Which processor architecture for your application?
ARM (License) (NXP, TI, ROCKCHIP, QUALCOMM... ):
ARM processors are used for applications where power consumption is an important consideration. These processors also offer high peripheral integration and different temperature ranges (commercial, industrial, etc.) with a life expectancy of 15 years or more.
For the time being, these processors will exclusively use a license-free Linux OS (Ubuntu, Debian, Yocto, etc.) or Android, which requires a good knowledge of the OS used in order to reduce development times.
The main ARM processors are :
- At NXP: the iMX8, iMX7, iMX6 family,....
- From ROCKCHIP: the RK3xxx family,...
Other manufacturers also offer ARM processors: QUALCOM, TI etc...
X86 (INTEL, AMD, ATMEL, VIA,...): X86 processors are by far the most widely used in the embedded and industrial world, offering interesting performance/consumption ratios with INTEL and its less-than-12-Watt ATOM, Celeron and Pentium series processors, high performance with the Intel Core family, and finally the XEON family for servers.
Depending on requirements, AMD Ryzen processors are recommended for the best graphics performance.
All these processors in the embedded range also offer durability of up to 15 years or more, as well as different operating temperature ranges depending on the application, and the possibility of changing the processor in the same family when it's on a stand.
x86 processors have the advantage of supporting both Windows and Linux environments.
Another advantage of using the x86 architecture is that all peripheral manufacturers (WiFi, 3G/4G/5G, CAN, GPS, etc.) supply drivers for Windows, and are developed for the vast majority of Linux distributions, offering reduced development time and therefore lower costs.
To use Windows, however, you need to pay a license fee (3 levels) depending on the type of processor used.
The main suppliers of x86 processors are :
INTEL: We have a long-standing commitment to embedded and industrial systems:
The ATOM family with up to 4 cores, the latest generation of which is the 6th (ELKART LAKE)
- BAYTRAIL(CPU MARK 159 to 1135):
o Celeron J1900,
o Celeron N2930 and N2807
o Atom Processor E38xx
- APOLLO LAKE(CPU MARK 878 to 2138) :
o Pentium Processor N4200
o Celeron Processor N3350 and J3355 and J3455
o ATOM E39xx processor
- ELKART LAKE(CPU MARK 1695 to 4173) :
o Pentium Processor J6426 and N6415
o Celeron Processor J6413 and J6412 and N6211 and N6210
o ATOM Processor X6xxx
The Intel Core family, whose latest generation is the 12th (ALDER LAKE)
KABY LAKE (7th Generation)(CPU MARK 1490 to 6461) :
o Celeron Processor
o Intel Core i3-7xxx, i5-7xxx and i7-7xxx
o Xeon Processor E3-1xxx
- WHISKEY LAKE (8th Generation)(CPU MARK 1694 to 6414) :
o Celeron Processor
o Intel Core i3-8xxx, i5-8xxx and i7-8xxx
- COFFE LAKE (9th Generation)(CPU MARK 2448 to 15252) :
o Celeron Processor
o Intel Core i3-9xxx, i5-9xxx, i7-9xxx
o Xeon Processor E-2XXX
- COMET LAKE (10th Generation)(CPU MARK 2790 to 22066)
o Celeron Processor
o Pentium Processor
o Intel Core i3-10xxx, i5-10xxx, i7-10xxx, i9-10xxx
o Xeon Processor W-12xxx
- TIGER LAKE (11th Generation)(CPU MARK 3816 to 23855) :
o Celeron Processor
o Intel Core i3-11xxx, i5-11xxx, i7-11xxx
o Xeon Processor W-11xxx
- ALDER LAKE (12th Generation)(CPU MARK 3879 to 38700) :
o Celeron Processor
o Pentium Processor
o Intel Core i3-12xxx, i5-12xxx, i7-12xxx, i9-12xxx
The XEON family is mainly used for server-type applications and where performance needs are extreme.
BROADWELL (2nd Generation)(CPU MARK 3240 to 11645) :
The R series, a range of processors designed to efficiently handle advanced computing and multimedia workloads with high-performance cores (CPU MARK 1057 to 1561)
The G series, providing scalability and flexibility in terms of cost, performance and power supply(CPU MARK 1628 to 3426)
The Ryzen V1000, V2000 and V3000 families, with some of these processors featuring RADEON graphics controllers to boost performance in applications requiring computation and visual rendering.
