CPU Speed - An Introduction Post Reply

CPU is the system's central processing unit and it is the area where actual computing is done. The system's CPU is built out of logic gates and is connected through a series of electronic circuits with other peripherals, such as BIOS or the Video card. The clock rate of the CPU determines it speed, however it is to be noted that the clock rate is based on several factors, such as system architecture, RAM clock rate and file system. When you actually check the clock rate of any two computers, it will not be the same. CPU speed is the number of instructions that can be process by the CPU per second. The speed of the CPU determines the system's performance. Usually, it is measured in Hz, but off late as CPU speed has enhanced it is measured in MHz. You can see speed measurements specified in the form of 300 MHz and 550 MHz. The higher the CPU speed, the better the system performance. A high speed CPU can do about millions of operations per second. Since CPU works rapidly, it can heat up considerably and this decreases CPU performance. Therefore, there is always a fan in place to ensure that the CPU does not heat up too much. If your system has a low speed, it is possible to enhance the speed. However, it is vital not to enhance CPU speed to a very high extent as this can completely overload the system and heat it up to such an extent that the system may break down altogether. If you are running Windows 7 or Vista, you can check CPU speed by clicking 'Start' and then entering msinfo32 in the search box. In case, you have the Windows XP operating system, you can check CU speed by clicking Start and then selecting 'Run, after which you should enter msinfo32.