Factor 1: Clock Speed (Measured in GHz)

Factor 1: Clock Speed (Measured in GHz)

What It Is:

The CPU operates on a "clock" that ticks at a regular rate. Clock speed measures how many times per second the clock ticks. Each tick is called a cycle.

Measured In:

• Hertz (Hz): 1 cycle per second
• Megahertz (MHz): 1 million cycles per second (1,000,000 Hz)
• Gigahertz (GHz): 1 billion cycles per second (1,000,000,000 Hz)
• Example: A 3.2 GHz CPU ticks 3.2 billion times every second!

How It Affects Performance:

• Higher clock speed = more instructions per second
• The CPU can complete more FDE cycles in the same time
• Example: 4 GHz CPU is roughly twice as fast as 2 GHz CPU (same architecture)
• BUT: Higher speed = more heat and power consumption

Important Limitation:

Not all instructions take the same number of cycles! A simple ADD might take 1 cycle, but a MULTIPLY might take 3-4 cycles. A DIVIDE could take 10+ cycles. So doubling clock speed doesn't always double real-world performance.