A8X chip

By MacRumors Staff

'A8X chip' Articles

iPad Air 2's A8X Chip Includes Semi-Custom Series6XT Graphics With Eight Cores

Wednesday November 12, 2014 8:13 am PST by Mitchel Broussard
New details have come to light regarding the iPad Air 2's graphics processing power since its launch last month, with a new report from AnandTech revealing the new tablet's graphics are even more powerful than previously thought. Benchmarks and teardowns on the tablet revealed details on the inner workings of the iPad Air 2 in the days following its launch, but a new image of the A8X die provided to AnandTech reveals the layout of the Apple-designed chip. The die photo shows the A8X includes eight-core graphics, even larger than the 6-core GX6650 graphics from Imagination Technologies previously assumed to be in the chip.To get right down to business then, the die shot confirms what we had begun suspecting: that A8X has an 8 cluster Series6XT configuration. All 8 GPU clusters are clearly visible, and perhaps unsurprisingly it looks a lot like the GPU layout of the GX6450. To put it in words, imagine A8’s GX6450 with another GX6450 placed right above it, and that would be the A8X’s 8 cluster GPU.AnandTech was unable to share the source's actual image of the die, but Chipworks has just provided MacRumors with a similar image showing the eight graphics cores taking up a substantial portion of the A8X's die. The photo also shows the new triple-core CPU and a number of other features included on the chip. A8X die photo from Chipworks Uncertainty over the A8X graphics stems from Imagination's public list of Series6XT graphics offerings, which tops out with the 6-core GX6650, but the new die photo reveals that Apple has employed a semi-custom design essentially pairing two
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iPad Air 2 Benchmark Points to A8X Chip With Triple-Core 1.5 GHz CPU, 2 GB RAM

Tuesday October 21, 2014 12:17 pm PDT by Eric Slivka
While Apple touted the power of the new A8X chip used in the iPad Air 2 at the company's media event last week, the company as usual opted not to disclose exact specifications on the part, leaving the details up to rumor and speculation until the device starts making its way into the hands of users and teardown experts. But with Apple shipping out orders to customers for delivery as soon as tomorrow, it appears that at least one user has already gotten his or her hands on the iPad Air 2 and run a Geekbench 3 benchmarking test on it (via Gizmobic). If the result is genuine, and Primate Labs founder John Poole tells MacRumors that it appears to be, it reveals that the A8X contains an unusual triple-core CPU configuration running at 1.5 GHz and paired with 2 GB of RAM. The extra core and 100 MHz faster clock speed compared to the A8 found in the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus means the iPad Air 2 scores roughly 13 percent higher on single-core benchmarks and 55 percent higher on multi-core benchmarks than Apple's latest iPhones. More details will undoubtedly be unveiled in the coming days as teardown experts take the iPad Air 2 apart and chip experts examine the internal layout of the
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More Second-Generation iPad Air Part Leaks Point to A8X Chip, 2GB RAM, 16GB Storage Option

Monday October 13, 2014 10:37 am PDT by Juli Clover
A fairly clear image of what is said to be the logic board for the second-generation iPad Air suggests that the device will indeed come with an A8X chip, as hinted at in earlier images shared over the weekend. Furthermore, the new image published by b-ram/">Apple.club.tw [Google Translate] seems to point towards 2GB of RAM for the device. Though the image of the RAM on the logic board is low resolution and fuzzy, enhancing the contrast and the brightness reveals a bit of information about the numbers on the chip. While the first letter is entirely blurred, it is the second character that is key to determining whether the chip is 1GB or 2GB. A 1GB Elpida chip would have an "8" in the second character slot, while a 2GB chip would have an "A" in the same spot. Because of the quality of the image, it is difficult to say for certain what the character is, but it does appear to be an "A" rather than an "8" given that it is narrower at the top and wider at the bottom. Multiple rumors have suggested that Apple will double the memory in the second-generation iPad Air, which would give it the power to support split-screen multitasking. Last week, an image depicting a 2GB Elpida RAM module surfaced, and it appears that photo showed a set of the same chips seen in the logic board. Apple has stuck to 1GB of RAM for several generations of devices, including the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus, but Apple may have big plans in mind for the second-generation iPad Air 2 as it also appears to be gaining an A8X chip. While Apple used an A6X chip in the fourth-generation
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New Images of iPad Air 2 Parts Show Touch ID Home Button Cable, Logic Board With A8X Chip, and More

Saturday October 11, 2014 2:33 am PDT by Richard Padilla
Apple.club.tw (Google Translate) has shared new images that appear to show a variety of components from the iPad Air 2, which include pictures of the logic board, home button flex cable, front panel, and volume control flex cable. The home button flex cable appears to contain a space for a Touch ID home button, complete with the stainless steel ring. Previous reports claimed that Apple's forthcoming iPads would receive Touch ID functionality, and these newest pictures likely confirm that the feature will at least be on the iPad Air 2. Meanwhile, the logic board image also shows what may be Apple's A8 processor along with RAM chips and other components. Currently, it is unknown as to whether the A8 chip on the iPad Air 2 will be clocked at a higher speed than the A8 chips found on the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. The logic board also appears to contain a noticeably different layout when compared to the board from last year's iPad Air. For instance, the SIM slot appears to be directly on iPad Air 2's logic board, while the component was located in a separate compartment for the iPad Air. The front panel of the iPad Air 2 contains a more prolonged connector on its side and contains cutouts for the Touch ID home button and FaceTime HD camera. While the panel doesn't appear to be notably different when compared to the front panel for the iPad Air, some reports have claimed that the iPad Air will have an integrated display to make way for a thinner profile. Lastly, the volume control flex cable shows the up and down volume buttons and what may be a microphone.
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