3 ms·
It would make more sense to compare absolute numbers. A brain uses about 20W. A modern computer has similar consumption, but is many orders of magnitude less p
by mikeash 8y ago
It would make more sense to compare absolute numbers.
A brain uses about 20W. A modern computer has similar consumption, but is many orders of magnitude less powerful.
- metalliqaz 8y agoThat really depends on how you define "powerful". The computers are less capable in several areas, but also more capable by several orders of magnitude in other areas.
- p1esk 8y agoYou can’t say it’s less powerful, it’s just different. It’s better at some things, worse at others, mostly because of the software.
- krylon 8y agoWell, evolution has spent millennia optimizing human brains, and millions of years optimizing brains in general, while we have been building computers for ~70 years, about a human lifetime. And for much of those 70 years, energy efficiency was not the top priority.
- JoeAltmaier 8y agoYeah but biology never really had any choice about technology - it was always going to be cells and salts. Its really not about optimization - its about how lucky we are that real intelligence (if that's what we have) can even be achieved using cells and salts.
- kerbalspacepro 8y agoI'm not sure "powerful" is the word you're looking for. It's order of magnitude less _general_.
- snuxoll 8y agoEh, my brain may be much more efficient at problems that involve processing complex sensory input and making split second decisions - but it’s absolute trash at doing complex, repetitive maths. Our brains are highly specialized, you’re comparing an ASIC strapped to a Z80 with modern general purpose CPU’s.
- peeters 8y agoA single modern CPU can crunch more numbers in a second than every person living on earth combined. Sure there may be things that it's not capable of, but most things it is capable of, it's usually 8-10 orders of magnitude more efficient at.
- JohnBerea 8y agoThe brain still tops every CPU at visual processing, which may be its highest throughput interface.
- AgentOrange1234 8y agoIt’s almost like brains and computers are somehow different.
- gowld 8y agoMy brain (or even my whole body) can't play HD video.
- jamiek88 8y agoNo, it plays way better than that. Our eyes do not see. Our brains do. And the upscalimg from limited data is amazing!
- Taniwha 8y agoThat's largely because the brain is not clocked synchronously, something like 30% of a modern CPU is lost in clock trees. The brain wakes up the bits it needs on demand almost at a per-gate (neuron) level.