CLOCK SPEED & PROCESSOR SPEED

Clock speed vs Processor speed

‘Clock speed’ and ‘Processor speed’ are two terms used to determine the performance of a processor. Although both of them are measured in Hertz (Hz), those terms have different meanings. Processor is synchronized with a clock, and processor speed is depended on the clock speed.

Clock Speed

Clock is a device that ticks in regular intervals, and the signal it generates is a regular square pulse. This signal helps to synchronize the cycles of a processor. Generally, a crystal oscillator is used to generate this clock signal. Frequency of this oscillator is called the clock speed or clock rate. The number of square pulses within a second is the clock speed. Therefore, the clock speed is measured in Hertz (Hz).

Most digital electronic devices such as memory, Front Side Bus (FSB), are needed to be synchronized by a 

clock. Otherwise, the operation becomes unsuccessful.

Processor speed

Processor speed is the amount of cycles, which a CPU completes within a second. It is also measured in Hertz (Hz). For example, a 10Hz processor can complete 10 cycles within a second, and a 1GHz processor completes a billion cycles within a second.

Usually processor cycles are synchronized with an internal or external clock. Clock speed can be increased using a multiplier.

What is the difference between Clock Speed and Processor Speed?

1. Clock speed is the number of pulses that a crystal oscillator generates within a second, and processor speed is the number of cycles completed by a processor within a second.

2. A processor should be synchronized by a clock, and therefore, processor speed is depended on clock speed.