Key Takeaways

• The End of the Traditional x86 Era: x86 processors (like Intel and AMD) are facing major issues with power consumption and heat compared to modern ARM processors.

• The RISC & ARM Revolution: The future is heading towards simple RISC processors (like Apple Silicon and Snapdragon) because they save energy and deliver high performance without overheating.

• The Software Problem: The only barrier to change was software compatibility (Windows), but Apple succeeded in solving this equation, and Microsoft is now trying with Copilot+ PCs.

• Buying Advice for 2024: Don’t buy expensive devices with old architectures because they will die out soon; focus on devices that support AI and SoC.

Introduction: Questions Puzzling Us All in 2024

One of the most important tech questions in 2024 wandering through the mind of anyone planning to buy a new device is:

• Will computers stay with AMD and Intel processors, or is that story ending?

• If I’m buying a computer and want it to last, should I buy now or wait a bit?

• Should I get a desktop, laptop, tablet, or Surface?

• What is this “Copilot+ PC” thing Microsoft announced?

In this article, we will answer all these questions, and you’ll get a comprehensive idea about hardware, its evolution, and where the market is going in the coming years.

1. Explaining Computer Architecture

To understand what’s happening, we need to go back a bit and understand what the computer and laptop as we know them are built on. Since the days of Windows 95 until now, these devices have been built on an architecture called x86.

This form divides the computer into main parts we all know:

• • The Processor (CPU)

  • The Memory (RAM)

  • The Graphics Card (GPU)

Even though Intel developed x86 and released Pentium, followed by the Core i5 and i7 families, they are ultimately still built on the same old “foundation” or Architecture. The same applies to AMD.

The question that started changing everything: Why is it that when I watch a YouTube movie on a laptop, the battery dies in 3 or 4 hours, whereas the same movie on an iPad (which has the same screen size and is cheaper) can last 6 to 8 hours? Here, people started noticing that x86 in its usual form has a problem and needs to change.

2. What is x86 Architecture? (The Gist)

To understand the difference, we have to endure a tiny technical bit (but this is where the juice is). The processor consists of two parts: a Control Unit and a Processing Unit. For the processor to execute any operation (addition, subtraction, multiplication…), we send it “commands” or Instructions. This list of commands is the “language” the processor understands, called the Instruction Set.

As long as the processor has the same list of commands, it is built on the same Architecture. That’s why a modern i7 and an old Pentium run the same programs (like Windows and Office); the difference is just the speed.

“Processors kept improving and expanding until we hit a brick wall… There are fatal flaws in x86 and its followers that disqualify it from being the processor of any modern computer.”

3. The Complexity Problem (CISC vs RISC)

Traditional processors (x86) are called CISC (Complex Instruction Set Computer). These are very powerful processors that perform complex operations in a single step, but their fatal flaw is:

1. Very high power consumption: Consequently, they get very hot.

2. Size: They need cooling and fans, which makes the laptop heavy and bulky.

3. Speed isn’t open-ended: We can’t increase processor speed (GHz) indefinitely because of heat, so we had to resort to increasing the number of Cores, which just adds fuel to the fire regarding heat.

Where did the solution come from? From Mobile Phones. Mobile phones use another type of processor called RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer), the most famous being ARM processors (which Apple Silicon and Snapdragon are built on). These are “streamlined” processors:

• Simple and energy-efficient.

• They don’t heat up and don’t need massive fans.

• You can add as many Cores as you want.

4. Why Didn’t We Switch to RISC Earlier? (The Software Problem)

It was known for a long time that RISC is the future, but there was a very silly “Negative Cycle”:

1. Computer programs (Windows, etc.) are written for x86 and won’t run on ARM.

2. If we release ARM devices, no programs will work on them, so no one will buy them.

3. Software companies won’t make programs for ARM as long as there are no users.

4. Microsoft tried to break this cycle years ago and failed, and nobody bought those devices.

5. Apple’s Successful Experiment (Apple Silicon)

The only company that succeeded in breaking this curse is Apple. What did they do?

1. They understood the problem was software.

2. They designed a new processor (Apple Silicon M1) built on ARM.

3. They unified the architecture: They put this processor in the Mac, the iPad, and soon the iPhone.

4. They forced and encouraged developers to update their apps because the processor is now in all their devices, making the cost worthwhile for developers.

And with that, Apple changed the form of the computer, and we got legendary performance with a battery that lasts a whole day without a charger or fans.

6. The New Era: System on Chip (SoC)

That’s it, the days of going down to the local computer market to assemble a PC (processor separate, RAM separate, GPU separate) are over. The future is SoC (System on Chip). What does that mean? It means the Processor, RAM, Graphics Card, AI Accelerators (NPU), and Video Processors… are all placed on one small chip. This gives incredible speed in data transfer and very low power consumption.

“Don’t you ever, ever, ever go big on the graphics card… The new SoCs and computers don’t take external graphics cards, so you’ll be stuck with that GPU and won’t be able to put it in a new computer.”

7. Q&A (The Conclusion)

1. Will Intel and AMD end? They will end if they don’t release a new processor built on RISC/ARM technology. The old CISC technology is already obsolete.

2. Should I buy now or wait? If you have urgent work or studies, buy now but don’t spend too much money. Any device you buy with old architecture will have a short lifespan, and support will gradually stop.

3. Should I buy an Intel MacBook (Used or on sale)?

“This is the dumbest thing you could do, no matter the price, no matter the discount, and no matter what the salesman tells you.” Make sure the Apple device you are buying is M1, M2, or M3 (Apple Silicon).

4. What is a Copilot+ PC? This is Microsoft’s attempt to do what Apple did. They are computers powered by Snapdragon X Elite processors (built on ARM), featuring dedicated AI hardware (NPU), offering strong performance and battery life that rivals Apple.