What Is the Clock Speed in a Computer?

The clock speed in a computer is a measure of how many calculations a computer's processor makes in a second. This is measured as a frequency in varying levels of hertz (Hz), or cycles per second.

Significance

The clock speed of a computer's processor is one of the main determining factors in a computer's speed and computing power. It is, however, not the only determining factor.

Common Clock Speeds

The various levels of clock speed are commonly quoted as megahertz, or million cycles per second, and gigahertz, a billion cycles/s.

History

The clock speed in a personal computer has gone from the Intel 486's mere megahertz in 1989 to the multigigahertz processors of today.

Considerations

To measure a computer's swiftness, you must consider not only clock speed but the speed and amount of RAM and speed of the system bus.

Concepts

While the clock speed of a computer's processor was once the most important factor in determining overall computational capability, modern processors using innovative ways to increase processing power have forced a reconsideration of that standard.

References

• Clock Speed