Nintendo Switch vs NVIDIA Tegra X1

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CPU comparison with benchmarks


Nintendo Switch CPU1 vs CPU2 NVIDIA Tegra X1
Nintendo Switch NVIDIA Tegra X1

CPU comparison

In this CPU comparison, we compare the Nintendo Switch and the NVIDIA Tegra X1 and use benchmarks to check which processor is faster.

We compare the Nintendo Switch 8 core processor released in Q1/2017 with the NVIDIA Tegra X1 which has 8 CPU cores and was introduced in Q1/2017.
NVIDIA Tegra (2) Family NVIDIA Tegra (2)
NVIDIA Tegra X1 (2) CPU group NVIDIA Tegra X1 (2)
2 Generation 2
Cortex-A57/-A53 Architecture Cortex-A57/-A53
Mobile Segment Mobile
-- Predecessor --
-- Successor --

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Nintendo Switch is a 8 core processor with a clock frequency of 1.00 GHz (1.75 GHz). The processor can compute 8 threads at the same time. The NVIDIA Tegra X1 clocks with 2.00 GHz, has 8 CPU cores and can calculate 8 threads in parallel.

Nintendo Switch Characteristic NVIDIA Tegra X1
8 Cores 8
8 Threads 8
hybrid (big.LITTLE) Core architecture hybrid (big.LITTLE)
No Hyperthreading No
No Overclocking ? No
1.00 GHz (1.75 GHz)
4x Cortex-A57
A-Core 2.00 GHz
4x Cortex-A57
1.00 GHz (1.75 GHz)
4x Cortex-A53
B-Core 2.00 GHz
4x Cortex-A53

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Processors with the support of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) can process many calculations, especially audio, image and video processing, much faster than classic processors. Algorithms for ML improve their performance the more data they have collected via software. ML tasks can be processed up to 10,000 times faster than with a classic processor.

Nintendo Switch Characteristic NVIDIA Tegra X1
-- AI hardware --
-- AI specifications --

Internal Graphics

Graphics (iGPU) integrated into the processor not only enable image output without having to rely on a dedicated graphics solution, but can also efficiently accelerate video playback.

NVIDIA Tegra X1 (Maxwell) GPU NVIDIA Tegra X1 (Maxwell)
0.30 GHz GPU frequency 0.30 GHz
0.77 GHz GPU (Turbo) 1.00 GHz
1 GPU Generation 1
20 nm Technology 20 nm
1 Max. displays 1
2 Compute units 2
256 Shader 256
No Hardware Raytracing No
No Frame Generation No
2 GB Max. GPU Memory 2 GB
12 DirectX Version 12

Hardware codec support

A photo or video codec that is accelerated in hardware can greatly accelerate the working speed of a processor and extend the battery life of notebooks or smartphones when playing videos.

NVIDIA Tegra X1 (Maxwell) GPU NVIDIA Tegra X1 (Maxwell)
Decode Codec h265 / HEVC (8 bit) Decode
Decode Codec h265 / HEVC (10 bit) Decode
Decode / Encode Codec h264 Decode / Encode
Decode Codec VP9 Decode
Decode Codec VP8 Decode
No Codec AV1 No
Decode Codec AVC Decode
Decode Codec VC-1 Decode
Decode / Encode Codec JPEG Decode / Encode

Memory & PCIe

Up to 4 GB of memory in a maximum of 2 memory channels is supported by the Nintendo Switch, while the NVIDIA Tegra X1 supports a maximum of 8 GB of memory with a maximum memory bandwidth of 25.6 GB/s enabled.

Nintendo Switch Characteristic NVIDIA Tegra X1
LPDDR4-3200 Memory LPDDR4-3200
4 GB Max. Memory 8 GB
2 (Dual Channel) Memory channels 2 (Dual Channel)
25.6 GB/s Max. Bandwidth 25.6 GB/s
No ECC No
2.50 MB L2 Cache 2.50 MB
-- L3 Cache --
-- PCIe version --
-- PCIe lanes --
-- PCIe Bandwidth --

Thermal Management

The Nintendo Switch has a TDP of 5 W. The TDP of the NVIDIA Tegra X1 is 7 W. System integrators use the TDP of the processor as a guide when dimensioning the cooling solution.

Nintendo Switch Characteristic NVIDIA Tegra X1
5 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 7 W
-- TDP (PL2) --
-- TDP up --
5 W TDP down 5 W
-- Tjunction max. --

Technical details

The Nintendo Switch has 2.50 MB cache and is manufactured in 20 nm. The cache of NVIDIA Tegra X1 is at 2.50 MB. The processor is manufactured in 20 nm.

Nintendo Switch Characteristic NVIDIA Tegra X1
20 nm Technology 20 nm
Chiplet Chip design Chiplet
Armv8-A (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) Armv8-A (64 bit)
-- ISA extensions --
-- Socket --
None Virtualization None
No AES-NI No
Operating systems
Q1/2017 Release date Q1/2017
-- Release price --
show more data show more data


Rate these processors

Here you can rate the Nintendo Switch to help other visitors make their purchasing decisions. The average rating is 2.4 stars (7 ratings). Rate now:
Here you can rate the NVIDIA Tegra X1 to help other visitors make their purchasing decisions. The average rating is 3.8 stars (6 ratings). Rate now:


Average performance in benchmarks

⌀ Single core performance in 1 CPU benchmarks
Nintendo Switch (88%)
NVIDIA Tegra X1 (100%)
⌀ Multi core performance in 1 CPU benchmarks
Nintendo Switch (88%)
NVIDIA Tegra X1 (100%)

Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)

Geekbench 6 is a benchmark for modern computers, notebooks and smartphones. What is new is an optimized utilization of newer CPU architectures, e.g. based on the big.LITTLE concept and combining CPU cores of different sizes. The single-core benchmark only evaluates the performance of the fastest CPU core, the number of CPU cores in a processor is irrelevant here.
Nintendo Switch Nintendo Switch
8C 8T @ 1.75 GHz
270 (88%)
NVIDIA Tegra X1 NVIDIA Tegra X1
8C 8T @ 2.00 GHz
308 (100%)

Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)

Geekbench 6 is a benchmark for modern computers, notebooks and smartphones. What is new is an optimized utilization of newer CPU architectures, e.g. based on the big.LITTLE concept and combining CPU cores of different sizes. The multi-core benchmark evaluates the performance of all of the processor's CPU cores. Virtual thread improvements such as AMD SMT or Intel's Hyper-Threading have a positive impact on the benchmark result.
Nintendo Switch Nintendo Switch
8C 8T @ 1.00 GHz
702 (88%)
NVIDIA Tegra X1 NVIDIA Tegra X1
8C 8T @ 2.00 GHz
798 (100%)

iGPU - FP32 Performance (Single-precision GFLOPS)

The theoretical computing performance of the internal graphics unit of the processor with simple accuracy (32 bit) in GFLOPS. GFLOPS indicates how many billion floating point operations the iGPU can perform per second.
Nintendo Switch Nintendo Switch
NVIDIA Tegra X1 (Maxwell) @ 0.77 GHz
393 (77%)
NVIDIA Tegra X1 NVIDIA Tegra X1
NVIDIA Tegra X1 (Maxwell) @ 1.00 GHz
512 (100%)

Devices using this processor

Nintendo Switch NVIDIA Tegra X1
Nintendo Switch NVIDIA Shield (1. Gen)
Nintendo Switch

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