iPad 3 uses A5x with increased die size for quad core graphics

The iPad 3 has taken the industry by storm in the last week however the people at Chipworks have taken a closer look at the internals.

The new A5x upgraded processor has had the die size increased by 35 percent to accommodate the new quad core graphics processing unit. They have identified that the processor has been made by Samsung, using a 45 nanometer engineering process.

They say “The A5x die measures 12.82  mm x 12.71  mm for an area of 162.94 mm². Compared to the A5 which measures 10.01 mm x 11.92 mm for an area of 119.32 mm². That is an increase in the die area by 36.5%! A fairly large increase to accommodate the dual-core CPUs  and quad-core graphics processor.”

This A5x processor has performed well so far in independent benchmarks, outperforming the Tegra 3 when it comes to powering 3D games. When combined with the new high resolution panel, it is a formidable mobile gaming system.

iMore have published some great up close screen shots showing the panel improvements which you can view over here.

Kitguru says: Are you impressed with the iPad 3, have you bought one?

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