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Review of Xiaomi 14 Pro

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Xiaomi 14 pro
Xiaomi 14 Pro; Premium, well built, stunning screen, fast and of course the giant camera module that lets us down.

Review of Xiaomi 14 Pro

Back panel of Xiaomi 14 Pro

Xiaomi 14 Pro is one of the first flagships of the market with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 flagship chip, which was unveiled for the Chinese market in late October 2023. Thus, until the release of more phones with the new Qualcomm chip and of course the Dimensity 9300 chip, Xiaomi 14 Pro has the title of the most powerful Android phone in the world.

Apart from the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, it has a combination of the best parts of the mobile market; A display with a brightness of 3000 nits, a 50-megapixel camera with a variable aperture of F/1.4-F/4.0, and of course, the expected operating system HyperOS, which is developed based on Android 14 and is supposed to replace MIUI.

We will shorten the introduction and put the latest Xiaomi flagship under the microscope; Stay with reviewing Xiaomi 14 Pro.

Design and build quality of Xiaomi 14 Pro

Everything about Xiaomi 14 Pro is high-end and premium; From the material of the body and the exemplary manufacturing precision of the product itself to the high-quality silicone frame that comes with it, and of course the giant 120-watt charger that is inside the phone box, unlike all other flagship devices.

The edges of the Xiaomi 14 Pro display
Charging Xiaomi 14 Pro
Xiaomi 14 Pro physical buttons

This year, Xiaomi designers have reduced the intensity of bending and curvature of the corners and sides of the product; Now the metal frame of the phone has been flattened, and the curvature of the sides of the screen has been reduced; Of course, all four sides of the Xiaomi 14 Pro screen have a delicate curve, which gives the phone a very attractive and different appearance and doubles the pleasure of swiping from the sides of the screen. Apart from the delicate curves of the sides, very narrow and even borders around the screen create a very pleasant feeling when working with the device.

The 6.73-inch and ultra-thin screen of the Xiaomi 14 Pro is protected by an exclusive Xiaomi Longjing glass cover. Xiaomi says that the resistance of its proprietary glass is 10 times that of Gorilla Glass Victus used in Xiaomi 13 Pro; A claim that I did not dare to check its authenticity!

Well made, nice, and a lot of camera bump!

Just like the screen, we see similar curves on the sides of the phone’s back panel, so that the design of the phone takes on a symmetrical structure; Of course, the square and giant protrusion of the camera destroys all Xiaomi’s efforts to create symmetry in the design of the phone. This bump is so big that it occupies half of the top of the panel and when you hold the phone, your index finger sits on it; Of course, the use of the frame reduces the deterioration of the situation a little.

Xiaomi 14 Pro with a 6.73-inch screen and a weight of 223-230 grams is placed in the category of large and heavy phones; But thanks to the combination of the delicate curves of the panels, the flat frame, and its excellent build quality, the device fits well on the hand, and its dense structure conveys a very good feeling to the user; A feeling that you don’t even experience with the Xiaomi 13 Ultra flagship phone.

Play music with Xiaomi 14 Pro

Xiaomi 14 Pro is sold in green, white, black and titanium colors; In the two primary colors, especially the green color under investigation, both the back panel and the frame are shiny and easily absorb the traces of grease and stains; But the next two colors are opaque. In titanium color, the frame of the device is also made of titanium, which on paper gives Armaghan better ergonomics than the other three models, while there is an orange band around the camera protrusion, which gives the phone an attractive and different effect.

Accurate and very pleasant tactile feedback

In the heart of its new flagship, Xiaomi has used a large linear vibration motor that makes the tactile feedback of the device extremely pleasant and pleasant. This engine has such a precise performance that Xiaomi engineers have made the most of its vibrations for different parts of the user interface; From clearing icons to turning down the volume or unlocking the phone, you will feel traces of the pleasant tactile feedback of the vibration motor in all your interactions.

Type C port and Xiaomi 14 Pro speaker
Xiaomi 14 Pro secondary speaker

Another attractive feature of Xiaomi 14 Pro is the upgrading of the device’s USB-C port from USB 2.0 with a speed of 480 Mbps to a 10 Gbps USB 3.2 Gen2 port; Of course, please note that just like the iPhone 15 Pro, if you want to use the maximum speed of the new port, you must purchase a high-speed cable separately; Because Xiaomi offers a USB-A to USB-C cable with USB 2.0 speed along with its new flagship.

Read More: Xiaomi 14 review, price and specifications

Xiaomi 14 Pro speaker and screen

Before Xiaomi 14 Pro, I thought it unlikely that any smartphone could compete with Apple iPhones in terms of sound volume and clarity; But Xiaomi’s stereo speakers, located at the bottom edge of the frame and the top edge of the screen, literally exceed expectations.

The dual speakers of Xiaomi 14 Pro support Dolby Atmos surround sound and have a very high sound intensity. intermediate frequencies; Where the singer’s voice and most of the instruments are located, they are produced very clearly and cleanly, sound separation even in busy music; It is well done like metal and the bass coverage is also satisfactory for the phone speakers.

Powerful stereo speakers with clear and immersive sound

Not only the sound, the Xiaomi 14 Pro also creates surprises in the image; 6.73-inch OLED panel with 12-bit LTPO technology that can display 68 billion colors and change its refresh rate between 1 and 120 Hz depending on the type of content being displayed, so that we can have a stunning and smooth image, and Do not damage the charging device.

The screen of Xiaomi 14 Pro, just like the previous generation, with its resolution of 1440 x 3200 pixels, brings a very good pixel density of 522 pixels to Armaghan and displays extremely clear and transparent images; Of course, it is also possible to set the screen resolution to FHD+ to put less pressure on the graphics processing unit and the device’s battery.

Xiaomi 14 Pro lock screen

Like the previous generation, Xiaomi 14 Pro supports HDR video playback with HDR10 HDR10+ and Dolby Vision standards; But what makes the difference is the brightness level of the screen; Our measurements show that Xiaomi’s new flagship reaches around 1,700 nits in auto mode and goes up to 3,000 nits when playing HDR video in bright environments; This is the highest number we have ever measured.

HDR display with stunning brightness of 3000 nits

The screen of Xiaomi 14 Pro does not perform very brilliantly in the manual setting mode and reaches about 830 nits in the highest mode, But the good news for those who use their phones mostly in the dark is that the minimum brightness drops to around 2.15 nits. Xiaomi says it uses a PWM solution (turning the screen on and off repeatedly) with a frequency of 1920 Hz to reduce the brightness; Therefore, when working with the phone in such conditions, there is less pressure on your eyes.

In the Xiaomi 14 Pro settings menu, you can access several preset color profiles; But it is also possible to set the color parameters as desired by the user. Xiaomi’s new flagship can fully cover sRGB and DCI-P3 color spaces. The most accurate colors are produced in the Original Color profile and the sRGB space; The accuracy of color reproduction is decent, ignoring the relative tendency towards coldness; But for a flagship of several tens of millions of tomans, it is evaluated lower than expected.

Software and user experience of Xiaomi 14 Pro

Xiaomi 14 and Xiaomi 14 Pro are the first Xiaomi phones to be officially released with HyperOS, Xiaomi’s new operating system based on Android 14.

Home page of Xiaomi 14 Pro

There is no significant difference between HyperOS and MIUI, and the differences in appearance are mainly related to things like subtle changes in the design of some icons and lock screen personalization options, which, more than anything else, remind us of the iOS lock screen personalization capabilities. The design and arrangement of quick settings options in the notification section are also slightly different from MIUI.

Xiaomi 14 Pro lock screen

The Chinese version of Xiaomi 14 Pro is full of unnecessary and annoying apps, most of which you can delete. By default, there is no news of Google and Play Store services; But all these services and the Play Store itself are installed very easily and effortlessly.

HyperOS operating system, is fast, smooth, and very close to MIUI

In the first hours of using the phone, you will be bored by the amount of advertisements windows, and pop-ups in Chinese! You have to be very patient and spend time identifying the source of each pop-up and advertising notification, disabling or deleting them.

Advertising notice in Chinese version of HyperOS
Redundant apps and advertisements in the Chinese version of HyperOS
Redundant apps in the Chinese version of HyperOS
Advertising apps in the Chinese version of HyperOS
GBoard installation warning in Chinese version of HyperOS
Ads in the Chinese version of HyperOS

During the investigation, we also encountered some strange cases; For example, when downloading an APK file with the phone’s own browser, an ad was shown inviting us to install more apps, or after installing Google Keyboard and activating it, the phone warned that this keyboard is collecting your information.

Performance, gaming experience, and charging of Xiaomi 14 Pro

The Xiaomi 14 family is the first smartphone in the world with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip; The flagship chip, which contains the latest Cortex-X and Cortex-A series cores from ARM, uses Qualcomm’s dedicated graphics processor and, like the previous generation, is produced based on the 4nm N4P manufacturing process of the Taiwanese company TSMC.

Qualcomm this year from a different combination of 1+3+2+2 with increased frequency, including a powerful Cortex-X4 core with a frequency of 3.3 GHz, 3 middle Cortex-A720 cores with a frequency of 3.2, and 2 A720 cores with a frequency of 3.0 GHz along with 2 low-consumption 2.3 GHz A520 cores have been used for the CPU so that the chip appears better in multi-core processing. According to Qualcomm, the CPU experiences a 30% performance improvement and a 20% increase in efficiency.

Watch video with Xiaomi 14 Pro

The Adreno graphics processor used in Snapdragon 8 generation 3 experiences a 25% improvement in performance and energy efficiency according to Qualcomm’s claim. This processing unit, like the previous generation, also supports ray tracing in games. New 10-bit HDR game GPU with very wide color space Rec. 2020 and enables playback of AV1 videos.

Xiaomi 14 Pro; The first phone in the world with Snapdragon 8 Gen 3

Qualcomm is aware of the state of technology world trends and the popularity of large language models in chatbots; Therefore, it uses the combination of CPU, GPU, and NPU as an artificial intelligence engine so that devices equipped with Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 can run offline after models with 10 billion parameters and at a rate of 20 tokens per second. Qualcomm says the new NPU is up to 98 percent faster than the previous generation and offers a 40 percent improvement in efficiency (performance per power consumption).

Browsing the Zoomit website with Xiaomi 14 Pro

Snapdragon 8 generation 3 has an integrated Snapdragon X75 modem with support for 5G mmWave networks and download and upload rates of 10 and 3.5 Gbps, thanks to the FastConnect 7800 module it supports Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 networks, and also on the Bluetooth platform It can stream 24-bit, 96 kHz lossless audio.

Apart from the discussion of CPU and GPU processing power, Qualcomm says that its new chip consumes up to 10% less energy compared to Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. In the following, by performing various tests and games, we evaluate the validity of Qualcomm’s claim and the level of development of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.

Thanks to Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, Xiaomi 14 Pro performs up to 30% better in multi-core processing than flagships equipped with Snapdragon 8 Gen 2; But in single-core processing, the performance improvement is limited to about 7%; Thus, on paper, we will experience a noticeable change in multitasking and web surfing experience.

GPU performance in games also shows an improvement of about 17%; At the same time, the power of GPU in performing computing processes shows a stunning improvement of 83% compared to the previous generation; Therefore, Qualcomm’s flagship chip, on paper, shows a significant improvement in the process of image processing and video editing.

Snapdragon 8 generation 3 in one CPU step and beyond A17 Pro graphics

The weaknesses and strengths of the Qualcomm chip compared to the Apple chip can still be seen; But this year, the weaknesses are lighter and the strengths are more prominent than ever; The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip has reduced its multi-core performance weakness to about 9% compared to the A17 Pro; While in single-core processing with a difference of 28%, it is lower than the iPhone 15 Pro chip. On the other side of the field, the GPU performance of Snapdragon 8 generation 3 in games, with a stunning difference of 75%, takes the lead of A17 Pro, and in computing processes, it remains behind the opponent with a difference of 39%.

In the battery settings menu, Xiaomi 14 Pro provides the possibility to change the behavior of the processor with Balanced, Performance, and battery-saving modes and warns that battery consumption and body temperature will increase with Performance mode.

While checking, I came across a strange thing; Xiaomi 14 Pro achieves the same results in both Balanced and Performance modes when running benchmarks; It is as if the device reaches the highest level by identifying the benchmark; So to verify my hypothesis, I ran the Speedometer web browsing test in both modes. Since this test was performed on the Edge browser, the phone was not able to identify the benchmark and in Balanced mode, it appeared more than 40% weaker than in Performance mode.

The performance of Snapdragon 8 generation 3 in benchmarks is very impressive and in some cases, stunning; But it remains to be seen how Xiaomi 14 Pro can maintain this level of performance in continuous and heavy use; To understand this issue, we stressed the chip continuously for 20 minutes with heavy graphics processing in Performance and Balanced modes.

Very good performance stability at the cost of terrible frame heating

From the graph, we can see that Xiaomi 14 Pro shows more or less the same behavior in both Performance and Balanced modes and achieves a very good performance stability of 75%; But the price of such a stable performance is an extremely high increase in body temperature, reaching 53 to 55 degrees Celsius; So that you can hardly hold the phone and touch its metal frame.

Xiaomi 14 Pro showed a more reasonable performance in games; During 10 minutes of playing the open-world and very heavy game Genshin Impact with the highest graphics settings, the Xiaomi flagship phone achieved an average frame rate of 59 frames per second, and during this time the body temperature reached 43 degrees Celsius, which is much lower than the 55 degrees recorded during the test. Sustainability is performance; On the other hand, in the Fortnite game, in order to achieve the highest graphics settings in automatic mode, the game was run at a stable rate of 60 frames per second, and the body temperature reached about 40 degrees Celsius.

Xiaomi 14 Pro battery menu

Xiaomi 14 Pro in three versions of 12 256, 16 | 512 and 16 1024GB is sold with LPDDR5X RAM and high-speed UFS 4.0 storage, and there is no microSD memory card slot for storage expansion. Unfortunately, despite many attempts, we were unable to install the Zoomit benchmark to measure the storage memory speed of the Xiaomi flagship.

The battery capacity of Xiaomi 14 Pro is now 4880 mAh with a slight increase of 60 mAh compared to the previous generation. Our tests show that with the screen resolution set to 3200 x 1400 pixels, Xiaomi 14 Pro can charge for about 12 hours in daily and average usage

The Xiaomi flagship is compatible with PD 3.0 and Quick Charge 4 fast charging technologies and comes with a 120W fast charger with a USB-A port, which, according to measurements, requires about 20 to 25 minutes to fully charge the battery. Xiaomi 14 Pro also supports Xiaomi’s own 50W wireless charging system and reverse wireless charging with 10W power.

Xiaomi 14 Pro camera

Just like the previous generation, the back panel of Xiaomi 14 Pro has three 50-megapixel wide, ultrawide, and telephoto cameras; Of course, all the components of the main camera have changed. The new Chinese flagship now uses a dedicated sensor and variable aperture lens; But the rest of the cameras seem to be the same as before.

Xiaomi left the 1-inch Sony sensor from the main camera of its flagship and went for another 50-megapixel sensor called Light Hunter 900. It’s gone that with dimensions of 1.31/1.2 inches, its 1.2-micrometer pixels are behind a 23mm Leica Summilux lens with a variable aperture of F/1.42 to F/4.0 and optical image stabilization. The main camera uses laser autofocus for close distances and Dual Pixel phase detection autofocus for far distances.

Xiaomi 14 Pro cameras
Xiaomi 14 Pro camera module
Photography with Xiaomi 14 Pro
Xiaomi 14 Pro camera user interface

All four adjacent pixels on the sensor surface record the same color from the RGB color set, so that the phone can combine the four adjacent pixels to achieve a 12.5-megapixel photo with larger 2.4-micrometer pixels; This allows the device to take brighter and more detailed photos, especially when shooting in low light; Of course, it is also possible to shoot with a native resolution of 50 megapixels.

Xiaomi’s “light hunter” loses the photography game to Samsung’s one-year-old flagship

The sensor used in the Xiaomi 14 Pro is on paper 44% smaller than the one-inch module used in the Xiaomi 13 Pro; But instead, its variable aperture reaches F/1.42 in the most open mode, which directs about 80% more light to the sensor than the F/1.9 lens in Xiaomi 13 Pro.

Action figure in Zomit office 1
Aperture F1.4
Action figure in Zomit office 2
Aperture F2.0
Action figure in Zoomit 3
Aperture F4.0

Xiaomi 14 Pro with variable aperture F/1.42 to F/4.0 can adjust the level of light absorption in different environments as desired. You can manually change the aperture in Pro photography mode. The device provides you with a greater F/4.0 aperture, and at the F/1.42 level, the focus range is minimized and the photos take on a natural bokeh mode.

The telephoto and ultrawide cameras do not experience any changes compared to the previous generation; Both cameras use Samsung’s 50-megapixel JN1 sensor with 1/2.76-inch dimensions and 0.64-µm pixels, using a Tetracell color filter to capture all four adjacent pixels to capture 12.5-megapixel photos with larger 1.28-µm pixels. , combine; Thus, the dimensions of the 50 megapixel sensor of the other two cameras are more than 70% smaller than the sensor of the main camera.

Barbecue thermometer 1
Macro photo
Barbecue thermometer 2
Macro telephoto photo

The ultra-wide camera uses autofocus for macro photography from a distance of 5 cm and is behind a 14 mm lens with an aperture of F/2.2 and a field of view of 115 degrees. The telephoto camera is located behind the macro telephoto lens with a focal length equivalent to 75 mm, a relatively open aperture of F/2.0, optical magnification of 3.26 times, a phase detection autofocus system and the ability to focus from a distance of 10 cm; Therefore, with both telephoto and ultrawide cameras, you will be able to take macro photos.

In addition to the camera lens, Xiaomi has also received help from Leica in the development of the image processing algorithm and color engineering; Therefore, it is not surprising to see the camera application, works of Leica. On the main page of the application, the user can choose an option from Leica Authentic and Leica Vibrant photography styles.

Plant in a pot 1
Authentic mode
Plant in a pot 2
Vibrant mode

As it comes from the name of these styles, Leica Authentic produces colors close to reality and reduces the intensity of subsequent processing on the photo; But on the opposite point, Leica Vibrant saturates the colors and sharpens the image.

Note that we have recorded all the sample photos of Xiaomi 14 Pro with Leica Authentic color style to be able to make a correct judgment on the produced colors and the details of the photos.

Xiaomi 14 Pro photo gallery

Portrait photo of Behzad Mareshian
Building under construction in Jordan
The vase in Zomit's office
A building in Koi Banyan, Jordan
Close-up of the kitten
Jordan street trees
Zoomite pillow
motorcycle
The author of Zomit
Loft building in Jordan
Keyvan Handi, Behzad Mareshian and Faraz Pashaei in Zomit office
Think board in Zomit office
A cup of cappuccino
Bright chandelier
A tower in Jordan
Banyan alley in Jordan
Tower under construction in Vanak
Burj Nagar
Crystal chandelier
The tower is under construction

Xiaomi 14 Pro photos by themselves and as long as you don’t put them under the microscope and compare them with competitors, they look very attractive, they have realistic colors and their noise is at a very low level; But the weaknesses of the camera become apparent when we compare the photos taken with the expensive Xiaomi phone with its competitors.

Xiaomi 14 Pro camera comparison with Galaxy S23 Ultra

Unlike budget phones and to some extent mid-range devices, the camera is considered a very important and influential part in flagship phones; When you want to pay tens of millions of Tomans to buy a high-end phone, every single pixel becomes important; Therefore, we compared the photos of Xiaomi 14 Pro with Galaxy S23 Ultra; Samsung’s flagship device, which is at the end of its reign as I write the following text.

Main camera

In the photos below, we are targeting outdoor and indoor shooting scenarios with the main camera. As long as we don’t zoom in on the photos below, the realistic colors of the Xiaomi 14 Pro make it a winner.

1 Armaghani East St
Xiaomi 14 Pro
Armaghan East Street 2
Galaxy S23 Ultra
Cropping the photo of Armaghan Sharqi 1
Xiaomi photo crop
Cropping the photo of Armaghan Sharqi 2
Samsung photo crop

By zooming in on the textured parts of the photos, you can see that Xiaomi has lost a lot of detail in the photo by putting too much emphasis on noise reduction, which is even more disappointing when you know that the Galaxy S23 Ultra is ahead of the 2023 flagships in terms of camera. The details did not compete with the iPhone 15 Pro Max and P60 Pro. In the following photos taken in the Zoomit office environment, the Xiaomi 14 Pro again captures the colors very pleasantly and is close to reality.

Vase in Zomit office 1
Xiaomi 14 Pro
Vase in Zomit office 2
Galaxy S23 Ultra
Cutting the photo of the pot 1
Xiaomi photo crop
Cutting the photo of the pot 2
Samsung photo crop

By enlarging the photos, we can see that Samsung has managed to extract more details from the photos than the Xiaomi 14 Pro, keeping the noise and slightly artificially sharpening the image.

In the photos below, Xiaomi 14 Pro has recorded more or less the same dynamic range as the Galaxy S23 Ultra, and again in the field of color registration, it has performed more accurately than the Korean competitor.

The plant in Zomit office 1
Xiaomi 14 Pro
The plant in Zomit office 2
Galaxy S23 Ultra
Cutting the photo of the plant 1
Xiaomi photo crop
Cutting the photo of the plant 2
Samsung photo crop

Again, we see the excessive effort of the Xiaomi 14 Pro camera software to remove noise; So the result was the removal of details from the leaves of the plant.

Ultrawide camera

At first glance at the ultra-wide photos below, you can see that the field of view of the ultra-wide camera of the Xiaomi 14 Pro is more limited than that of the S23 Ultra; But the phone still performs better than the Galaxy in terms of color accuracy.

View of Armaghan East buildings
Xiaomi 14 Pro
View of Armaghan East buildings 2
Galaxy S23 Ultra
Cropping the photo of the facade of the buildings
Xiaomi photo crop
Cropping a photo of the facade of the building
Samsung photo crop

It seems that the intensity of noise removal in the photos of the ultrawide camera of Xiaomi 14 Pro is not as good as the main camera; Because the photo recorded with this camera has a better condition in terms of details and noise level compared to S23 Ultra.

portrait photography

Xiaomi 14 Pro can take portraits with both the main camera and the telephoto camera. In the photo below, taken by Hadi Ghanizadegan with the device’s telephoto camera, Xiaomi’s colors tend to be relatively warm.

Hadi Ghanizadegan in Zomit office
Xiaomi 14 Pro
Hadi Ghanizadegan in Zomit 2 office
Galaxy S23 Ultra
Cutting the photo of Hadi Ghanizadegan 1
Xiaomi photo crop
Cutting the photo of Hadi Ghanizadegan
Samsung photo crop

By zooming in on Hadi’s face, we can see that the phone performed very well in separating the subject from the background; But the details of the face in the Xiaomi photo are much less than the Samsung photo.

Photography in the dark

The gray walls of one of Zoomit’s office rooms make many phones fail when taking pictures in the dark; For example, the Galaxy S23 Ultra in the photo below shows the walls tending to green and the whole photo tends to be warm; But the photo of Xiaomi 14 Pro has recorded the color and light very close to the real conditions.

A vase in the darkness of Zomit's office 1
Xiaomi 14 Pro
A vase in the darkness of Zomit 2's office
Galaxy S23 Ultra
Cropping the photo of the vase in the dark of the Zoomit office 1
Xiaomi photo crop
Cropping the pot photo in the dark of Zoomit 2 office
Samsung photo crop

By zooming in on the photos, the slight superiority of Xiaomi 14 Pro in the field of recording details is also evident.At first glance, you might pick the Galaxy S23 Ultra photo as the winner; But our photography conditions were closer to what Xiaomi 14 Pro recorded in the photo below.

Olive mug 1
Xiaomi 14 Pro
Olive mug 2
Galaxy S23 Ultra

The greater brightness of the image in the photo of the S23 Ultra allows us to see some of the details hidden in the shadows, But Xiaomi 14 Pro has depicted the paper texture and roughness of the book cover and the porcelain material of the mug better than the Korean competitor.

Xiaomi 14 Pro has 4K video recording capability with all its cameras; The rear cameras shoot at 24, 30, and 60 frames per second; But the selfie camera is limited to 30 and 60 frames per second. The main camera also allows you to shoot 8K24 video and can also record 4K HDR Dolby Vision videos.

Xiaomi 14 Pro records 4K30 videos with a very good bitrate of 60-65 Mbps; So it’s no surprise that 4K30 videos are decent in terms of detail, and the contrast and color levels are also rated very well; However, note that the videos of the ultrawide and telephoto cameras are one or two steps lower than the main camera in terms of detail; Besides, it is not possible to quickly switch between cameras during filming, and you have to use the slide zoom.

The Xiaomi flagship records 4K60 videos at a rate of 57 Mbps; The slight decrease in bitrate despite the 100% increase in the number of frames means that 60 frames per second videos have much fewer details than 30 frames-per-second videos, and in practice we see such an issue.

Summary and comparison of Xiaomi 14 Pro with competitors

A screen with stunning brightness and high quality, powerful speakers with clear sound, stable performance, excellent build quality, and a relatively comfortable body; Xiaomi 14 Pro is desirable and attractive, which has a handful of shortcomings and weaknesses; But one of Xiaomi’s weaknesses cannot be ignored.

The Xiaomi 14 Pro camera did not meet our expectations and disappointed us; Although the Chinese flagship takes photos with attractive colors; the level of detail of its photos, most of the time, does not reach the foot of Samsung’s one-year-old flagship; Perhaps part of this weakness is due to software problems and immature image processing algorithm; But we expect the full-fledged flagship of Xiaomi to appear in 2024, at least at the level of 2023 flagships.

Android version of Xiaomi 14 Pro

If we leave aside the basic weakness of the camera, it will be possible for the public to ignore the remaining weaknesses; For example, the protrusion of the camera is so big and thick that the index finger constantly hits it, and on the other hand, this giant appendage is not located in the middle of the device, so that at least the symmetry in the design is observed! On the other side of the field, we have the overheating of the device during heavy use, which sometimes brings the temperature of the phone’s frame to an annoying level.

Now it has to be seen that on an international scale and with the presence of big names such as the iPhone 15 Pro and the next Samsung Galaxy ( Galaxy S24 Ultra ), whether anyone is willing to pay the possible price of more than a thousand dollars to buy the Xiaomi 14 Pro or not.

What do you think about Xiaomi’s full-fledged flagship? Can Xiaomi 14 Pro, even without considering the price of the phone, overshadow the global sales statistics of the iPhone 15 Pro and the next Samsung Galaxy?

positive points

  • Stunning and bright display
  • Powerful speakers with clear sound
  • 120-watt power charger with the phone
  • Powerful chip with very stable performance
  • Excellent and accurate haptic feedback
  • Excellent build quality and dense body structure

cons

  • Disappointing camera performance
  • The phone frame gets hot during heavy use
  • Lots of ads and redundant apps (Chinese version)

Technology

Apple Intelligence Review

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Apple Intelligence
Apple got on the AI ​​train very late, but better late than never, and the future of Apple Intelligence looks more exciting than ever.

Apple Intelligence Review

Ten, eleven years ago, when the chief scientist of Siri’s development sat down to watch the movie Her for the second time, he tried to understand what it was about Samantha, the artificial intelligence character of the movie, that made the protagonist fall in love with her without seeing her; The answer was clear to him. Samantha’s voice was completely natural instead of being robotic! This made Siri in iOS 11, which was released about four years later, have a human (Terry) voice.

But Samantha was not just a natural voice, she was so intelligent that you thought she really had the power to think, and Siri iOS 11 was supposed to be more than just a natural voice; Or at least that’s what Apple wanted to show us. In the demo that Apple released that year of its programs for Siri, it showed a normal day in the life of Dwayne Johnson with his best friend Siri. While exercising and tending to her potty, Johnson asked Siri to check her calendar and reminders list, get her a Lyft cab, read her emails, show her photos of the clothes she designed from the gallery, and finally Rock in an astronaut suit. Suspended in space, we see that he asks Siri to make a Facetime call and take a selfie with him.

Apple Intelligence iOS 18

In almost all of Siri’s more or less exaggerated advertising, Apple tried to present its voice assistant as a constant and useful companion that can handle anything without the need to run a program ourselves. Siri was so important to Apple that Phil Schiller introduced it as “the best feature of the iPhone” at the iPhone 4S unveiling ceremony and said that we would soon be able to ask Siri to do our jobs for us.

But this “soon” took 13 years and we still have to wait at least another year to see the “real Siri” that was shown in the demos; I mean when Siri tries to get to know the user better by monitoring the user’s interaction with the iPhone and makes us unnecessary to open many applications every day.

For now, what the iOS 18.2 beta version of “smarter” Siri has given us is the integration with ChatGPT and a tool called Visual Intelligence, which offers something like Google Lens and ChatGPT image analysis together. To use Apple’s image generators such as ImagePlayground, Genmoji, and ImageWand, you must join a waiting list that will be approved over the coming weeks.

Table of contents
  • Siri with ChatGPT seasoning
  • visual intelligence; Only for iPhone 16
  • And finally: the magic eraser for the iPhone
  • Artificial intelligence writing tool
  • Detailed features: from smart gallery search to the new Focus mode
  • The most exciting features… yet to come!

With this account, Apple Intelligence not only joined the artificial intelligence hype later than its competitors and currently has almost no new and unique features to offer, but it is perhaps the most incomplete product that Cupertino residents have offered to their users.

Still, better late than never, and the future of Apple Intelligence looks even more exciting than its current state.

Siri with ChatGPT seasoning

The integration of Siri with ChatGPT means that instead of relying on Google to answer complex requests, Siri will now rely on the popular OpenAI chatbot (of course, permission must be obtained first; however, for faster responses, this option can be disabled by unchecking “Confirm ChatGPT Requests” In the ChatGPT section of the settings, disable it).

The quality of the answers is what we expect from ChatGPT, and Apple even gives you the option to download this chatbot application in the Apple Intelligence & Siri section of the settings; But the good news is that using ChatGPT is free and there is no need to create an account. If you have a Pro account, you can log into the app, but if you don’t, OpenAI won’t be able to save your requests and use them to train its chatbot later.

Beta version of Apple Intelligence
Beta version of Apple Intelligence
Allow access to Siri ChatGPT
Request permission to ChatGPT
Problem processing Siri ChatGPT request
To use ChatGPT you probably need to change the IP

The real intelligence of Siri is where it determines what request to answer by itself, what request to ask Google, and what request to give to ChatGPT. For example, a question about the weather is answered by Siri, a question about the news of the day is usually left to Google, and if you have a request to produce text or image, Siri goes to ChatGPT; Of course, if you get bored and start your question with “Ask ChatGPT”, Siri will go straight to the chatbot.

Answer the weather question with Siri
Answer with Siri
Answers to questions about news with Google
Answer with Google
Text generation with ChatGPT integrated with Siri
Reply with ChatGPT

The new Siri has a good feeling and the color change of the keyboard and the color halo around the screen when interacting with Siri is eye-catching; More importantly, we no longer need to call Siri to ask her name, and by double-tapping the bottom of the screen, the keyboard will pop up and you can type your request to her (a feature that shy people like me appreciate). However, the use of chatbots, which are also the most famous, is not a new thing, and it is unlikely that Siri’s connection with ChatGPT will excite anyone, at least until this moment.

We have to wait until 2025 for the story to become exciting; When Apple promised that finally ” real Siri ” will make us unnecessary to deal with different applications.

visual intelligence; Only for iPhone 16

Apple Intelligence is only available for iPhone 15 Pro and later users and iPads and MacBooks equipped with M-series chips; But the access to the Visual Intelligence feature in the iOS 18.2 version is even more limited and will only be available to iPhone 16 series users; Because of the “Camera Control” button.

Visual Intelligence is a mouthful for a feature that is not Apple’s initiative and we experienced it a long time ago with Google Lens (of course, the Circle to Search feature of Samsung phones has a similar situation). By holding down the camera control button, the camera view will open. If you tap on the Search option on the right, the subject you see in the camera will be searched in the Google Images section to find similar ones on different websites. If you select the Ask option on the left side of the screen, ChatGPT will come into action and analyze the image for you.

Visual Intelligence feature
Visual Intelligence only for iPhone 16 series
Image search with Google in Visual Intelligence
Image search on Google
Image analysis with ChatGPT in Visual Intelligence
Image analysis with ChatGPT

The user interface of Visual Intelligence is minimal and eye-catching, and it shows both the subject search results in Google and the ChatGPT answer in a card on the recorded image. In addition, after submitting the image to ChatGPT, you can continue the discussion about the subject of the image with the chatbot integrated in Siri. The results are useful and practical in most cases (for example, when you are looking for the name of a certain plant), but remember that artificial intelligence is not always reliable. For example, when I took a photo of a notebook with an external hard drive design, ChatGPT mistakenly thought that what it was seeing was really an external hard drive and started explaining its specifications.

The images you take with Visual Intelligence are not recorded on the iPhone, and Apple assures that it will not have access to these images; But if you’re logged into your ChatGPT account, OpenAI is likely to store a copy of the image on its servers for analysis.

The only headache of visual intelligence is specific to Iranian users (of course, except that this feature is limited to new iPhones); While image search in Google does not need to change IP, to analyze it in ChatGPT, you will probably have to change your IP. Sometimes this change causes Google search to not work properly, and constantly switching between VPN on and off can be annoying.

And finally: the magic eraser for the iPhone

Apple was a latecomer on the AI ​​train, but the void for a tool to effortlessly remove distracting objects from an image was felt more than any other AI feature on the iPhone. I remember when Google first introduced Magic Eraser, I was quite surprised by its performance. iPhone’s Clean Up function, which has now been added to the Photos application, has exactly the same function, but it no longer has that sense of wonder, because it was released three years late.

A group of people walking in the Book Garden area
Main image
Samsung Object Eraser - crowd
iPhone eraser
iPhone Clean Up - crowd
Samsung Eraser
Camera and energy drink can together
Main image
Clean Up iPhone - camera and can
iPhone eraser
Samsung Object Easer - camera and can
Samsung Eraser

Of course, iPhone’s Clean Up tool works cleaner than Galaxy’s Object Eraser in most cases, and if what you want to erase is small, it’s hard to notice its blank spot in the photo. The Clean Up tool automatically detects disturbing objects and draws a line around them. All the processing is done on the phone itself and therefore, it does not take more than a few seconds.

But Clean Up does not have a new feature to offer, and probably most iPhone users who needed such a feature have been using the same Magic Eraser of Google Photos for a long time; Especially since they don’t need new iPhones and Apple Intelligence to use Magic Eraser.

Artificial intelligence writing tool

The iPhone artificial intelligence writing tool (Writing Tools), which is now available as a new option after Copy in the Safari environment and also next to the pen option in the Notes application, is exactly what we have experienced with Google, Microsoft, and ChatGPT products so far; Of course, with this limitation that it does not support the Persian language and therefore, it will not be widely used for Iranian users.

The tool itself consists of various options, including text correction, rewriting, friendly tone, professional tone, summary, summary, key points, listing, and table creation, the last four options in addition to the “Describe your change” bar, which gives users more freedom of action. For example, you can convert the text format to poetry), are still missing in the iOS 18.2 beta version; But it will probably be available with the release of the public version.

iPhone artificial intelligence writing tool
New Writing Tools option
iPhone artificial intelligence writing tool
Different Options of Writing Tools
iPhone artificial intelligence writing tool
Rewrite text rewriting capability
iPhone artificial intelligence writing tool
Many rewrites are full of emotional words
iPhone artificial intelligence writing tool
friendly tone
iPhone artificial intelligence writing tool
Professional tone
iPhone artificial intelligence writing tool
summarizing
iPhone artificial intelligence writing tool
The last 4 options have not been released yet

If you need to rewrite English texts, Writing Tools has a relatively satisfactory performance; However, Apple’s language model has a habit of using buzzwords and flashy descriptions like “eye-catching”, “unique” or “innovative”, even in summaries! And this issue clearly shows the traces of artificial intelligence in the text.

But the most important features of Writing Tools are the ones that are not yet available in the beta version of iOS 18.2, and I guess they will completely transform the note-taking experience in the Notes application.

Detailed features: from smart gallery search to the new Focus mode

Apple Intelligence is full of smaller features that may be less obvious than linking Siri with ChatGPT and Clean Up, but are likely to be important in simplifying a wide variety of tasks.

Read more: iPhone 16 Pro Review

Smart search in the gallery

Searching images in the gallery has become smarter and understands natural language. For users whose gallery is unorganized and searching among thousands of photos has always been considered an impossible mission, artificial intelligence is really helpful. The results are not always related to the search term, but at least one or two are close to what you are looking for. Interestingly, the new search also recognizes facial expressions such as frowning and smiling and can find specific moments in video clips.

Smart search man with camera in iPhone gallery
Man with camera
Smart search of frowning girl in iPhone gallery
The girl is frowning
Intelligent search of outdoor environment at night in iPhone gallery
Outdoor environment at night
Smart search of people walking in iPhone gallery
People walking

Intelligent Focus Mode

Apple introduced Focus modes to reduce distractions in iOS 15, and now a new mode has been added to the set of Apple Intelligence features; The Reduce Interruptions mode, which uses artificial intelligence, prioritizes notifications based on the degree of importance and displays only those that are really important from the point of view of artificial intelligence. It is possible to customize this mode like other Focus Modes and you can filter the apps and pages you want.

Reduce Interruptions focus mode on iPhone
Reduce Interruptions focus mode on iPhone
Reduce Interruptions focus mode on iPhone
Reduce Interruptions focus mode on iPhone

Smart notifications

Speaking of notifications, let me add that Apple’s AI now categorizes notifications and displays a one-sentence summary of their content. Summary of notifications works both with the iPhone’s own apps such as iMessage, and with third-party apps. When you enable Apple Intelligence, the notification display automatically becomes smart, but you can turn off the notification display completely or just for a specific app by disabling Summarize Previews from the Notifications section in Settings.

Summary of articles in Safari

When you enter Reader mode to read an article in Safari (English articles, of course!), at the beginning of the article you will see an option called “Summarize”, by tapping on it you can read a summary of about 50 words of the entire content within a few seconds.

Apple Intelligence's Summarize feature
Apple Intelligence's Summarize feature
Apple Intelligence's Summarize feature
Apple Intelligence's Summarize feature
For the most part, abstracts of non-app articles have a more neutral tone

The summaries of the articles are useful in most cases. For example, when you open the Dragon Age: The Veilguard game review article, you just want to know whether a certain website has a positive or negative opinion about this game. The tendency of Apple’s artificial intelligence to use emotional words can be seen here, and for example, regarding the article about the launch of the M4 Mac minis, seeing adjectives such as “impressive” or “stunning” in the summary seems a bit excessive. However, Summarize seems to be a useful feature for people who are busy and whose English is relatively good.

The most exciting features… yet to come!

About six weeks have passed since the release of the iPhone 16, and Apple’s intelligence capabilities are not yet fully available; Including the Image Playground image generator that turns text commands into cartoon images, or the Image Wand in the Notes app that adds an image related to your writing, or the Genmoji feature that allows you to create custom emojis with a text description.

But in my opinion, what can really make the Apple Intelligence experience unique and “magical” is Siri; Of course, not in its current form, but what is going to be released in iOS 18.3 and 18.4. Apple is working on features like “screen awareness,” “user behavior analysis,” and “in-app actions” to bring its voice assistant closer to the dream it’s had in mind for years.

For example, thanks to the ability to be aware of the screen, you can tell Siri “Send this photo to so-and-so” and Siri will know exactly which photo you are talking about. Siri also has a better understanding of the content of emails and messages, and if you ask Siri to find a specific message for you or tell you when you took a certain photo, it can answer you. And more importantly, Siri’s control over applications will increase significantly and it will be able to do things that it couldn’t do until now.

Of course, we have to wait at least until 2025 for these features to be ready, and it is not clear that Siri’s performance will be exactly what Apple has promised many times. Until then, perhaps the most important challenge facing Apple’s voice assistant is to make users remember that there is such a thing as Siri at all.

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An in-depth look at the McLaren W1 supercar

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McLaren W1
After eleven years, McLaren unveiled the successor of the legendary P1 supercar; But does the McLaren W1 really deserve to succeed its brother?

An in-depth look at the McLaren W1 supercar

First was F1 and then P1. Now, the W1 has stepped in to take McLaren’s illustrious legacy to new heights. With an astonishing 1,257 horsepower, a combination of advanced aerodynamics and innovative hybrid technology, the McLaren W1 is here to redefine a modern supercar; But can this new model continue the brilliant path started by F1 and P1 and make a place for itself in today’s fast and furious competitive world?

McLaren W1 next to McLaren P1 and McLaren F1 from the front viewMcLaren P1, McLaren W1 and McLaren F1
McLaren Automotive

Eleven years ago, the P1 was recognized as one of the top icons of the automotive industry; The supercar that once held the title of king of the Nürburgring (a famous racetrack in Germany), with its hybrid drivetrain, surprising design, and heart-pounding power, proved McLaren’s power in terms of precision, speed and driving excitement.

Now W1 has entered the field; Not just to retire the P1, of course, but to redefine what it means to be a modern supercar. With technologies inspired by McLaren’s latest achievements in Formula One, the W1 promises a different and unique experience for super-fast car enthusiasts.

McLaren W1 from the front three-way view

McLaren Automotive

McLaren W1 is not only flawless in propulsion power and aerodynamic precision, but its design is such that it can show exceptional performance both on the road and on the track. McLaren used a powerful electric motor in the construction of the W1, which, in addition to increasing acceleration, provides better control of the car in sharp turns and hard roads.

There is no doubt that W1 is more advanced in many aspects compared to previous models; But the question is, can the name of this new car become as immortal as P1 and F1?

Stay tuned as we pit the amazing features of the McLaren W1 against the legendary P1 and see how the upstart British automaker is going to win the supercar throne game.

W1, McLaren’s most powerful production car to date

When it comes to engine power, the W1 and P1 are incomparable. The W1’s astonishing 1,258 horsepower and 1,340 Nm of torque make it the most powerful four-wheeled vehicle ever to come out of the McLaren lineup.

Two McLaren W1s side by side, one from the front and the other from the rear

McLaren Automotive

If you’re not too familiar with the concepts of horsepower and torque, you can think of horsepower as an athlete’s final power (eg, the ability to maintain a high speed over a long distance) and torque as their starting force at the start of a run (initial acceleration). Torque is the twisting force that helps the car to start moving and accelerate, while horsepower shows the final power of the engine, which affects the final speed.

Now, if we consider the dry weight of W1 (without liquids such as oil and fuel) which is 1399 kg, its power-to-weight ratio will be only 1.1 kg per horsepower. Such a ratio makes for incredible acceleration and is also a personal record for McLaren.

Part of the McLaren W1 chassis and frame
McLaren W1 wheel and brake system

On the other hand, P1 is slightly lighter than W1 with a dry weight of 1,395 kg; But on the other hand, it has less power. This middle-aged king still produces 903 horsepower and 900 Nm of torque, which, unfortunately, does not even reach the production power of the Nunvar W1 hybrid engine.

McLaren W1 vs P1 performance stats

In terms of performance statistics, the W1 accelerates from a standstill to 97 km/h in just 2.7 seconds, reaches 200 km/h in 5.8 seconds, and breaks the 300 km/h record in 12.7 seconds. The speed of W1 is limited by an electronic limiter to 350 km/h.

McLaren W1 side view

McLaren Automotive

P1 is slower; But not much. This car reaches a speed of 97 km/h in 2.8 seconds, which is still very fast by today’s standards; However, as the speed increases, the gap between the P1 and the W1 widens, to the point where the P1 needs 6.8 seconds to reach 200 km/h. Interestingly, the maximum speed of P1 is limited to 350 km/h just like W1.

McLaren W1 rear view with doors open

McLaren Automotive

Another interesting point is that the MotorTrend media found out that the acceleration from 0 to 97 km/h P1 is about 0.2 seconds less than the official McLaren statistics. This means that the distance between P1 and W1 in this field is summarized in only one tenth of a second.

McLaren W1 side view
McLaren W1 from three sides and top from the back

Finally, it should be noted that various factors such as altitude above sea level, tires, weather conditions and driver’s weight can affect the time from zero to 97 km/h; Therefore, it is difficult to directly compare the statistics of the two cars in question, unless both cars are tested under almost identical conditions.

McLaren P1 and W1; Hybrid supercars

If you are even a little familiar with McLaren, you probably know that this brand has a special interest in using hybrid engines; But what does hybrid mean? Simply put, a hybrid vehicle has two power sources: usually an internal combustion engine (such as a gasoline engine) and an electric motor. The electric motor can both increase the car’s efficiency and lend extra power to the car and reduce fuel consumption when accelerating or moving at a low speed.

McLaren W1 color problem from the rear view

McLaren Automotive

Keep in mind that McLaren, unlike some manufacturers such as Toyota, does not use electric motors solely for environmental purposes or to reduce fuel consumption. For McLaren, the main purpose of using electric motors in its cars is to increase the instantaneous torque and provide additional power that helps the car perform and accelerate faster.

McLaren W1 engine valve
Space behind the McLaren W1 seats

The P1 was the first supercar that McLaren released with a hybrid system, and apparently the automaker realized the brilliance of its idea at the same time; Because since then, a wide variety of McLaren creations, including Artura and Senna, have joined the hybrid front. Of course, not everything became a hybrid; For example, in the chest of the 750S, a single internal combustion engine still beats proudly.

McLaren P1 has better electric range than W1

The W1 is the seal of approval for McLaren’s commitment to high-performance hybrid supercars. The electric engine of this engineering marvel produces 342 horsepower and 440 Nm of torque and can handle a huge SUV alone; But don’t expect much range from all-electric mode. In fact, the W1’s battery can only take the car for 2.4 to 3.2 kilometers, after which the V8 engine kicks in.

McLaren W1 from above

McLaren Automotive

In contrast, the P1 has enough electric power to travel more than 10 kilometers on its own battery. Of course, the power of the P1 electric motor is not as powerful as that used in the W1, and this motor can only provide 177 horsepower and 260 Nm of torque.

The McLaren P1 is slightly rarer than the W1

The P1 was initially launched with a price tag of $1.15 million, But some of its special and special versions with unusual designs and features had a higher price. In the used car market, many of these models remain close to their original price, and some examples have even been sold for $2.5 million. Given the inflation of recent years, it’s not surprising that the W1 is now priced at nearly double the price of its predecessor.

McLaren W1 rear view with doors open

McLaren Automotive

In contrast, the McLaren W1 now sells for around $2.1 million; However, the final price depends on the extent to which willing buyers customize it.

  • The McLaren W1 supercar is more amazing than you can imagine

On the other hand, McLaren produced a total of 375 P1s, making it one of the rarest vehicles in the world. W1 is also rare; But compared to the P1, some W1s will wear more tires on this dirt globe. McLaren plans to produce 399 units of its new supercar; All of them were registered in the name of their buyers before the official unveiling of the car.

The difference in the McLaren P1 and W1 body

Both the P1 and the W1 are aggressively designed supercars, and their appearance fits perfectly with the general mold of a supercar; But as the English say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder; This means that people may have different views about the attractiveness of each of these two cars. An important point that should not be forgotten is that the design of these cars is not only for beauty but also for practical purposes.

Black McLaren W1 from the front three-way view

McLaren Automotive

The design of the McLaren P1 body has made it possible to achieve a drag coefficient of 0.34Cd. The drag coefficient is a measure that shows the resistance of an object to the air flow. The lower the drag coefficient of a car, the easier the car can break the air and move forward; But the higher this coefficient is, the more force it will need to accelerate.

Thanks to its ultra-low drag coefficient, the P1 could produce 600 kg of downforce at top speed and stick to the road. The result of this feature was the excellent stability and grip of this supercar even at high speeds.

A view of the front wheel of the McLaren W1
McLaren W1 side air vent

Despite the impressive performance of the P1, the spec sheet reminds us of the undisputed superiority of the W1. Thanks to its design and components such as its dynamic rear wing, McLaren’s latest behemoth can generate up to 1,000 kg of downforce and literally grip the asphalt.

A view of the rear fin of the McLaren W1
McLaren W1 close-up rear view

The exact value of drag coefficient W1 is not yet known; But the W1 is rumored to be 20 percent more aerodynamic than the McLaren Senna, known for its excellent aerodynamic performance.

Also, the W1 managed to improve Senna’s time record for a track car by three seconds. In short, the impact of the aerodynamic and engineering advances on the W1’s performance is staggering.

McLaren W1 front view with doors open

McLaren Automotive

Apart from all the performance issues, the W1 also shines in its styling. The design of the W1 gives the car a distinctive presence both on and off the track. This “presence” means the visual effect of the car; W1 is designed to attract attention and provoke admiration; Just like a stunning piece of art hanging on the walls of a museum.

Read more: Everything about Cybercube and Robo Van; Elon Musk’s robotic taxis

the last word; “Real supercar” McLaren

McLaren calls the W1 a “Real Supercar”. There is no doubt that McLaren’s latest supercar has surpassed the model that broke the boundaries more than a decade ago in many ways, But the W1 may have a tough road ahead of it to make the same impact that its brother did in its time.

At the time of its launch, the McLaren P1 set countless records; From setting the best times at the Nurburgring to shining at COTA (Auto Racing of America); But at that time, the competition was not so tight.

McLaren W1 next to McLaren P1 and McLaren F1 side viewMcLaren W1 alongside McLaren P1 and McLaren F1
McLaren Automotive

The high-performance electric supercar revolution that has taken place in the years since the P1’s launch has changed the scene dramatically. With many automakers investing heavily in electric technology and dramatic improvements in supercar capabilities, setting new records is likely to be an even bigger challenge for the W1.

Don’t forget the McLaren F1; A model that is the most iconic supercar ever built and an irreplaceable jewel in McLaren’s history. By registering and defending the position of “the fastest production car in the world” for more than a decade, this car recorded its name as a legend in history; A record that showed its superiority in speed and engineering.

McLaren W1 from above
A view of the front wheel of the McLaren W1
McLaren W1 rear view with doors open
McLaren W1 color problem from the rear view
McLaren W1 side view
McLaren W1 dashboard, steering wheel and seats
Space behind the McLaren W1 seats
McLaren W1 from the front three-way view
McLaren W1 front view
McLaren W1 front view with doors open
McLaren W1 next to McLaren P1 and McLaren F1 from the front view
McLaren W1 close-up rear view

Even though more than 30 years have passed since the production of the first F1 model, this car still holds the title of the fastest production vehicle with a naturally aspirated engine (without the use of a turbocharger or supercharger). It is not without reason that the F1 is still more famous than the Jaguar XJ220 supercar and is always superior to the P1 and W1. F1’s combination of design, engineering, and performance has left a lasting legacy that continues to influence the automotive world today.

There is no doubt that the McLaren W1 represents the pinnacle of modern supercar technology, combining amazing performance with innovative hybrid technology. As the automotive industry continues to evolve, it will be exciting to watch the W1 perform not only against its predecessors but against a new generation of competitors that will challenge the boundaries of what supercars are capable of.

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What is CPU; Everything you need to know about processors

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CPU
How does the central processing unit or CPU, which manages the execution of all instructions and is often referred to as the brain of the computer, work and what are its components?

What is CPU; Everything you need to know about processors

The central processing unit ( CPU ) is considered a vital element in any computer and manages all calculations and instructions that are transferred to other computer components and its peripheral equipment. Almost all electronic devices and gadgets you use; From desktops and laptops and phones to gaming consoles and smartwatches, everyone is equipped with a central processing unit; In fact, this unit is considered basic for computers, without which the system will not turn on, let alone be usable. The high speed of the central processing unit is a function of the input command, and the components of the computer only gain executive power if they are connected to this unit.

Table of contents
  • What is a processor?
  • Processor performance
  • Operating units of processors
  • Processor architecture
  • Set of instructions
  • RISC vs. CISC or ARM vs. x86
  • A brief history of processor architecture
  • ARM and X86-64 architecture differences
  • Processor performance indicators
  • Processor frequency
  • cache memory
  • Processing cores
  • Difference between single-core and multi-core processing
  • Processing threads
  • What is hypertrading or SMT?
  • CPU in gaming
  • What is a bottleneck?
  • Setting up a balanced system

Since the central processing units manage the data of all parts of the computer at the same time, it may work slowly as the volume of calculations and processes increases, or even fail or crash as the workload increases. Today, the most common central processing units on the market consist of semiconductor components on integrated circuits, which are sold in various types, and the leading manufacturers in this industry are AMD and Intel, who have been competing in this field since 50 years ago.

What is a processor?

To get to know the central processing unit (CPU), we first introduce a part of the computer called SoC very briefly. SoC, or system on a chip, is a part of a system that integrates all the components a computer needs for processing on a silicon chip. The SoC has various modules, of which the central processing unit (abbreviated as CPU) is the main component, and the GPU, memory, USB controller, power management circuits, and wireless radios (WiFi, 3G, 4G LTE, etc.) are miscellaneous components that may be necessary. not exist on the SoC. The central processing unit, which from now on and in this article will be called the processor for short, cannot process instructions independently of other chips; But building a complete computer is only possible with SoC.

The SoC is slightly larger than the CPU, yet offers much more functionality. In fact, despite the great emphasis placed on the technology and performance of the processor, this part of the computer is not a computer in itself, and it can finally be introduced as a very fast calculator that is part of the system on a chip or SoC; It retrieves data from memory and then performs some kind of arithmetic (addition, multiplication) or logical (and, or, not) operation on it.

Processor

Processor performance

Intel vs AMD CPU comparison
  • Comparison of Intel and AMD CPUs; All technical specifications and features

The process of processing instructions in the processor includes four main steps that are executed in order:

Calling or retrieving instructions from memory (Fetch): The processor first receives these instructions from memory in order to know how to manage the input and know the instructions related to it. This input may be one or infinitely many commands that must be addressed in separate locations. For this purpose, there is a unit called PC (abbreviation of Program Counter) or program counter, which maintains the order of sent commands; The processor is also constantly communicating with RAM in a cooperative interaction to find the address of the instruction (reading from memory).

Decoding or translation of instructions (Decode): Instructions are translated into a form that can be understood by the processor (machine language or binary). After receiving the commands, the processor needs to translate these codes into machine language (or binary) to understand them. Writing programs in binary language, from the very beginning, is a difficult task, and for this reason, codes are written in simpler programming languages, and then a unit called Assembler converts these commands into executable codes ready for processor processing.

Processing or execution of translated instructions (Execute): The most important step in the processor’s performance is the processing and execution of instructions. At this stage, the decoded and binary instructions are processed at a special address for execution with the help of the ALU unit (abbreviation of Arithmetic & Logic Unit) or calculation and logic unit.

Storage of execution results (Store): The results and output of instructions are stored in the peripheral memory of the processor with the help of the Register unit, so that they can be referred to in future instructions to increase speed (writing to memory).

Cycle of instructions

The process described above is called a fetch-execute cycle, and it happens millions of times per second; Each time after the completion of these four main steps, it is the turn of the next command and all steps are executed again from the beginning until all the instructions are processed.

Operating units of processors

Each processor consists of three operational units that play a role in the process of processing instructions:

Arithmetic & Logic Unit (ALU): This is a complex digital circuit unit that performs arithmetic and comparison operations; In some processors, the ALU is divided into two sections, AU (for performing arithmetic operations) and LU (for performing logical operations).

Memory Control Unit (CU or Program Counter): This is a circuit unit that directs and manages operations within the processor and dictates how to respond to instructions to the calculation and logic unit and input and output devices. The operation of the control unit in each processor can be different depending on its design architecture.

Register unit (Register): The register unit is a unit in the processor that is responsible for temporarily storing processed data, instructions, addresses, sequence of bits, and output, and must have sufficient capacity to store these data. Processors with 64-bit architecture have registers with 64-bit capacity, and processors with 32-bit architecture have 32-bit registers.

Processor architecture

The relationship between the instructions and the processor hardware design forms the processor architecture; But what is 64 or 32-bit architecture? What are the differences between these two architectures? To answer this question, we must first familiarize ourselves with the set of instructions and how to perform their calculations:

Set of instructions

An instruction set is a set of operations that any processor can execute naturally. This operation consists of several thousands of simple and elementary instructions (such as addition, multiplication, transfer, etc.) whose execution is defined in advance for the processor, and if the operation is outside the scope of this set of instructions, the processor cannot execute it.

As mentioned, the processor is responsible for executing programs. These programs are a set of instructions written in a programming language that must be followed in a logical order and exactly step-by-step execution.

Related articles:
  • What is the difference between mobile, laptop, desktop, and server processors?

Since computers do not understand programming languages ​​directly, these instructions must be translated into a machine language or binary form that is easier for computers to understand. The binary form consists of only two numbers zero and one and shows the two possible states of on (one) or off (zero) transistors for the passage of electricity.

In fact, each processor can be considered a set of electrical circuits that provide a set of instructions to the processor, and then the circuits related to that operation are activated by an electrical signal and the processor executes it.

Instructions consist of a certain number of bits. For example, in an 8-bit instruction; Its first 4 bits refer to the operation code and the next 4 bits refer to the data to be used. The length of an instruction set can vary from a few bits to several hundreds of bits and in some architectures it has different lengths.

In general, the set of instructions is divided into the following two main categories:

  • Computer calculations with a reduced instruction set (Reduced instruction set computer): For a RISC-based processor (read risk), the set of defined operations is simple and basic. These types of calculations perform processes faster and more efficiently and are optimized to reduce execution time; RISC does not need to have complex circuits and its design cost is low. RISC-based processors complete each instruction in a single cycle and only operate on data stored in registers; So, they are simple instructions, they have a higher frequency, the information routing structure in them is more optimal, and they load and store operations on registers.
  • Complex instruction set computer: CISC processors have an additional layer of microcode or microprogramming in which they convert complex instructions into simple instructions (such as addition or multiplication). Programmable instructions are stored in fast memory and can be updated. In this type of instruction set, a larger number of instructions can be included than in RICS, and their format can be of variable length. In fact, CISC is almost the opposite of RISC. CISC instructions can span multiple processor cycles, and data routing is not as efficient as RISC processors. In general, CISC-based processors can perform multiple operations during a single complex instruction, but they take multiple cycles along the way.

RISC vs. CISC or ARM vs. x86

RISC and CISC are the two starting and ending points of this spectrum in the instruction set category, and various other combinations are also visible. First, let’s state the basic differences between RISC and CISC:

RICS or Reduced Code of Practice

CISC or Complex Instruction Set

RISC instruction sets are simple; They perform only one operation and the processor can process them in one cycle.

CISC instructions perform multiple operations, but the processor cannot process them in a single cycle.

RISC-based processors have more optimized and simpler information routing; The design of these commands is so simple that they can be implemented in parts.

CISC-based processors are complex in nature, and instructions are more difficult to execute.

RISC-based processors require stored data to execute instructions.

In CISC-based processors, it is possible to work with instructions directly through RAM, and there is no need to load operations separately.

RISC does not require complex hardware and all operations are performed by software.

CISC design hardware requirements are higher. CISC instructions are implemented using hardware, and software is often simpler than RISC. This is why programs based on the CISC design require less coding and the instructions themselves do a large part of the operation.

As mentioned, in the design of today’s modern processors, a combination of these two sets (CISC or RISC) is used. For example, AMD’s x86 architecture originally uses the CISC instruction set, but is also equipped with microcode to simplify complex RISC-like instructions. Now that we have explained the differences between the two main categories of instruction sets, we will examine their application in processor architecture.

If you pay attention to the processor architecture when choosing a phone or tablet, you will notice that some models use Intel processors, while others are based on ARM architecture.

Suppose that different processors each have different instruction sets, in which case each must be compiled separately for each processor to run different programs. For example, for each processor from the AMD family, it was necessary to develop a separate Windows or thousands of versions of the Photoshop program were written for different processors. For this reason, standard architectures based on RISC or CISC categories or a combination of the two were designed and the specifications of these standards were made available to everyone. ARM, PowerPC, x86-64, and IA-64 are examples of these architecture standards, and below we introduce two of the most important ones and their differences:

A brief history of processor architecture

In 1823, a person named Baron Jones Jacob Berzelius discovered the chemical element silicon (symbol Si, atomic number 14) for the first time. Due to its abundance and strong semiconductor properties, this element is used as the main material in making processors and computer chips. Almost a century later, in 1947, John Bardeen , Walter Brattin and William Shockley invented the first transistor at Bell Labs and received the Nobel Prize.

Silicon atom

The first efficient integrated circuit (IC) was unveiled in September 1958, and two years later IBM developed the first automated mass production facility for transistors in New York. Intel was founded in 1968 and AMD was founded a year later.

The first processor was invented by Intel in the early 1970s; This processor was called Intel 4004 and with the benefit of 2,300 transistors, it performed 60,000 operations per second. The Intel 4004 CPU was priced at 200 and had only 640 bytes of memory:

Intel 4004Intel CPU C4004 P0339

After Intel, Motorola introduced its first 8-bit processor (the MC6800) with a frequency of one to two MHz, and then MOS Technology introduced a faster and cheaper processor than the existing processors used in gaming consoles of the time, namely the Atari 2600 and Nintendo systems. Used like Apple II and Commodore 64. The first 32-bit processor was developed by Motorola in 1979, although this processor was only used in Apple’s Macintosh and Amiga computers. A little later, National Semiconductor released the first 32-bit processor for public use.

In 1993, PowerPC released its first processor based on a 32-bit instruction set; This processor was developed by the AIM consortium (consisting of three companies Apple, IBM, and Motorola) and Apple migrated from Intel to PowerPC at that time.

The difference between 32-bit and 64-bit processor (x86 vs. x64): Simply put, the x86 architecture refers to a family of instructions that was used in one of the most successful Intel processors, the 8086, and if a processor is compatible with the x86 architecture, that processor known as x86-64 or x86-32 for Windows 32 (and 16) versions bit is used; 64-bit processors are called x64 and 32-bit processors are called x86.

The biggest difference between 32-bit and 64-bit processors is their different access to RAM:

The maximum physical memory of x86 architecture or 32-bit processors is limited to 4 GB; While x64 architecture (or 64-bit processors) can access physical memory of 8, 16, and sometimes even up to 32 GB. A 64-bit computer can run both 32-bit and 64-bit programs; In contrast, a 32-bit computer can only run 32-bit programs.

In most cases, 64-bit processors are more efficient than 32-bit processors when processing large amounts of data. To find out which programs your operating system supports (32-bit or 64-bit), just follow one of the following two paths:

  • Press the Win + X keys to bring up the context menu and then click System. -> In the window that opens, find the System type section in the Device specification section. You can see whether your Windows is 64-bit or 32-bit from this section.
  • Type the term msinfo32 in the Windows search box and click on the displayed System Information. -> From the System Information section on the right, find the System type and see if your Windows operating system is based on x64 or X32.

The first route

The second path

ARM was a type of computer processor architecture that was introduced by Acorn in 1980; Before ARM, AMD, and Intel both used Intel’s X86 architecture, based on CISC computing, and IBM also used RISC computing in its workstations. In fact, Acorn was the first company to develop a home computer based on RISC computing, and its architecture was named after ARM itself: Acorn RISC Machine. The company did not manufacture processors and instead sold licenses to use the ARM architecture to other processor manufacturers. Acorn Holding changed the name Acorn to Advanced a few years later.

The ARM architecture processes 32-bit instructions, and the core of a processor based on this architecture requires at least 35,000 transistors. Processors designed based on Intel’s x86 architecture, which processes based on CISC calculations, require at least millions of transistors; In fact, the optimal energy consumption in ARM-based processors and their suitability for devices such as phones or tablets is related to the low number of transistors compared to Intel’s X86 architecture.

In 2011, ARM introduced the ARMv8 architecture with support for 64-bit instructions and a year after that, Microsoft also launched a Windows version compatible with the ARM architecture along with the Surface RT tablet.

ARM and X86-64 architecture differences

The ARM architecture is designed to be as simple as possible while keeping power dissipation to a minimum. On the other hand, Intel uses more complex settings with the X86 architecture, which is more suitable for more powerful desktop and laptop processors.

Computers moved to 64-bit architecture after Intel introduced the modern x86-64 architecture (also known as x64). 64-bit architecture is essential for optimal calculations and performs 3D rendering and encryption with greater accuracy and speed. Today, both architectures support 64-bit instructions, but this technology came earlier for mobile.

When ARM implemented 64-bit architecture in ARMv8, it took two approaches to this architecture: AArch32 and AArch64. The first one is used to run 32-bit codes and the other one is used to run 64-bit codes.

ARM architecture is designed in such a way that it can switch between two modes very quickly. This means that the 64-bit instruction decoder no longer needs to be compatible with 32-bit instructions and is designed to be backward compatible, although ARM has announced that processors based on the ARMv9 Cortex-A architecture will only be compatible with 64-bit instructions in 2023. and support for 32-bit applications and operating systems will end in next-generation processors.

The differences between ARM and Intel architecture largely reflect the achievements and challenges of these two companies. The approach of optimal energy consumption in the ARM architecture, while being suitable for power consumption under 5 watts in mobile phones, provides the possibility of improving the performance of processors based on this architecture to the level of Intel laptop processors. Compared to Intel’s 100-watt power consumption in Core i7 and Core i9 processors or even AMD processors, it is a great achievement in high-end desktops and servers, although historically it is not possible to lower this power below 5 watts.

nanometer process

Processors that use more advanced transistors consume less power, and Intel has long been trying to upgrade its lithography from 14nm to more advanced lithography. The company recently succeeded in producing its processors with the 10nm manufacturing process, but in the meantime, mobile processors have also moved from 20nm to 14nm, 10nm, and 7nm designs, which is a result of competition from Samsung and TSMC. On the other hand, AMD unveiled 7nm processors in the Ryzen series and surpassed its x86-64 architecture competitors.

Nanometer: A meter divided by a thousand is equal to a millimeter, a millimeter divided by a thousand is equal to a micrometer, and a micrometer divided by a thousand is equal to a nanometer, in other words, a nanometer is a billion times smaller than a meter.

Lithography or manufacturing process: lithography is a Greek word that means lithography, which refers to the way components are placed in processors, or the process of producing and forming circuits; This process is carried out by specialized manufacturers in this field, such as TSMC. In lithography, since the production of the first processors until a few years ago, nanometers showed the distances of placing processor components together; For example, the 14nm lithography of the Skylake series processors in 2015 meant that the components of that processor were separated by 14nm. At that time, it was believed that the less lithography or processor manufacturing process, the more efficient energy consumption and better performance.

The distance between the placement of components in processors is not so relevant nowadays and the processes used to make these products are more contractual; Because it is no longer possible to reduce these distances beyond a certain limit without reducing productivity. In general, with the passage of time, the advancement of technology, the design of different transistors, and the increase in the number of these transistors in the processor, manufacturers have adopted various other solutions such as 3D stacking to place transistors on the processors.

The most unique feature of ARM architecture can be considered as keeping the power consumption low in running mobile applications; This achievement comes from ARM’s heterogeneous processing capability; ARM architecture allows processing to be divided between powerful and low-power cores, and as a result, energy is used more efficiently.

big.LITTLE architecture

ARM’s first attempt in this field dates back to the big.LITTLE architecture in 2011, when the large Cortex-A15 cores and the small Cortex-A7 cores arrived. The idea of ​​using powerful cores for heavy applications and using low-power cores for light and background processing may not have been given as much attention as it should be, but ARM experienced many unsuccessful attempts and failures to achieve it; Today, ARM is the dominant architecture in the market: for example, iPads and iPhones use ARM architecture exclusively.

In the meantime, Intel’s Atom processors, which did not benefit from heterogeneous processing, could not compete with the performance and optimal consumption of processors based on ARM architecture, and this made Intel lag behind ARM.

Finally, in 2020, Intel was able to use a hybrid architecture for cores with a powerful core (Sunny Cove) and four low-consumption cores (Tremont) in the design of its 10 nm Lakefield processors, and in addition to this achievement, it also uses graphics and connectivity capabilities. , but this product was made for laptops with a power consumption of 7 watts, which is still considered high consumption for phones.

Another important distinction between Intel and ARM is in the way they use their design. Intel uses its developed architecture in the processors it manufactures and sells the architecture in its products, while ARM sells its design and architecture certification with customization capabilities to other companies, such as Apple, Samsung, and Qualcomm, and these companies They can make changes in the set of instructions of this architecture and design depending on their goals.

Manufacturing custom processors is expensive and complicated for companies that manufacture these products, but if done right, the end products can be very powerful. For example, Apple has repeatedly proven that customizing the ARM architecture can bring the company’s processors to par with x84-64 or beyond.

Apple eventually plans to remove all Intel-based processors from its Mac products and replace them with ARM-based silicon. The M1 chip is Apple’s first attempt in this direction, which was released along with MacBook Air, MacBook Pro and Mac Mini. After that, the M1 Max and M1 Ultra chips also showed that the ARM architecture combined with Apple’s improvements could challenge the x86-64 architecture.

As mentioned earlier, standard architectures based on RISC or CISC categories or a combination of the two were designed and the specifications of these standards were made available to everyone; Applications and software must be compiled for the processor architecture on which they run. This issue was not a big concern before due to the limitations of different platforms and architectures, but today the number of applications that need different compilations to run on different platforms has increased.

ARM-based Macs, Google’s Chrome OS, and Microsoft’s Windows are all examples in today’s world that require software to run on both ARM and x86-64 architectures. Native software compilation is the only solution that can be used in such a situation.

In fact, for these platforms, it is possible to simulate each other’s code, and the code compiled for one architecture can be executed on another architecture. It goes without saying that such an approach to the initial development of an application compatible with any platform is accompanied by a decrease in performance, but the very possibility of simulating the code can be very promising for now.

After years of development, currently, the Windows emulator for a platform based on ARM architecture provides acceptable performance for running most applications, Android applications also run more or less satisfactorily on Chromebooks based on Intel architecture, and Apple, which has a special code translation tool for has developed itself (Rosetta 2) supports older Mac applications that were developed for the Intel architecture.

However, as mentioned, all three perform weaker in the implementation of programs than if the program was written from scratch for each platform separately. In general, the architecture of ARM and Intel X86-64 can be compared as follows:

architecture

ARM

X86-64

CISC vs. RISC

The ARM architecture is an architecture for processors and therefore does not have a single manufacturer. This technology is used in the processors of Android phones and iPhones.

The X86 architecture is produced by Intel and is exclusively used in desktop and laptop processors of this company.

Complexity of instructions

The ARM architecture uses only one cycle to execute an instruction, and this feature makes processors based on this architecture more suitable for devices that require simpler processing.

The Intel architecture (or the X86 architecture associated with 32-bit Windows applications) often uses CISC computing and therefore has a slightly more complex instruction set and requires several cycles to execute.

Mobile CPUs vs. Desktop CPUs

The dependence of the ARM architecture on the software makes this architecture be used more in the design of phone processors; ARM (in general) works better on smaller technologies that don’t have constant access to the power supply.

Because Intel’s X86 architecture relies more on hardware, this architecture is typically used to design processors for larger devices such as desktops; Intel focuses more on performance and is considered a better architecture for a wider range of technologies.

Energy consumption

The ARM architecture not only consumes less energy thanks to its single-cycle computing set but also has a lower operating temperature than Intel’s X86 architecture; ARM architectures are great for designing phone processors because they reduce the amount of energy required to keep the system running and execute the user’s requested commands.

Intel’s architecture is focused on performance, so it won’t be a problem for desktop or laptop users who have access to an unlimited power source.

Processor speed

CPUs based on ARM architecture are usually slower than their Intel counterparts because they perform calculations with lower power for optimal consumption.

Processors based on Intel’s X86 architecture are used for faster computing.

operating system

ARM architecture is more efficient in the design of Android phone processors and is considered the dominant architecture in this market; Although devices based on the X86 architecture can also run a full range of Android applications, these applications must be translated before running. This scenario requires time and energy, so battery life and overall processor performance may suffer.

Intel architecture reigns as the dominant architecture in tablets and Windows operating systems. Of course, in 2019, Microsoft released the Surface Pro X with a processor that uses ARM architecture and could run the full version of Windows. If you are a gamer or if you have expectations from your tablet beyond running the full version of Windows, it is better to still use the Intel architecture.

During the competition between Arm and x86 over the past ten years, ARM can be considered the winning architecture for low-power devices such as phones. This architecture has also made great strides in laptops and other devices that require optimal energy consumption. On the other hand, although Intel has lost the phone market, the efforts of this manufacturer to optimize energy consumption have been accompanied by significant improvements over the years, and with the development of hybrid architecture, such as the combination of Lakefield and Alder Lake, now more than ever, there are many commonalities with processors. It is based on Arm architecture. Arm and x86 are distinctly different from an engineering point of view, and each has its own individual strengths and weaknesses, however, today it is no longer easy to distinguish between the use cases of the two, as both architectures are increasingly supported. It is increasing in ecosystems.

Processor performance indicators

Processor performance has a great impact on the speed of loading programs and their smooth execution, and there are various measures to measure the performance of each processor, of which frequency (clock speed) is one of the most important. So be careful, the frequency of each core can be considered as a criterion for measuring its processing power, but this criterion does not necessarily represent the overall performance of the processor and many things such as the number of cores and threads, internal architecture (synergy between cores), cache memory capacity, Overclocking capability, thermal power, power consumption, IPC, etc. were also considered to judge the overall performance of the processor.

Synergy is an effect that results from the flow or interaction of two or more elements. If this effect is greater than the sum of the effects that each of those individual elements could create, then synergy has occurred.

In the following, we will explain more about the factors influencing the performance of the processor:

Processor frequency

One of the most important factors in choosing and buying a processor is its frequency (Clock Speed), which is usually a fixed number for all its cores. The number of operations that the processor performs per second is known as its speed and is expressed in Hertz, MHz (MHz for older processors), or GHz.

At the same frequency, a processor with a higher IPC can do more processing and is more powerful

More precisely, frequency refers to the number of computing cycles that processor cores perform per second and is measured in GHz (GHz-billion cycles per second).

For example, a 3.2 GHz processor performs 3.2 billion operations per second. In the early 1970s, processors passed the frequency of one megahertz (MHz) or running one million cycles per second, and around 2000 the gigahertz (GHz) unit of measurement equal to one billion hertz was chosen to measure their frequency.

Sometimes, multiple instructions are completed in one cycle, and in some cases, an instruction may be processed in multiple cycles. Since different architectures and designs of each processor perform instructions in a different way, the processing power of their cores can be different depending on the architecture. In fact, without knowing the number of instructions processed per cycle (IPC) comparing the frequency of two processors is completely meaningless.

Suppose we have two processors; One is produced by Company A and the other by Company B, and the frequency of both of them is the same and equal to one GHz. If we have no other information, we may consider these two processors to be the same in terms of performance; But if company A’s processor completes one instruction per cycle and company B’s processor can complete two instructions per cycle. Obviously, the second processor will perform faster than the A processor.

In simpler words, at the same frequency, a processor with a higher IPC can do more processing and is more powerful. So, to properly evaluate the performance of each processor, in addition to the frequency, you will also need the number of instructions it performs in each cycle.

Therefore, it is better to compare the frequency of each processor with the frequency of processors of the same series and generations with the same processor. It’s possible that a processor from five years ago with a high frequency will outperform a newer processor with a lower frequency because newer architectures handle instructions more efficiently.

Intel’s X-series processors may outperform higher-frequency K-series processors because they split tasks between more cores and have larger caches; On the other hand, in the same generation of processors, a processor with a higher frequency usually performs better than a processor with a lower frequency in many applications. This is why the manufacturer company and processor generation are very important when comparing processors.

Base frequency and boost frequency: The base frequency of any processor is the minimum frequency that the processor works with when idle or when performing light processing; on the other hand, the boost frequency is a measure that shows how much the processor performs when performing heavier calculations or more demanding processes. can increase. Boost frequencies are automatically applied and limited by heat from heavy processing before the processor reaches unsafe levels of computing.

In fact, it is not possible to increase the frequency of a processor without physical limitations (mainly electricity and heat), and when the frequency reaches about 3 GHz, the power consumption increases disproportionately.

Cache memory

Another factor that affects the performance of the processor is the capacity of the processor’s cache memory or RAM; This type of RAM works much faster than the main RAM of the system due to being located near the processor and the processor uses it to temporarily store data and reduce the time of transferring data to/from the system memory.

Related articles:
  • What is L2, L1, and L3 cache memory and what effect does it have on processor performance?

Therefore, cache can also have a large impact on processor performance; The more RAM the processor has, the better its performance will be. Fortunately, nowadays all users can access benchmark tools and evaluate the performance of processors themselves, regardless of manufacturers’ claims.

Cache memory can be multi-layered and is indicated by the letter L. Usually, processors have up to three or four layers of cache memory, the first layer (L1) is faster than the second layer (L2), the second layer is faster than the third layer (L3), and the third layer is faster than the fourth layer (L4). . The cache memory usually offers up to several tens of megabytes of space to store, and the more space there is, the higher the price of the processor will be.

CPU cache

The cache memory is responsible for maintaining data; This memory has a higher speed than the RAM of the computer and therefore reduces the delay in the execution of commands; In fact, the processor first checks the cache memory to access desired data, and if the desired data is not present in that memory, it goes to the RAM.

  • Level one cache memory (L1), which is called the first cache memory or internal cache; is the closest memory to the processor and has high speed and smaller volume than other levels of cache memory, this memory stores the most important data needed for processing; Because the processor, when processing an instruction, first of all goes to the level one cache memory.
  • Level two (L2) cache memory, which is called external cache memory, has a lower speed and a larger volume than L1, and depending on the processor structure, it may be used jointly or separately. Unlike L1, L2 was placed on the motherboard in old computers, but today, in new processors, this memory is placed on the processor itself and has less delay than the next layer of cache, namely L3.
  • The L3 cache memory is the memory that is shared by all the cores in the processor and has a larger capacity than the L1 or L2 cache memory, but it is slower in terms of speed.
  • Like L3, L4 cache has a larger volume and lower speed than L1 or L2; L3 or L4 are usually shared.

Processing cores

The core is the processing unit of the processor that can independently perform or process all computing tasks. From this point of view, the core can be considered as a small processor in the whole central processing unit. This part of the processor consists of the same operational units of calculation and logical operations (ALU), memory control (CU), and registers (Register) that perform the process of processing instructions with a fetch-execution cycle.

Processing cores

In the beginning, processors worked with only one core, but today processors are mostly multi-core, with at least two or more cores on an integrated circuit, processing two or more processes simultaneously. Note that each core can only execute one instruction at a time. Processors equipped with multiple cores execute sets of instructions or programs using parallel processing (Parallel Computing) faster than before. Of course, having more cores does not mean increasing the overall performance of the processor. Because many programs do not yet use parallel processing.

  • Single-core processors: The oldest type of processor is a single-core processor that can execute only one command at a time and is not efficient for multitasking. In this processor, the start of a process requires the end of the previous operation, and if more than one program is executed, the performance of the processor will decrease significantly. The performance of a single-core processor is calculated by measuring its power and based on frequency.
  • Dual-core processors: A dual-core processor consists of two strong cores and has the same performance as two single-core processors. The difference between this processor and a single-core processor is that it switches back and forth between a variable array of data streams, and if more threads or threads are running, a dual-core processor can handle multiple processing tasks more efficiently.
  • Quad-core processors: A quad-core processor is an optimized model of a multi-core processor that divides the workload between cores and provides more effective multitasking capabilities by benefiting from four cores; Hence, it is more suitable for gamers and professional users.
  • Six-core processors (Hexa-Core): Another type of multi-core processor is a six-core processor that performs processes at a higher speed than four-core and two-core types. For example, Intel’s Core i7 processors have six cores and are suitable for everyday use.
  • Octa-Core processors: Octa-core processors are developed with eight independent cores and offer better performance than previous types; These processors include a dual set of quad-core processors that divide different activities between different types. This means that in many cases, the minimum required cores are used for processing, and if there is an emergency or need, the other four cores are also used in performing calculations.
  • Ten-core processors (Deca-Core): Ten-core processors consist of ten independent systems that are more powerful than other processors in executing and managing processes. These processors are faster than other types and perform multitasking in the best possible way, and more and more of them are released to the market day by day.

Difference between single-core and multi-core processing

In general, it can be said that the choice between a powerful single-core processor and a multi-core processor with normal power depends only on the way of use, and there is no pre-written version for everyone. The powerful performance of single-core processors is important for use in software applications that do not need or cannot use multiple cores. Having more cores doesn’t necessarily mean faster, but if a program is optimized to use multiple cores, it will run faster with more cores. In general, if you mostly use applications that are optimized for single-core processing, you probably won’t benefit from a processor with a large number of cores.

Let’s say you want to take 2 people from point A to B, of course a Lamborghini will do just fine, but if you want to transport 50 people, a bus can be a faster solution than multiple Lamborghini commutes. The same goes for single-core versus multi-core processing.

In recent years and with the advancement of technology, processor cores have become increasingly smaller, and as a result, more cores can be placed on a processor chip, and the operating system and software must also be optimized to use more cores to divide instructions and execute them simultaneously. allocate different If this is done correctly, we will see an impressive performance.

multi-core
  • How do processors use multiple cores?
  • How do Windows and other operating systems use multiple cores in a processor?

In traditional multi-core processors, all cores were implemented the same and had the same performance and power rating. The problem with these processors was that when the processor is idle or doing light processing, it is not possible to lower the energy consumption beyond a certain limit. This issue is not a concern in conditions of unlimited access to power sources but can be problematic in conditions where the system relies on batteries or a limited power source for processing.

This is where the concept of asymmetric processor design was born. For smartphones, Intel quickly adopted a solution that some cores are more powerful and provide better performance, and some cores are implemented in a low-consumption way; These cores are only good for running background tasks or running basic applications such as reading and writing email or browsing the web.

High-powered cores automatically kick in when you launch a video game or when a heavy program needs more performance to do a specific task.

core and string

Although the combination of high-power and low-consumption cores in processors is not a new idea, using this combination in computers was not so common, at least until the release of the 12th generation Alder Lake processors by Intel.

In each model of Intel’s 12th generation processors, there are E cores (low consumption) and P cores (powerful); The ratio between these two types of cores can be different, but for example, in Alder Lake Core i9 series processors, eight cores are intended for heavy processing and eight cores for light processing. The i7 and i5 series have 8.4 and 6.4 designs for P and E cores, respectively.

There are many advantages to having a hybrid architecture approach in processor cores, and laptop users will benefit the most, because most daily tasks such as web browsing, etc., do not require intensive performance. If only low-power cores are involved, the computer or laptop will not heat up and the battery will last longer.

Low-power cores are simple and inexpensive to produce, so using them to boost and free up powerful, advanced cores seems like a smart idea.

Even if you have your system connected to a power source, the presence of low-power cores will be efficient. For example, if you are engaged in gaming and this process requires all the power of the processor, powerful cores can meet this need, and low-power cores are also responsible for running background processes or programs such as Skype, etc.

At least in the case of Intel’s Alder Lake processors, the P and E cores are designed to not interfere with each other so that each can perform tasks independently. Unfortunately, since combining different processors is a relatively new concept for x86 processors, this fundamental change in the x86 architecture is fraught with problems.

Before the idea of ​​hybrid cores (or the combination of powerful cores or P and low consumption or E) was proposed, software developers had a reason to develop their products. They did not see a form compatible with this architecture, so their software was not aware of the difference between low-consumption and high-consumption cores, and this caused in some cases Reports of crashes or strange behavior of some software (such as Denuvo).

Processing threads

Processing threads are threads of instructions that are sent to the processor for processing; Each processor is normally capable of processing one instruction, which is called the main instruction, and if two instructions are sent to the processor, the second instruction is executed after the first instruction is executed. This process can slow down the speed and performance of the processor. In this regard, processor manufacturers divide each physical core into two virtual cores (Thread), each of which can execute a separate processing thread, and each core, having two threads, can execute two processing threads at the same time.

Active processing versus passive processing

Active processing refers to the process that requires the user to manually set data to complete an instruction; Common examples of active processing include motion design, 3D modeling, video editing, or gaming. In this type of processing, single-core performance and high-core speed are very important, so in the implementation of such processing, we need fewer, but more powerful, cores to benefit from smooth performance.

Passive processing, on the other hand, is instructions that can usually be easily executed in parallel and left alone, such as 3D rendering and video; Such processing requires processors with a large number of cores and a higher base frequency, such as AMD’s Threadripper series processors.

One of the influential factors in performing passive processing is the high number of threads and their ability to be used. In simple words, a thread is a set of data that is sent to the processor for processing from an application and allows the processor to perform several tasks at the same time in an efficient and fast way; In fact, it is because of the threads in the system that you can listen to music while surfing the web.

Threads are not physical components of the processor but represent the amount of processing that the processor cores can do, and to execute several very intensive instructions simultaneously, you will need a processor with a large number of threads.

The number of threads in each processor is directly related to the number of cores; In fact, each core can usually have two threads and all processors have active threads that allocate at least one thread to perform each process.

What is hypertrading or SMT?

Hyperthreading in Intel processors and simultaneous multithreading (SMT) in AMD processors are concepts to show the process of dividing physical cores into virtual cores; In fact, these two features are a solution for scheduling and executing instructions that are sent to the processor without interruption.

Hypertrading

Today, most processors are equipped with hyperthreading or SMT capability and run two threads per core. However, some low-end processors, such as Intel’s Celeron series or AMD’s Ryzen 3 series, do not support this feature and only have one thread per core. Even some high-end Intel processors come with disabled hyperthreading for various reasons such as market segmentation, so it is generally better to read the Cores & Threads description section before buying any processor. Check it out.

Hyperthreading or simultaneous multithreading helps to schedule instructions more efficiently and use parts of the core that are currently inactive. At best, threads provide about 50% more performance compared to physical cores.

In general, if you’re only doing active processing like 3D modeling during the day, you probably won’t be using all of your CPU’s cores; Because this type of processing usually only runs on one or two cores, but for processing such as rendering that requires all the power of the processor cores and available threads, using hyperthreading or SMT can make a significant difference in performance.

CPU in gaming

Before the release of multi-core processors, computer games were developed for single-core systems, but after the introduction of the first dual-core processor in 2005 by AMD and the release of four, six and eight-core processors after that, there is no longer a limit to the help of more cores. did not have Because the ability to execute several different operations at the same time was provided for the processors.

In order to have a satisfactory gaming experience, every gamer must choose a balanced processor and graphics processor (we will examine the graphics processor and its function in a separate article) in a balanced way. If the processor has a weak or slow performance and cannot execute commands fast enough, the system graphics cannot use its maximum power; Of course, the opposite is also true. In such a situation, we say that the graphics has become a bottleneck.

What is a bottleneck?

In the field of computers, botlink (or bottleneck) is said to limit the performance of a component as a result of the difference in the maximum capabilities of two hardware components. Simply put, if the graphics unit receives instructions faster than the processor can send them, the unit will sit idle until the next set of instructions is ready, rendering fewer frames per second; In this situation, the level of graphics performance is limited due to processor limitations.

Butlanc

The same may happen in the opposite direction. If a powerful processor sends commands to it faster than the graphics unit can receive, the processor’s capabilities are limited by the poor performance of the graphics.

In fact, a system that consists of a suitable processor and graphics, provides a better and smoother performance to the user. Such a system is called a balanced system. In general, a balanced system is a system in which the hardware does not create bottlenecks (or bottlenecks) for the user’s desired processes and provides a better user experience without disproportionate use (too much or too little) of system components.

It is better to pay attention to a few points to set up a balanced system:

  • You can’t set up a balanced system for an ideal gaming experience by just buying the most expensive processor and graphics available in the market.
  • Butlink is not necessarily caused by the quality or oldness of the components and is directly related to the performance of the system hardware.
  • Graphics botlinking is not specific to advanced systems, and balance is also very important in systems with low-end hardware.
  • The creation of botlinks is not exclusive to the processor and graphics, but the interaction between these two components prevents this problem to a large extent.

Setting up a balanced system

In the case of gaming or graphics processing, when the graphics do not use their maximum power, the effect of processor power on improving the quality of the user’s gaming experience will be noticeable if there is high coordination between the graphics unit and the processor; In addition, the type and model of the game are also two important factors in choosing hardware. Currently, quad-core processors can still be used to run various games, but Hexa-core processors or more will definitely give you smoother performance. Today, multi-core processors for games such as first-person shooters (FPS) or online multiplayer games are considered essential for any gaming system.

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