Chips and Cheese specifically talks about this in the article I mention[0].
x86 decoders take a tiny but still significant silicon and power budget, usually somewhere between 3-7%. Not a terrible cost to pay, but if legacy is your only reason, why keep doing so? It’s extra watts and silicon you could dedicate to something else.
Correct. However because ARM has fixed-length instructions the decoder can make more assumptions, keeping the decoder simpler.
Like I said, you its only a small amount of extra silicon you’re paying the x86 tax with, but with the world mostly becoming ARM-compatible, there’s no more reason to pay it.
x86 decoders take a tiny but still significant silicon and power budget, usually somewhere between 3-7%. Not a terrible cost to pay, but if legacy is your only reason, why keep doing so? It’s extra watts and silicon you could dedicate to something else.
[0] https://chipsandcheese.com/2021/07/13/arm-or-x86-isa-doesnt-...