CPU hungry android emulator : android ARM EABI image vs x86 image

Issue

I am new android developer, I am currently using API-15 android image ARM EABI v7 I was looking android sdk manager that there is another Intel x86 image for android API level 15

My machine is Intel Core i5 - 8GB RAM + Radeon 2GB dedicated graphics card

But my emulator takes alot of cpu .. When I run the emulator, the cpu fan throws alot of heat and constantly runs, cpu level for one of the cores goes pretty high.

Will using an x86 Image for android improve performance ? Can I make it use the dedicated graphics gpu as well to improve efficiency ?

Thanks,

Solution

Short answer is yes. When I use x86 emulator on my early 2011 macbook pro, it runs my apps faster than a real device, such as a Nexus 7. And when create the AVD, there is an option to use the GPU, or you can use a command argument to have it use the GPU.

Here's a screen shot of my ave definition...note the GPU emulation setting in the Hardware section:

Answered By - bobnoble