Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 vs Dimensity 9000 Plus

Between overheating and provide points, high-performance cellular chipsets have had a little bit of a tough 12 months. Mediatek is maybe the exception to the rule, having flown below the radar with solely a handful of design wins, largely confined to China, however dodging the warmth points which have dogged Samsung’s foundry. With the arrival of the Asus ROG Telephone 6D on Western shores, we lastly have our palms on Mediatek’s powerhouse chip to check it to its way more ubiquitous rivals.

For in the present day’s comparability, we’ve the newest high-performance chips from Mediatek and Qualcomm within the Dimensity 9000 Plus and Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1, respectively. Operating contained in the Asus ROG Telephone 6 Professional and 6D Final variations, we’ve two very related handsets on supply as nicely, which removes the component of OEM-specific optimizations that may make chip-to-chip comparisons tough. Let’s dive in.

Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 vs Dimensity 9000 Plus specs

Earlier than entering into the benchmark outcomes, let’s recap the important thing interior workings that can have an effect on the benchmarks we’re going to run on these chips.

There are a number of variations to notice right here. For starters, we’re taking a look at very totally different GPUs. Qualcomm’s in-house Adreno structure is a intently guarded secret, whereas Mediatek makes use of Arm’s off-the-shelf Mali-G710 in a 10-core configuration. There are key CPU variations to focus on, together with a bigger L3 and system-level cache within the Dimensity 9000 Plus. Mediatek’s chip additionally doesn’t make use of the A510’s merged core choice, which may lend the chip a bonus in closely threaded workloads, corresponding to benchmarks.

The 2 chips are constructed on TSMC’s 4nm manufacturing node, which guidelines out the overheating bottleneck that restricted the unique Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. Nonetheless, that doesn’t essentially imply these chipsets don’t get sizzling, as we’ll see in a minute.

Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 vs Dimensity 9000 Plus benchmarks

Turning to our suite of one-run exams, Mediatek’s Dimensity 9000 Plus takes the highest spot by a noticeable margin (see the graphs under) — at the very least relating to CPU-heavy workloads like GeekBench 5 and whereas operating the chip flat out utilizing Asus’ X-Mode efficiency enhancer. The Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 retains a lead relating to graphics efficiency, albeit by about solely 8% in 3DMark’s Wild Life check.

As we talked about earlier, Mediatek invested extra silicon space into its shared caches, guaranteeing ample reminiscence in order that cores don’t need to resort to slower RAM. The usage of particular person small Cortex-A510 cores, moderately than the merged core design utilized by Qualcomm, pays dividends for multi-threaded workloads, as every has its personal L2 cache and SIMD engine for superior quantity crunching. Importantly, this mix boosts efficiency throughout a wide range of workloads, as seen by the very spectacular PCMark efficiency rating, though the 2 chips use the identical CPU cores when taking a look at a excessive stage.

Once more although, that is solely the case the place the chip runs at full tilt in X-Mode. Asus reigns within the Mediatek chip’s single-core efficiency when not in X-Mode, which isn’t the case with the Snapdragon-powered ROG 6 Professional we examined. Even so, Mediatek’s setup nonetheless marginally outperforms the Snapdragon implementation in PCMark even with out X-Mode. Nonetheless, these are undoubtedly OEM-level optimizations, as different producers publish higher efficiency out of the field.

Whereas we wish to see a number of reminiscence to assist maximize efficiency, benchmarks aren’t the whole lot. Qualcomm’s extra cache-reserved method could have allowed it to put money into different silicon-intensive areas, corresponding to graphics, picture processors, and modem capabilities. Nevertheless it’s unimaginable to know for certain with out a die shot. Massive reminiscence swimming pools value energy too, and we definitely noticed the Dimensity 9000 Plus chugging down the juice throughout benchmarking.

Mediatek definitely seems to be to have the sting based mostly on these outcomes, however extra testing shall be wanted to get into the positive particulars of load balancing and energy consumption.

Stress testing

One-run benchmarks are positive however sustained efficiency has more and more grow to be a difficulty in latest chip generations. Qualcomm needed to swap from Samsung to TSMC to deal with the throttling points in time for the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1. Mediatek has been utilizing TSMC for the reason that unique Dimensity 9000.

Fortunately, our testing of Asus and OnePlus handsets sporting Qualcomm’s newer chipset present a lot improved sustained efficiency, even when the chip’s energy draw stays a priority. The Plus variant within the ROG 6 Professional lasts about 10 runs earlier than throttling again a bit, which is much better than the one runs we noticed from the common mannequin.

Mediatek’s Dimensity 9000 Plus exhibits a greater means to maintain its peak efficiency with out the necessity for cumbersome exterior cooling. With X-Mode enabled, Mediatek’s SoC survives 16 runs of 3DMark’s Wild Life Stress Check earlier than any throttling happens. Even then, efficiency scales again by only a few share factors moderately than dropping off a cliff.

Whereas each chips will survive longer gaming periods with out dropping body charges, the 9000 Plus performs higher when Asus optimizes for energy consumption. Though it doesn’t fairly match the height efficiency of the Snapdragon, it seems the Arm Mali G710 GPU scores its personal victories.

A better look: Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 benchmarks and overheating repair

Even so, we’re nonetheless fairly alarmed by the height temperatures we noticed throughout benchmarks. The Dimensity chip hit 53°C whereas the Snapdragon was a fraction cooler at 51°C, each whereas operating in X-Mode. The truth that Asus consists of an air vent for higher warmth dissipation within the ROG Telephone 6D tells you the whole lot you must know. Acquiring and sustaining peak efficiency produces a variety of warmth, even on probably the most environment friendly manufacturing processes at the moment obtainable.

Once we requested why Asus even provided the “D for Dimensity” model of its ROG Telephone 6, the model famous that it needed to supply its clients a alternative in best-in-class efficiency. Our outcomes assist us see the place Asus is coming from; the Dimensity 9000 Plus is a benchmark-topping chip and performs nicely below stress.

That stated, each chips fly equally excessive in real-world situations, together with high-end gaming. Nonetheless, the Snapdragon’s souped-up Adreno 730 GPU nonetheless palms in a better rating, making it a tad extra future-proof for tomorrow’s high-end titles. Traditionally, Qualcomm’s Adreno structure has seen extra love from builders and higher emulation help because of the platform’s recognition, which can be one thing to contemplate.

After all, fashionable cellular SoCs are about way more than CPU and GPU grunt, with 5G modems, picture processing, video playback, and different capabilities equally essential components of in the present day’s handsets. Nonetheless, when you’re simply in search of uncooked efficiency, each the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 and Mediatek Dimensity 9000 Plus have even probably the most demanding customers nicely lined.