Clock frequency measures the speed at which a CPU performs basic functions and is measured in MHz or GHz. It’s not reliable for comparing different types of computers. Benchmarks are a more reliable source of comparison, such as SPEC, TPC, and EEMBC. Other components in a computer, such as expansion buses and RAM, also use clocks.
The clock frequency, or clock speed, of a computer is the speed at which a central processing unit (CPU) can perform basic functions. It is usually measured in megahertz, or millions of cycles per second, or even gigahertz, which is billions of cycles per second. Clock frequency is useful for comparing the speed of chips made by the same company, but it’s not a reliable way to compare different types of computers because many other factors can determine how fast a computer is. Instead, computers should be compared based on how fast they perform specific tasks such as loading graphics or performing calculations.
All computers have clocks that emit regular electrical pulses to help the computer synchronize the timing of the tasks it is asked to perform. The CPU requires a certain number of clock cycles, or pulses from the computer clock, to execute a command. The number of cycles a computer can achieve in one second determines its clock frequency. The first PCs created by IBM in the early 1980s had a clock frequency of about 4.77 MHz, or about 5 million cycles per second. By 2010, the average computer clock rate could be measured in GHz.
While clock frequency most commonly refers to the speed of the CPU, other devices in a computer are also clocked. Expansion buses, which allow you to modify your computer using circuit boards, are governed by internal clocks. Random access memory (RAM), read and write memory used to do work while the computer is running, also uses a clock.
The CPU can only process as fast as the other components in the computer allow. If the expansion bus or RAM is slower than the central processing unit, the computer will not run as fast as the CPU allows. Also, some processors can perform different tasks at different speeds. For example, one might be able to divide two numbers in 12 cycles while another takes 20 to perform the same task. For this reason, clock frequency is not a reliable way to compare computers.
Benchmarks are a more reliable source of comparison. Several organizations offer reliable and monitored industry standard benchmarks. These include Standard Performance Evaluation Corporation (SPEC), Transaction Processing Performance Council (TPC), and Embedded Microprocessor Benchmark Corsortium (EEMBC). These companies run computers through a series of tightly controlled tests to determine how fast each performs specific tasks. Issues are published free of charge on the organization’s websites.
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