system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: What is special about ARM computer processing?

I keep hearing about the new Macs with ARM processors, as opposed to x86. I don’t understand what either of those mean.
gpt
Processor architecture means the way the processor carries out instructions. x86 is designed to be able to do a bunch of specific complex instructions and ARM is designed to do a limited group of very simple instructions.

But a long time ago people realized that there's no limit to what complex things we'll want to add to the list of automatic complex instructions, and that every complex instructions added to the architecture slows down its ability to do ANY instruction. But you can also do any complex instruction by breaking it down into very simple instructions. 

These things put together mean that the more complex things you want to do with a computer, the faster it will be able to do those things if you just build them out of many simple instructions rather than fewer complex instructions.

The problem is, computers were already mostly using x86 when people realized that, so for a couple decades we've been using the less efficient system just because it's what everyone uses and the companies that make processors don't want to have to change.


It's like if you're drawing. It's easy to make straight lines, and triangles, and circles, and squares. And with those shapes, you can draw literally anything else. But if someone gave you a magic pencil that could automatically draw a face, drawing faces would be SO much easier. But if it can only draw the same face then you either have to settle for the fact that all the people you draw will always have the same face, or you'll only be able to automatically draw one face and still have to do the rest by hand any time you draw a group of people. And it'll be completely useless any time you draw a bridge. But if you have a pencil that automatically draws basic shapes, drawing ANYTHING becomes a lot easier.