The fine folks at IGN have put together some benchmark tests comparing the new iPad’s A5X processing chip with the NVIDIA Tegra 3. The findings indicate that while the A5X falls below both the iPad 2 and Tegra 3-powered ASUS Transformer Prime in processing speed, the A5X did in fact perform better when it came to graphics processing.
As you can see, when freed from the binds of the new iPad’s staggeringly high-resolution display, the A5X was able to generate 15,412 frames at a rate of 138 FPS, while the iPad 2 rendered 10,143 frames at 90 FPS. Comparatively, the Transformer Prime pushed about 7,837 frames at 69 FPS and the Galaxy Tab 10.1 delivered 2,821 frames at 82 FPS … The results were similar in the off-screen Pro test with the new iPad delivering 12003 frames at 240FPS, the iPad 2 7339 frames at 147 FPS, the Transformer Prime 2794 frames at 56 FPS, and the Galaxy Tab 10.1 2169 frames at 43 FPS.
If you recall, during the keynote, Apple claimed that the new chipset was four times as powerful as the Tegra 3. The claims brought with them quite a bit of skepticism from NVIDIA and critics. We don’t put too much emphasis on benchmarks around the blog, but the results from the IGN test show some interesting gains and more interesting losses when it comes to the new iPad. Geekbench, GLBenchmark 2.1 Egypt, and GLBenchmark 2.1 Pro scores actually show the new iPad underperforming the iPad 2, albeit slightly. However, once the playing field is leveled, and the resolution is tested at an even 720p between the iPad 2 and the new iPad, the new iPad actually wipes the floor with the iPad 2.
These benchmarks really lend some credence to the argument that Apple feels they’ve hit a homerun with the iPad, thereby naming the device the new iPad instead of iPad 3. The benchmarks also seem to show that Apple upgraded the device’s innards to solely drive the sexy Retina display. The processing power and net performance have pretty much remained the same between the two devices according to the benchmarks.
Via: IGN
