What Is a Good Processor for a Tablet?
The brand or architecture of a processor doesn’t matter as much as its technical specifications, specifically its speed and the number of cores it has. The processor usually plays a key factor in the price of a tablet. The most powerful tablets on the market today, such as the Microsoft Surface Pro 7, have octa-core CPUs with processing speeds over 2 GHz. If you only need a tablet to read books and browse the web, you can find budget tablets that have enough processing power for those purposes. If you want to use a tablet to play 3D games or do graphic design work, a higher-end CPU is necessary.
ARM Processors
Most tablets use a processor architecture produced by ARM. This company designs the basic processor architecture and then licenses those designs to other companies to manufacture. As a result, there are similar ARM-based processors manufactured by a range of companies. For example, while iPhones use a proprietary CPU made by Apple, it is based on the ARM architecture. The most common ARM processor design for tablets is based on the Cortex-A. These designs are considered systems-on-a-chip (SoCs) because the design integrates the RAM and graphics into a single silicon chip. This has some implications, as two similar chips’ processor cores may have different amounts of memory and different graphics engines, which can cause variations in performance. Manufacturers might alter the design, but for the most part, performance is similar between products within the same base design. The actual speeds can differ because of the amount of memory, the platform’s operating system, and the graphics processor. However, if one processor is based on the Cortex-A8 while another is based on Cortex-A9, the higher model typically offers better performance at similar speeds. Below is a list of Cortex-A models and features:
Intel x86 Processors
Intel is the most frequently used of the two because of its low-power Atom processors. The Atom processors may not be as powerful as traditional laptop processors. However, Atom processors provide sufficient performance for running Windows, albeit somewhat slower. Intel offers a range of Atom processors. The Z series, found in older tablets, has a long battery life but is relatively slow. The X series of Atom processors offers improved performance over the past Z series with as long or longer battery life. If you’re looking at a tablet with an Atom processor, look for one with a newer X5 or X7 processor. If it uses the older processor line, get the Z5300 or higher. Some tablets use the energy-efficient Intel Core series. Such processors offer a similar level of performance but generally aren’t as compact as the Atom-based processors. The Core M series of processors offer performance somewhere between the Core i5 and the Atom processors. These are well suited for tablets since some models don’t require active cooling.
AMD Processors
AMD offers several processors based on its APU architecture, which is another name for a processor with integrated graphics. There are two versions of the APU that could be used for tablets. The E series was the original design meant for low power consumption. The recent offerings are the A4-1000 series, which are ultra-low wattage and can be used with a tablet or a 2-in-1 hybrid laptop.
How Many Number of Cores Is Enough?
Higher-end tablets feature multiple core processors to improve multitasking. With multiple cores, the operating system can better allocate tasks to speed up performance. That way, you can listen to music and play a game at the same time without one affecting the other.
