Why do smartphones use chips that have several cores (6 to 8) clocked at low speeds (1.8 to 2.3 GHz) whereas desktops use chips that have fewer cores (2 to 6) clocked at high speeds (3GHz and up)?
The biggest difference is heat and power use. Phones have limited battery capacity, and they're small and compact, without much airflow. Higher clock speeds pretty well universally mean more heat and power required.
The Short Answer
The biggest difference is heat and power use. Phones have limited battery capacity, and they're small and compact, without much airflow. Higher clock speeds pretty well universally mean more heat and power required. Desktop computers can easily accommodate heat with bigger heatsinks and fans. Power for a desktop is cheaply sourced from the wall, compared to carrying around all your power in a phone battery. Also, you can find CPUs for desktops from single core CPUs all the way up to 10 physical cores, last I looked. If you're willing to run enterprise workstation processors, you can go up to 24 cores. There's not really a fundamental difference between "phone processor" vs "desktop processor" on core count, it's just cost and expected use that determine that aspect.
Analysis
Key Concepts: Power, heat, desktop
This explanation focuses on power, heat, desktop and spans 125 words across 8 sentences. At 67% above the average Technology explanation (75 words), this is one of the more thorough answers in this category, reflecting the complexity of the underlying question.
What This Answer Covers
The explanation opens with: “The biggest difference is heat and power use.” It then elaboratesultimately building toward a complete picture across 8 connected points.
How This Compares in Technology
Ranked #82 of 500 Technology questions by answer depth (top 17%). This places it in the comprehensive tier — the top quarter of most thoroughly answered questions. Questions at this depth typically involve multi-faceted topics requiring nuanced explanation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a simple explanation for why smartphones use chips that have several cores (6 to 8) clocked at low speeds (1.8 to 2.3 ghz) whereas desktops use chips that have fewer cores (2 to 6) clocked at high speeds (3ghz and up)?
The biggest difference is heat and power use. Phones have limited battery capacity, and they're small and compact, without much airflow. Higher clock speeds pretty well universally mean more heat and power required. Desktop computers can easily…
How detailed is this explanation compared to similar Technology questions?
This is one of the most thorough answer at 125 words, ranked #82 of 500 Technology questions by depth. The key concepts covered are power, heat, desktop.
What approach does this answer take to explain smartphones use chips that have several cores (6 to 8) clock?
The explanation uses direct explanation across 125 words. It is categorized under Technology and addresses the question through 1 analytical lens.