We are at a very peculiar crossroads in terms of technological transitions, with three major competitors in the CPU arms (pun intended) race. We have x86, ARM and RISC-V (although RISC-V is pretty new and quite a fair bit far behind right now).
With most major commercial options being focused around ARM and x86, choosing a new platform for your laptop can be a bit of a hassle. Each platform has its own pros and cons, so we will be listing both here, along with a detailed breakdown on which platform you should consider jumping into.
x86 vs ARM: Major Differences and Quirks
x86 CPUs can be considered as the legacy option, and have been the leading choice for PCs (both desktop and server grade) for decades. On the other hand, while ARM isn’t a particularly new player in the space, they have seen a rather splendid resurgence in mainstream popularity (largely thanks to the introduction of Apple Silicon) making them direct competitors (and potentially, successors) to x86 tech.
Both CPU architectures are very fundamentally different, and you cannot run code designed for one CPU on the other (at least natively). ARM has the advantage of being a lot more power efficient, producing a lot less heat in turn, which makes it very desirable in certain situations (such as in laptops) at the cost of app compatibility.
On the other hand, x86 is far less efficient but currently holds was better app compatibility and raw power output. This, combined with the resurgence of x86 based CPUs (such as AMD’s Ryzen AI Max series) makes them still quite viable and often necessary.
Which One Should You Go For?
If you’re all in on battery life and productivity, go for anything ARM based (such as modern, M-series Macs and Snapdragon X laptops). These machines can handle web based apps just fine, and perform well in addition to having incredible battery life to top it all off.
However, app compatibility is always going to be a problem with ARM based machines (especially on Windows, at least right now). If your workflow involves apps that use x86 code, and cannot be run well enough on ARM devices, you might want to reconsider.
In this case, try going for a traditional, x86 based laptop. The new AMD Ryzen AI and Intel Core Ultra 2 series of laptops are great picks if you want to have a taste of that Macbook Air battery life while still maintaining x86 app compatibility (for Windows based devices).
If you’re looking to do some moderate or even light gaming, it might be a good idea to avoid ARM entirely, since most games are still built with x86 in mind. This also applies to Linux as well, and you’ll want to go x86 for the OS currently.
In A Nutshell
- If you’re planning to use macOS, get an M-series Mac. Avoid Intel at all costs.
- If you’re planning to use Windows, an x86 based machine might be better in certain workflows (such as gaming and production work).
- ARM based Windows devices are a great alternative if all you do runs in a browser.
- For Linux enthusiasts, it is recommended to stick to x86 for now, as ARM support is completely barebones.
In the end, everything depends on your needs and workflow, so don’t hesitate to research before making your purchase.
