Processor Speed

The most important specification when choosing a computer is that of the processor. That's because the speed and range of operation of any computer, is decided by processor's speed and features.

How is Processor Speed Measured?

While the processor or CPU speed is not the only important factor affecting computer performance, it is a large contributing factor overall. The CPU speed is measured by the clocking frequency or clocking rate of the processor, measured in Mega Hertz or Giga Hertz. It is the number of clock cycles a processor can go through in one second. Every microprocessor, including modern computer chips that have billions of transistors etched on them, require an internal timed electrical signal frequency for their operation. The value of this clocking frequency is determined by the complexity of its internal circuitry.

More the number of clock cycles that can be executed by a computer processor in a second, more are the number of instructions that the processor can execute per second. The internal clocking frequency thus determines the number of tasks that a processor can carry out in one second, which directly determines the speed of its operation. Besides the clocking frequency, the size of the processor cache, the front side bus functioning frequency and hyperthreading (if there are multiple cores) also has a huge impact on computer performance. There are software programs that can determine the speed of your computer's chip for you. In the next section, I present some of the fastest processors in the market, which you could choose from.

Speed Comparison

The world of processor manufacturing is polarized with two prime players - Intel and AMD. There are other smaller players catering to certain niche markets, but in the desktop and laptop processor market, competition is primarily between Intel and AMD. In the high-end computing market, Intel has pipped AMD to be the Numero Uno. So you won't find AMD chips compared here as only high-end processors are considered.

Processor	Clocking Frequency (in Ghz)
Intel Core i7 990X	3.46 GHz (up to 3.73 GHz with Turbo Boost)
Intel Core i7 980X	3.33GHz (up to 3.6 with Turbo Boost)
Intel Core i7 975	3.33GHz (up to 3.6 with Turbo Boost)
Intel Core i7 965	3.2 GHz (up to 3.46 GHz with Turbo Boost)

If you ask me which are the best processors on Earth right now, I would point towards the top four processor listed in the table above. I do not present the present a speed comparison for mid range and low range processors according to clocking frequency as it is not the only determining factor of processor performance. The cache size, FSB frequency and RAM size of the computer do matter.

If you are a home user, any dual core processor or quad core processor from AMD or Intel, with clocking frequency in excess of 3 Ghz, with a cache size in excess of 4 MB, is a good choice as it will serve all your computing needs. Look at all the above mentioned features of the processor in totality when deciding which processor to buy. Check out websites offering benchmark tests of processors, which can give you an idea about how the processor performs when executing real world applications. Any of the core i5 and core i7 lines of Intel or the AMD Phenom II line of processors offers high speed and computer performance. Scan the detailed specification comparison charts provided on the official sites of AMD and Intel to make an informed decision. Choose one which suits your requirement and overall budget!