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quad core android vs. dual core windows

Tags:
  • Quad Core
  • Windows
  • CPUs
  • Devices
  • Dual Core
  • Windows 8
  • Android
Last response: in CPUs
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October 13, 2013 8:10:58 AM

I've noticed that Android devices (e.g. Samsung tablets, phones) that run the Android OS utilize quad core processors while it seems that Windows devices (e.g. Nokia Lumia phone; Acer, Dell touchscreen laptops) have dual core processors.

It was my belief that quad core meant faster, better throughput, than dual core (given equal speeds). Is this correct? Why is it that devices running Windows use dual core - is it possible that Windows 8 is more effecient than the Android OS?

I'd like to understand this before I make my decision what to buy for a touch screen/tablet.

More about : quad core android dual core windows

a b à CPUs
October 13, 2013 9:50:35 AM

Android all the way. Windows mobile is horrible! (IMHO)
October 13, 2013 10:14:57 AM

Well before processors come into play, the OS itself should be considered. I personally would go for android because it has more support. My brother has a windows phone and is in a love/hate relationship. He prefers the overall interface over android, however hates the lack of support.
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Anonymous
a b à CPUs
October 13, 2013 12:01:12 PM

I would take the quad core Android. On my Tab 2 7.0 (Yes, I know its entry level) it begins to choke up when I leave a few apps open.
Anonymous
a b à CPUs
October 13, 2013 12:01:13 PM

[dupe]
a b à CPUs
October 13, 2013 12:11:11 PM

There are too many variables to answer that question. A dual core i7 will eat a quad core android tablet for lunch... And dinner for a week. A dual core atom is about equal to a quad core tegra 3 but way behind a snapdragon 800. Also the OS makes a huge difference. On windows phone 8 a dual core snapdragon runs everything fine but an equivalent CPU can't run windows rt well. Try to narrow your question down to get a good answer
a c 210 à CPUs
October 13, 2013 12:18:39 PM

bamiral said:
I've noticed that Android devices (e.g. Samsung tablets, phones) that run the Android OS utilize quad core processors while it seems that Windows devices (e.g. Nokia Lumia phone; Acer, Dell touchscreen laptops) have dual core processors.

It was my belief that quad core meant faster, better throughput, than dual core (given equal speeds). Is this correct? Why is it that devices running Windows use dual core - is it possible that Windows 8 is more effecient than the Android OS?

I'd like to understand this before I make my decision what to buy for a touch screen/tablet.


Windows software tends to be a bit more bloated than Android, so, in actuality, the quad core Android should be quite a bit faster. That is, unless the quad core is a more entry level quad and the dual core is something like a snapdragon or krait dual core.

The snapdragon 800 is about as beastly a mobile processor as there is available on the market right now.
a c 487 à CPUs
a b * Windows 8
a b Ë Android
October 13, 2013 5:20:26 PM

Part of the reason is power consumption. Android smartphones and tablets use ARM based processors which have been designed from the start to consume very little power. The Cortex-A15 is the current generation ARM processor from ARM Holdings. It consumes over 4w of bpower (but under 5w) and for an ARM processor it is considered a power hog, however, it should be able to play all the latest Android games. ARM Holdings has kept a very tight lid on the actual transistor count of the A15. The Cortex-A9 has about 26 million transistors.

Tablets running Windows uses Intel's Atom CPUs. While they do consume less power than their desktop big brothers, they were meant more for netbooks and have been adapted for tablets because netbooks are not really selling very well while smartphones and tablet sales are skyrocketing. The current generation Atom CPUs are based on the Cedar Trail architecture. The new Bay Trail version are due out in December and Intel claims that certain models are 2x more powerful than the current generation Atoms. The N2600 and N2800 Atom CPUs are probably what's used in tablets. The problem they consume a decent amount of power. The N2600 is rated at 3.5w, the N2800 is rated at 6.5w but tests have shown that it consumes up to 8.5w of power.

If an ARM processor in a tablet uses more than 4w of power is considered a "power hog", what would you say of 8.5w? If the N2600 / N2800 were quad core CPUs rather than dual core CPUs, the power consumption would be even higher. Sure, you will get better performance in Windows but battery life might get cut in half. There is no information about how many transistors the N2600 / N2800 have, but the previous generation "Pineview" has about 176 million transistors.

Interestingly, Bay Trail is designed for both Android and Windows tablets. It will be using an additional software layer so that the x86 CPU translate Android OS instructions meant for ARM processors.
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