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A9 Chip Manufacturing Split 60/40 Between TSMC and Samsung, Not Segmented by Device Size
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You have no idea if that is true, you're just speaking out of cognitive bias.
After 11 pages what I see:
1. Did anyone say that Apple likely has incredibly detailed and intricate quality assurance testing required for acceptance of each chip - using predefined specifications and metrics that must be matched? Isn't this one reason why we sometimes read about acceptance rate of chips is low?
2. Some believe based on specs there could be a 1% difference in benchmark performance between the two versions. But that same 1% variation easily exists on the same phone running the test multiple times (it does on mine). Plus it's unclear whether a 1% variation is based on A9 chip variations or something else - and it's also unclear whether a 1% variation in SoC results in any meaningful performance difference in the real world.
3. If we draw the conclusion that one chip or the other is inferior, that could imply a true "Chip Gate", but don't we have to find something that is *wrong* with phones using one of the chips, not just that the phones are different?
4. Has anyone reported on an app that will report other hardware differences in the phone
5. If one was going to use two sources for a chip, is it realistic to presume that the two results could be scientifically and engineering identical, or, since those two sources are competing for business, that Apple needs to define the specs of how the chip will be evaluated by them, and leave the building of it to the source firm? Since they are competing TSMC and Samsung can't share the same process/build right?
6. Since Apple likely devised acceptance criteria/specs for these A9 chips being built, they must not have thought this difference was meaningful for the success of their phone - either that or (a) we are smarter than they missed it or (b) we are dumber so Apple tried to pull a fast one on 70% of its customer base well, just because it would be fun to do so.
7. Sometimes I notice with my new 6s (which runs great BTW) that a text will come across while it is in my pocket and I don't hear it. I used to think I just missed hearing it, but is it possible this is due to the fact I Have a TSMC chip?
1. Did anyone say that Apple likely has incredibly detailed and intricate quality assurance testing required for acceptance of each chip - using predefined specifications and metrics that must be matched? Isn't this one reason why we sometimes read about acceptance rate of chips is low?
2. Some believe based on specs there could be a 1% difference in benchmark performance between the two versions. But that same 1% variation easily exists on the same phone running the test multiple times (it does on mine). Plus it's unclear whether a 1% variation is based on A9 chip variations or something else - and it's also unclear whether a 1% variation in SoC results in any meaningful performance difference in the real world.
3. If we draw the conclusion that one chip or the other is inferior, that could imply a true "Chip Gate", but don't we have to find something that is *wrong* with phones using one of the chips, not just that the phones are different?
4. Has anyone reported on an app that will report other hardware differences in the phone
5. If one was going to use two sources for a chip, is it realistic to presume that the two results could be scientifically and engineering identical, or, since those two sources are competing for business, that Apple needs to define the specs of how the chip will be evaluated by them, and leave the building of it to the source firm? Since they are competing TSMC and Samsung can't share the same process/build right?
6. Since Apple likely devised acceptance criteria/specs for these A9 chips being built, they must not have thought this difference was meaningful for the success of their phone - either that or (a) we are smarter than they missed it or (b) we are dumber so Apple tried to pull a fast one on 70% of its customer base well, just because it would be fun to do so.
7. Sometimes I notice with my new 6s (which runs great BTW) that a text will come across while it is in my pocket and I don't hear it. I used to think I just missed hearing it, but is it possible this is due to the fact I Have a TSMC chip?
...
7. Sometimes I notice with my new 6s (which runs great BTW) that a text will come across while it is in my pocket and I don't hear it. I used to think I just missed hearing it, but is it possible this is due to the fact I Have a TSMC chip?
This is 100% the reason and you should swap phones until you get one with a Samsung chip.
Coming up next:
Apple dual sources display panels from two manufacturers where one has piss yellow screens and image retention. Oh, wait...
Apple dual sources display panels from two manufacturers where one has piss yellow screens and image retention. Oh, wait...
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Ran geekbench - Processor is 1.84 Ghz
Ran three tests
Lowest single core result 2549
Highest single core result - 2555
lowest multicore - 4440
Highest multicore - 4461
Id say it's a load of bollocks in difference
Ran three tests
Lowest single core result 2549
Highest single core result - 2555
lowest multicore - 4440
Highest multicore - 4461
Id say it's a load of bollocks in difference
Well A9 (TSMC one?) starts to throttle from 1,84 Ghz to 0,4 Ghz after 30 seconds of load.
Yep, exactly. I'm on my sixth swap now. I open in the store, test it, and throw it at them when it's the wrong chip. I'm going to see if the Genius Bar can swap chips to save on the returns. Or that guy at the mall that says he's better than Apple at screen swaps...This is 100% the reason and you should swap phones until you get one with a Samsung chip.
Well A9 (TSMC one?) starts to throttle from 1,84 Ghz to 0,4 Ghz after 30 seconds of load.
Wow. That's terrible. It's actually worse than the 6 which throttled like crazy.
I don't get why Apple insists on dual core chips and keeps increasing the frequency year after year. The 5s had a great chip with adequate single core performance and little throttling. They should have added an extra core in the 6, and another one in the 6S. With a few tweaks and with a new manufacturing process (A7-28nm, A8-20nm, A9-14nm) it should have worked just fine.
Look at Samsung's 8-core chip. It's a marvel!
The future is multi-core CPUs and multi-core optimised apps. Apple is skating where the puck was, not where it will be. Just like intel 10 years ago in the Pentium 4 era with crazy frequencies up to 3.8Ghz and just one core.
The A10 in the iPhone 7. It's a 10 after all and that's a lucky number.
I'm having pretty bad freezing (till I turned off screen rotation) and my wife isn't. Just used the system status tool. We both have the TSMC chip, so go figure. I don' t think it is as simple as pointing to a chipset.
Then why are you using anything Apple?
You do realize that, despite what you think about Samsung Mobile's device designs, They are one of the leading suppliers in the world for electronic components. And they're damn good at it, often making better and more reliable parts than just about everyone else.
Your iPhone likely uses more than just a CPU from Samsung. In Fact almost all other Apple hardware has at least one thing in them from Samsung, Either Display panels, RAM, SSDs or other odd chipsets.
So, throw away all your apple stuff while you're at it... umm actually? CAN I has your stuff?
Why does it matter what you're buying? I have an iPad Air 2. I have no idea who the screen supplier is and I don't care.
No matter how much Samsung hates Apple, they still heavily rely on them to support the chip manufacturers profits which carries a lot of the rest of the company.
Completely irrelevant to the topic at hand. If you are against the idea of dual sourcing components altogether, I suggest you stay away from smartphones and computers.
So if I keep screaming "the sun is blue" over and over again, it will eventually be true?
What are you even talking about? According to that graph the 6s goes for ten minutes without major throttling for more than a few seconds total throughout the time.
I'm bookmarking this thread for posterity. Interesting study in sociology as we are witnessing the creation of an internet myth.
This fellow has gone in less than one day from a forum reader to an expert in microchip technology. With nothing more than rumors and a handful of benchmark results he has diagnosed all sorts of issues.
BJonson, really I don't know if you are trolling or not, but you are on every thread here spouting your assumptions as fact. At this point, nobody honestly has any clue as to what if any difference the different chips make.
But the present is fast single core, Samsung's 8-core chip is not a "marvel" (well, in its own world maybe, but not in comparison to the A9) and it's going to be slower at more things than it will be faster compared to the A9. Even desktops benefit more from faster, fewer cores unless you are doing some highly threadable task like 3d rendering. Your comparison to intel is actually backwards, it's Apple that is getting tons of performance out of lower clock speeds vs the rest of them mobile industry that is cranking up weaker cores to high clocks for performance.
The only reason to go throwing in extra cores is if you reach a limit in what you can do with the cores you have. Apple keeps improving their single core performance so they don't have to go to more cores, not to mention they don't need a special bank of lower power cores to get great power efficiency either.
Do you really think you're smarter than Apple's chip engineers on this one? Apple is taking a very expensive and custom approach to designing their own chips. Otherwise they would be using mostly standard ARM 57 and 53 cores... like Samsung is doing.
Here's what Ars actually had to say about their own tests.
Seems a bit far from "terrible" or "worse than the 6." The original actually has 30 minute tests for both the 6s and 6s+
http://arstechnica.com/apple/2015/09/a-3d-touch-above-the-iphone-6s-and-6s-plus-reviewed/4/#h1
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