Assured Systems Compares CPU and GPU Technology

Processor technology has come a long way over the last 10 years, with huge advances in power, efficiency and design. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the embedded and industrial systems market, where performance and efficiency are both key considerations. Processors account for a large amount of power usage within any computer, as they are ‘the brains’ behind everything that the system does. Today, your clients want a solution which is both high performance but consumes very little power thus making it inexpensive to operate, and often offers other benefits such as a fanless design which increases reliability.

One of the key performance metrics of processor efficiency is performance per watt (PPW.) This measures how well the CPU performs when drawing power at its thermal design point (TDP.) The higher the PPW number, the more efficient the processor is. Modern processors have a much higher PPW than their predecessors, making them more efficient and less costly to run. As an example, the Intel Atom N270 1.6Ghz (a popular embedded CPU featured in over 30 of our current products) is over an astonishing 2500% more efficient than a Pentium 4 HT 2.4Ghz. Whilst the Atom N270 has a lower clock speed, it is lower in price (current price around £21 per unit compared with around £83.94 for the Pentium 4) but due to the increased efficiency of the design it can easily match its predecessor’s performance.  The Atom N270 also benefits from a much smaller package size, and also features like Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology, which switches both voltage and frequency in tandem between high and low levels in response to processor load - making it ideal for mobile applications. 

Graphics processing unit (GPU) technology has also evolved over the last decade. Previously where a computer was needed for high-definition video or 3D graphics, a high power and costly dedicated plug-in graphics card with its own GPU was needed to be able to meet these demands. Today most graphics requirements for the embedded and industrial markets can be fulfilled by a dedicated chipset on the motherboard, or in some cases (as with Intel’s ‘Core i’ range of processors,) the processor itself has integrated graphics capabilities.  Intel HD Graphics take advantage of graphics being integrated into the processor, thus significantly boosting performance, while eliminating the need for separate hardware and the design and performance challenges that accompany them. The graphics engine includes more, redesigned execution units (EUs) and enhanced 3D functionality. Intel HD Graphics includes these innovative features and benefits:

> Accelerated graphics processing takes advantage of shared last-level cache between the processor and the graphics engine.
> Intel 32nm process technology throughout, delivers higher performance and better energy efficiency.
> Faster 3D rendering and more complex shading create more responsive and realistic 3D gaming.
> Intel HD Graphics delivers casual mainstream gaming capabilities without an additional graphics card or chip.

Here at Assured Systems we provide a wide variety of different embedded and industrial systems, with many different processor and graphics combinations. When you are considering your needs, the choice available to you can make it difficult to understand which system would best suit your application. With this in mind, we have produced a comparison of some of the systems we provide. Where figures are given, a higher number represents faster performance and more powerful chipsets.

Assured Systems CPU Comparison Chart

Assured Systems GPU Comparison Chart

From the research above, we can clearly see that technology is advancing quickly, and the latest processor/GPU combinations provide enough performance to negate additional graphics cards which makes our embedded systems infinitely more reliable whilst saving space, energy and cost.  If there is a particular combination you wish to try with your application, we often have demonstration products in stock and are happy to help with any benchmarking you may need.  If you would like to discuss your project or application in more detail please contact technical sales on 01785 87 90 50 or email us at sales@assured-systems.co.uk and one of our qualified sales team will be happy to assist

Assured Systems is a leading British technology company offering high quality and innovative applied computing solutions to the embedded, industrial, and digital-out-of-home markets across the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Notes:

Benchmarking figures provided where available. Obtained from http://www.cpubenchmark.net/ and http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/.

PPW calculated from the formula (PI * Avg Device Utilisation / Watts) * 100, where PI = Benchmark figure and Avg Device Utilisation = 75%.

Where figures are given, a higher number represents better performance.

All figures supplied from 3rd parties believed to be correct as of Jan 2012.