Intel Atom Z2580 vs Mediatek MT6750N vs Mediatek MT6739WW

Intel Atom Z2580

The Intel Atom Z2580 is a SoC (System on a Chip) with the Codename Cloverview and part of the Clover Trail+ platform. The Z2580 is a one chip SoC and integrates a dual core Atom processor (Saltwell) clocked at 1.3 - 2 GHz. Due to Hyper-Threading, 4 threads can be executed on the two cores (for improved efficiency).

The Saltwell CPU core is still very similar to the first Intel Atom. Therefore, the performance per clock should be very similar (only very small enhancements). However, the CPU now features additional 256 KB low-power-cache (on a separate voltage plane) to allow the CPU and L2 cache to enter a lower power state. Furthermore, the Atom now supports some sort of Turbo Boost and can reach up to 2 GHz shortly (1.3 GHz base frequency). Furthermore, the CPU core can be downclocked to 100 MHz (in 100 MHz steps) to save power.

The processor performance should be on a level with a previous generation Atom processor clocked at 1.3 - 2.0 GHz (e.g., the Atom N550 clocked at 1.5 GHz). Therefore, the Z2580 should be one of the fastest smartphone/tablet SoCs available.

The integrated graphics card is based on a PowerVR SGX 544MP2 design and clocked at 400 MHz. The video decoder (MPEG4.2, H.264, VC1, WMV) and encoder (MPEG4.2, H.264) also stem from Imagination Technologies (VDX385 and VDE285) and should allow 1080p30 de- and encoding of videos.

Furthermore, a dual channel LPDDR2 memory controller (2x 32 Bit) for a maximum of 1GB RAM is integrated.

The whole SoC was optimized for power efficiency and low power consumption. It is produced with a 32nm LP (low power) process and has a TDP of 3 Watt (according to TechPowerUp). Therefore, the Z2580 is even suited for smartphones.

Sources: Intel Pressemeldung, Intel ARK, Anandtech, Techpowerup (Socket, TDP)

Mediatek MT6750N

The ARM-based Mediatek MT6750N SoC (System on a Chip) is a mid-range mobile processor for smartphones and tablets (mostly Android based). It integrates 8 ARM Cortex-A53 cores consisting of 4 high-performance cores clocked at up to 1.5 GHz plus 4 low-power cores clocked at up to 1 GHz each. Furthermore, the SoC integrates a Cat. 6 LTE radio and an ARM Mali-T860 MP2 GPU with 802.11n WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity. Compared to the older MT6750, the graphics card seems to be clocked higher.

The Cortex-A53 is the successor to the Cortex-A7 and introduces 64-Bit support (ARMv8-ISA). Its performance-per-Watt is significantly higher and is even slightly ahead of the old Cortex-A9. If utilizing all 8 of its cores, the Cortex-A53 can rival competing mobile processes in the high-end class range. However, no practical software has been specifically coded to use all 8 cores at such high performance levels.

In addition to the CPU and GPU cores, the SoC also contains a memory controller and the aforementioned Cat.6 LTE modem (FDD/TDD, DC-HSPA+, TD-SCDMA, CDMA2000, EDGE) with both 802.11n WiFi and Bluetooth. The integrated video engine is able to record and playback 1080p videos at up to 30 FPS in hardware. Cameras are supported at up to 16 MP.

The MT6750 is still manufactured in 28nm and so power efficiency is not on par with modern 14/16nm chips.

Mediatek MT6739WW

The MediaTek MT6739WW is a 64-bit ARM-based SoC launched in 2017 primarily for small budget Android devices. The quad-core processor is based on the Cortex-A53 architecture and clocks up to 1.5 GHz. It integrates an LTE modem (Cat. 4 DL / Cat 5 UL) and a PowerVR GE8100 at 570 MHz (the predecessors used ARM Mali GPUs). Furthermore, the SoC integrates a 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi adapter and a video de- and encoder in hardware.

The difference to the normal Mediatek MT6739 (see for more benchmarks) is not known and specs and performance are identical.