Question

Identify the following CPUs:

1) the CPU that resides on a computer that you own or a computer that you would consider purchasing, and 2) the CPU of one (1) other computer. Compare the instruction sets and clock rates of each CPU. Determine which CPU of the two is faster and why. Conclude whether or not the clock rate by itself makes the CPU faster. Provide a rationale for your response.
CPU#1 (Computer I Own) CPU#2
Computer Model HP Elite Book Folio 9470m Dell XPS 13
CPUIntel Core i5-3427U Processor (3M Cache, up to 2.80 GHz) Intel Core i5-6200U Processor (3M Cache, up to 2.80 GHz)
Launch Date 2012 2015
Intel Smart Cache 3MB 3MB
Instruction Set 64-bit 64-bit
Instruction Set Extensions AVX SSE4.1/4.2, AVX 2.0
# of Cores 2 2
# of Threads 4 4
Processor Base Frequency 1.8 GHz 2.3 GHz
Max Turbo Frequency 2.8 GHz 2.8 GHz
Installed Memory (RAM) 8.00 GB DDR3 8GB LPDDR3 (1,866MHz)

Answer 1

Dell XPS 13 i5-6200U

Step-by-step explanation:

CPU#1 and CPU#2 are very much similar in specifications except for the following differences.

1. Clock Speed

2. Type of RAM

3. Instruction set

1. Clock Speed:

In simple terms, a clock speed is basically a measure of how fast it can do something. A faster clock rate means it can complete a given task faster than the other e.g. 2.3Ghz means that it can execute 2.3 billion instructions per second.

The base clock speed of Dell XPS 13 is greater 2.3Ghz as compared to HP Elite Book Folio 1.8Ghz. But does it fair to compare these two? I dont think so because to compare these two first we have to ensure that they share exactly same architecture throughout otherwise it would not be accurate to compare them.

2. Type of RAM

HP Elite Book Folio has a DDR3 RAM whereas Dell XPS 13 uses LPDDR3 which is Low-Power DDR3 1.2V logic as compared to 1.5V DDR3. LPDDR3 is more expensive and power efficient than DDR3.

3. Instruction set

HP Elite Book Folio supports AVX SSE4.1/4.2 whereas Dell XPS 13 has AVX 2.0. AVX 2.0 is latest and support some new features as well. Some instructions sets are more efficient than others which results in overall better performance therefore just comparing clock rates wont do justice in such cases.

Which one to buy?

Benchmark test is one of the best ways to decide which one should you go for. You can find the bench marking of CPU, storage, battery, display etc

Below are the results of some benchmarks tests:

Cinebench R11.5 (CPU Multi 64Bit)

HP EliteBook Folio i5-3427U =2.6 Points

Dell XPS 13 i5-6200U= 1.28 Points (lower means better)

PCMark 7 Score

HP EliteBook Folio i5-3427U= 4168 points

Dell XPS 13 i5-6200U= 4989 points ( greater means better)

UserBenchmarks

HP EliteBook Folio i5-3427U= Average Bench: 32.5%

Dell XPS 13 i5-6200U= Average Bench: 40.7%

So, I would definitely buy Dell XPS 13 i5-6200U considering these benchmark scores!

Conclusion:

The clock rate by itself does not make a CPU faster. There are several other factors that play an important role in determining the performance of a CPU.