
  No No
• h264
  No No
• VP8
  No No
• VP9
  No No
• AV1
  No No
• AVC
  No No
• VC-1
  No No
• JPEG
  No No

Overview of the types and quantities of RAM supported by Apple A6X and Apple A5. The supported memory frequencies may vary depending on the motherboard configuration.

• Memory type
  LPDDR2-800 LPDDR2-1066
• Max. Memory
  1 GB 1 GB
• Memory channels
  2 4
• ECC
  No No
• AES-NI
  No No

Analyze the TDP (Thermal Design Power) requirements of Apple A5 and Apple A6X to make an informed decision on the appropriate cooling system. Remember that TDP refers to thermal watts, not electrical watts.

Information on architecture, interfaces, and additional instructions supported by Apple A5 and Apple A6X, including virtual machine technologies and fabrication processes.

• Instruction set (ISA)
  ARMv7-A32 (32 bit) ARMv7-A32 (32 bit)
• L2-Cache
  1.00 MB 1.00 MB
• Architecture
  A5 A6
• Technology
  32 nm 32 nm
• Virtualization
  None None
• Socket
  N/A N/A
• Release date
  Q1/2011 Q3/2012
• Part Number
  APL 0498 APL 0598