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Nintendo Switch GPU And CPU Equivalent?

With the meteoric rise of PC gaming, many gamers are taking a look at how their consoles stack up to their PC rigs.

In this article, I’ll talk about the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch OLED, and how these consoles compare to modern gaming PCs, especially in terms of GPU and CPU performance.

Nintendo Switch GPU And CPU Equivalent?

The Nintendo Switch GPU and CPU equivalent is the NVIDIA Tegra X1 processor. In fact, the Switch’s custom-made chipset is actually an NVIDIA Tegra processor that was specially designed with the Nintendo Switch’s portability and performance in mind.

Nintendo is undoubtedly the most popular video game console manufacturer in the world, and certainly the most iconic.

The Nintendo Switch, released in 2017, has been one of the video game company’s most successful consoles.

And although Nintendo is not a newcomer to the gaming scene, the Switch’s success was primarily because of its portability and performance.

While other handheld consoles might have traded off performance to ensure the handheld device stayed compact, Nintendo leaned towards making the Switch as robust as possible.

On top of that, the Switch famously transforms into more than a handheld. Users can connect their Switch to larger screens for more immersive gameplay.

Now let’s take a quick peek under the hood. What makes the Nintendo Switch so good?

The Switch runs on a custom implementation of the NVIDIA Tegra processor.

It’s called the GM20B, and its closest equivalent in terms of performance is the NVIDIA Tegra X1 processor. However, the console shares more than a few specifications with other NVIDIA GPUs.

The GM20B chipset has an equivalent clock speed of between 385MHz and 768MHz and an effective speed of 3.2Gbps. Alongside these specs, the console also has a memory clock speed of up to 1.6GHz.

These numbers might be slightly average for modern gaming consoles, but they’re pretty high for handheld gaming devices.

After all, the Switch allows gamers to experience GPU performance that varies between 393.2 and 500 GFLOPS.

This power means handheld gamers can experience a display performance of up to 12.29 GPixel/s.

In comparison, the NVIDIA Tegra X1 processor, an ARM-based chip with 256 cores and 4GB of RAM, can reach clock speeds of up to 1 GHz at peak performance.

This translates to a processor performance of 512.0 GFLOPS and a 16.00 GPixel/s display performance.

It’s obvious that both processors have similar designs, clocking speeds, and maximum performance capabilities.

However, it’s impossible to accurately judge both chipsets’ performance since the NVIDIA Tegra X1 processor isn’t a gaming processor.

What Is The Nintendo Switch GPU Equivalent?

The Nintendo Switch GPU equivalent is the NVIDIA GTX 1650 processor. It’s a high-quality computer chip that’s perfect for gaming and several graphics-intensive processes, and as close as you’ll get to the graphical performance of the Switch. A close second is the NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GTX.

The NVIDIA GTX 1650 chipset — with its 896 cores, 4GB of  VRAM, and 32 ROPS — has a clock speed of between 1.4GHz and 1.6GHz, as well as a memory clock speed of 2.1GHz.

However, it’s much smaller than the Switch’s processor — 12nm, compared to the console’s 20nm chipset.

And since the GTX 1650 is specifically designed to process graphics data, it has a slightly higher display performance — 53.28 GPixel/s and 93.24 GTexel/s.

These numbers mean you’ll get a processor performance of 93.24 GFLOPS from the GPU.

Ultimately, the Switch’s processor and the NVIDIA GTX 1650 chipset share almost the same architecture. So while the comparison isn’t perfect, you’ll get pretty much the same performance from both processors.

After all, you don’t expect a PC will be able to reproduce the Nintendo Switch’s capabilities to the letter, especially since console processors work a bit differently from standard processors.

What Is the Nintendo Switch OLED GPU Equivalent?

The Nintendo Switch OLED GPU equivalent is the NVIDIA GTX 1650 processor, just like the Nintendo Switch. Both consoles have the same chipset and performance ratings and only vary in display quality.

Like the Nintendo Switch, the Nintendo Switch OLED GPU is also comparable to the NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GTX.

What Is Cheaper: Nintendo Switch Or NVIDIA GTX 1650?

The NVIDIA GTX 1650 is cheaper than the Nintendo Switch. This price difference is mainly because the Switch is a full-on console compared to the GTX 1650, a graphics card. However, the NVIDIA GTX 1650 is also a moderately-priced mid-range GPU.

You’ll typically see a difference of at least $100 between both devices, but the Nintendo Switch can cost up to twice the price of the NVIDIA GTX 1650 if you opt for a console with more space.

Still, the NVIDIA GTX 1650 and Nintendo Switch (both available on Amazon.com) are fairly-priced devices.

What Is The Nintendo Switch CPU Equivalent?

The Nintendo Switch CPU equivalent is the ARM Cortex-A57, a four-core computer chip with four threads that reaches clock speeds of up to 1.5GHz. The Switch’s CPU performance is very similar to the Cortex-A57’s performance, featuring a clock speed of around 1.02GHz.

The ARM Cortex-A57 is similar to the Intel Core i5-4670K and offers almost the same performance as the more popular processor.

What Is The Nintendo Switch OLED CPU Equivalent?

The Nintendo Switch OLED CPU equivalent is the ARM Cortex-A57 processor. The Switch OLED shares almost the same specs as the Switch. They only differ in screen quality, so it makes sense they have the same CPU equivalent.

What Is Cheaper: Nintendo Switch Or ARM Cortex-A57?

The ARM Cortex-A57 is cheaper than the Nintendo Switch. This price difference is mainly because the Switch is a full-on console, as opposed to just a CPU.

Still, you might spend more money overall if you’re looking to build a PC to rival the Nintendo Switch since you’ll need to get more parts, including an appropriate GPU.



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👋 Hey There, I'm Eric!

Since 2018, I've been making streams come true.

I like gaming, streaming and watching other people stream. I created this website to help streamers, viewers, and gamers answer questions they have regarding live streaming, gaming, and PCs. I am a Twitch affiliate and currently stream on Twitch 3 days a week. I also have a Youtube channel where I make videos about streaming. I hope you find my content helpful. Feel free to stop by one of my streams to say hi.