What is processor frequency

All other things being equal, fewer clock cycles with more work are better than more clock cycles with less — fewer clock cycles means the CPU requires less power and produces less heat.

In addition, modern processors also have other improvements that allow them to perform faster. The CPU dynamically increases and decreases its speed when needed. When doing something demanding, the CPU will increase its clock rate, get the work done as quickly as possible, and get back to the slower clock rate that allows it to save more power. The CPU may not be able to maintain top speed all the time due to overheating concerns. On the other hand, a computer with the exact same CPU but better cooling may have better, more consistent performance at top speeds if it can keep the CPU cool enough to run at those top speeds for longer.

For example, most computer users will probably consider a computer with a solid-state drive faster than a computer with a traditional magnetic hard drive in normal use, even if the computer with a traditional magnetic hard drive has a CPU that performs better. Hard disk access is a serious performance bottleneck.

On the other hand, if you plan on running several virtual machines, doing 3D modeling, and playing the latest PC games, you might care more about performance.

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Disney Plu TikTok. Windows 11 Default Browser Block. Teams in Windows 11 Taskbar. Smart TVs Ads. This article is part of the Tom's Hardware Glossary. Scharon Harding has a special affinity for gaming peripherals especially monitors , laptops and virtual reality. Previously, she covered business technology, including hardware, software, cyber security, cloud and other IT happenings, at Channelnomics, with bylines at CRN UK.

Scharon Harding. Topics CPUs. See all comments 1. Also called clock rate, the speed at which a microprocessor executes instructions.

Every computer contains an internal clock that regulates the rate at which instructions are executed and synchronizes all the various computer components. The CPU requires a fixed number of clock ticks or clock cycles to execute each instruction.