What is the frequency in the processor. Processor clock speed: what it is, how it is measured and what it affects
At times when mobile phones were thick and black and white, processors were single-core, and gigahertz seemed an insurmountable bar (20 years ago), the only characteristic for comparing CPU powers was clock frequency. A decade later, the second important characteristic was the number of cores. Nowadays, a smartphone, less than a centimeter thick, contains more cores, and the clock speed is higher than a simple PC of those years. Let's try to figure out what the processor clock speed affects.
Processor frequency affects the speed at which the processor's transistors (and there are hundreds of millions of them inside the chip) switch. It is measured in the number of switchings per second and is expressed in millions or billions of hertz (megahertz or gigahertz). One hertz is one switching of processor transistors per second, therefore, one gigahertz is one billion such switchings in the same time. For one switch, to put it simply, the core performs one mathematical operation.
Following the usual logic, one can come to the conclusion that the higher the frequency, the faster the transistors in the cores switch, the sooner the tasks are solved. That is why in the past, when the bulk of processors were essentially an improved Intel x86, architectural differences were minimal, and it was clear that the higher the clock frequency, the faster the calculations. But over time, everything has changed.
Is it possible to compare the frequencies of different processors
In the 21st century, developers have taught their processors to process more than one instruction per cycle. Therefore, processors with the same clock rate, but based on different architectures, produce different levels of performance. Intel Core i5 2GHz and Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 2GHz are two different things. Although the second one has more cores, it will be weaker in heavy tasks. Therefore, the very frequency of different types of cores cannot be compared, it is also important to take into account the specific performance (the number of instruction executions per clock cycle).
If we draw an analogy with cars, then the clock frequency is the speed in km / h, and the specific productivity is the load capacity in kg. If a passenger car (ARM processor for a smartphone) and a dump truck (x86 chip for a PC) drive nearby, then when equal speed a passenger car will carry a couple of hundred kilos at a time, and a truck several tons. If we talk about different types of cores specifically for smartphones (Cortex A53, Cortex A72, Qualcomm Kryo), then these are all cars, but with different capacities. Accordingly, here the difference will not be so huge, but also significant.
You can only compare the clock speeds of cores on the same architecture. For example, MediaTek MT6750 and Qualcomm Sanapdragon 625 each contain 8 Cortex A53 cores. But MTK has a frequency of up to 1.5 GHz, while Qualcomm has 2 GHz. Therefore, the second processor will run approximately 33% faster. But the Qualcomm Snapdragon 652, although it has a frequency of up to 1.8 GHz, is faster than the 625 model, since it uses more powerful Cortex A72 cores.
What gives a high processor frequency in a smartphone
As we have already found out, the higher the clock frequency, the faster the processor works. Consequently, the performance of a smartphone with a higher frequency chipset will be higher. If one smartphone processor contains 4 Kryo cores at 2 GHz, and the second - 4 of the same Kryo cores at 3 GHz, then the second one will be about 1.5 times faster. This will speed up the launch of applications, reduce the turn-on time, allow faster processing of heavy sites in the browser, etc.
However, choosing a smartphone with high frequencies processor, it should also be remembered that the higher they are, the greater the energy consumption. Therefore, if the manufacturer has wound up more gigahertz, but has not optimized the device properly, it may overheat and enter “throttling” (forced frequency reset). Such a disadvantage at one time suffered, for example, Qualcomm Snapdragon 810.
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To synchronize and coordinate work various devices having different speeds, the clock frequency is used. Any command is executed in one or more cycles (cycles), and the pulse alternation rate (frequency) sets the rhythm of all components of the system and largely determines the speed of work. The source of the clock frequency is a separate block - the generator, which is the more pulses per second the generator gives, the faster the computational operations occur, the faster the computer works. That is exactly what happened until recently, but with the invention multi-core processors the situation has changed somewhat. So, the clock frequency is the number of pulses per second that synchronize the computer.
Today, the performance of a computer is affected not only by the clock frequency, but also by the amount of cache, the number of cores, the speed of the video card and the architecture of the processor. For example, modern ones have a relatively low clock frequency, but they work much faster. This is achieved by software division of computational operations between. Thus, the operation at a lower processing speed is faster - increases After the advent of multi-core processors, increasing the clock frequency has become less relevant. Today, the speed of a computer, along with this parameter, is determined by the number of cores and data in other parts of the system.
During the manufacturing process, processors are tested in various modes, at various temperatures and pressures. As a result of the tests, the maximum operating clock frequency is determined, which is on the marking. But this is not its greatest value, there is such a thing as overclocking the processor, in which the clock frequency increases significantly.
The production of multi-core processors solved another problem: reducing the temperature of the processor. As the clock frequency increased, the heat generated by the processor increased, which led to overheating and malfunctions. Multi-core processors made it possible to increase performance at low frequencies. Many modern models under partial load, they can temporarily lower the clock speed, reducing power consumption and heat generation. During this time, the processor has time to cool down, which leads to a decrease in fan speed, a decrease and decrease in noise (fans “sound” quite loudly at high speeds).
For no less important is the clock frequency of the video card. There is a direct relationship here - the higher this parameter, the faster the finished pixels are drawn and the texture data is retrieved. But installing a high-speed video card and having a low-speed processor and small amount of RAM does not make sense. The parameters of all these devices must be balanced. Only in this case, the computer will work at high speed and without failures.
Different names for the same parameter
Hello dear readers. In the previous article, I talked about where the most basic is described. In this post I will talk about such a characteristic as the base frequency of the processor, which you should also know about, thereby adding information that may be useful to you when choosing.
Explanation and example of his work
Technically, it sounds like this: The base or nominal frequency (this is the same thing) is the indicator at which the computer microprocessor performs the minimum number of cycles.
This means that when a computer is performing a certain number of tasks and does not need to use all its power to complete them, it runs at nominal cycles. Example Tasks: Maintaining the Work operating system, view photos, listen to music, edit text.
What is measured?
This characteristic is measured in megahertz (1200 MHz) or gigahertz (1.2 GHz). This option is present in Manufacturer Intel, so does AMD. It can also be found in the product description or in the characteristics.
On many other sites in the description you can find the term "working or permanent" - this is the same thing. Here are all the different names that are on the sites: 
If everything is clear how it works, then you can check yourself. Imagine that you have a CPU with a base frequency of 2 Ghz. In order to watch a video or listen to music, the microprocessor needs to use, for example, 2400 Mhz of its power, and to view photos it will need 1.7 GHz. A riddle question, what frequency will the stone use to view the photo?
You can leave your answer in the comments if you like. Let's do this, after 15 comments left, I'll write the correct answer, okay? I think yes". Let's go further.
What is the effect of this indicator?
- On energy consumption
- For the released temperature
In modern CPUs, power consumption is getting smaller and smaller in small steps, due to new technical processes, threads, and much more. Despite this, you need to understand that the higher the performance, the more energy is needed, and where there is high power consumption, there is always a high temperature released.
In the next article I will tell you about what is still more important. Interesting information, please read.
- Pentium G4600– constant 3.6 GHz
- Core i3 8100– working 3.6 Ghz
- Pentium Gold G5400– nominal 3700 MHz
And yes, and for those who are interested - in this online shop Now there is free shipping. Well, this is it, a small digression.
That's all for me. Comment, express your thoughts, write and. The choice is yours. Thank you for your attention. Bye Bye.
Then the clock frequency is the most known parameter. Therefore, it is necessary to deal specifically with this concept. Also, in this article, we will discuss understanding the clock speed of multi-core processors, because there are interesting nuances that not everyone knows and takes into account.
For quite a long time, developers have been betting specifically on increasing the clock frequency, but over time, the “fashion” has changed and most of the developments go to create a more advanced architecture, increase cache memory and develop multi-core, but no one forgets about the frequency.
What is the clock speed of a processor?
First you need to understand the definition of "clock frequency". The clock speed tells us how many calculations the processor can perform per unit of time. Accordingly, the higher the frequency, the more operations per unit time the processor can perform. The clock frequency of modern processors is mainly 1.0-4 GHz. It is determined by multiplying the outer or base frequency, by a certain factor. For example, the Intel Core i7 920 processor uses a 133 MHz bus frequency and a multiplier of 20, resulting in a clock speed of 2660 MHz.
The frequency of the processor can be increased at home by overclocking the processor. There are special processor models from AMD and Intel, which are focused on overclocking by the manufacturer, for example, the Black Edition from AMD and the K-series line from Intel.
I want to note that when buying a processor, the frequency should not be a decisive factor in your choice, because only part of the processor's performance depends on it.
Understanding clock speed (multi-core processors)
Now, in almost all market segments, there are no single-core processors left. Well, it is logical, because the IT industry does not stand still, but is constantly moving forward by leaps and bounds. Therefore, it is necessary to clearly understand how the frequency is calculated for processors that have two or more cores.
While visiting many computer forums, I noticed that there is a common misconception about understanding (calculating) the frequencies of multi-core processors. I’ll immediately give an example of this incorrect reasoning: “There is a 4-core processor with a clock frequency of 3 GHz, so its total clock frequency will be: 4 x 3 GHz = 12 GHz, right?” - No, not so.
I will try to explain why the total frequency of the processor cannot be understood as: "the number of cores X specified frequency.
I will give an example: “A pedestrian is walking along the road, his speed is 4 km / h. This is similar to a single core processor on N GHz. But if 4 pedestrians are walking along the road at a speed of 4 km / h, then this is similar to a 4-core processor on N GHz. In the case of pedestrians, we do not assume that their speed will be 4x4 = 16 km/h, we simply say: "4 pedestrians are walking at a speed of 4 km/h". For the same reason, we do not perform any mathematical operations with the frequencies of the processor cores, but simply remember that a 4-core processor is N GHz has four cores, each of which runs at a frequency N GHz".
What does cpu frequency mean?
This is the clock frequency of the processor (Core Speed).
Clock speed is the number of cycles (operations) of the processor per second.
The processor clock speed is proportional to the bus frequency.
As a rule, the higher the clock frequency of the processor, the higher its performance.
But such a comparison is relevant only for models of the same line, since, in addition to frequency, processor performance is affected by parameters such as the size of the second-level cache (L2), the presence and frequency of the third-level cache (L3), the presence of special instructions, and others.
Clock frequency:
- is determined by the time between active signal transitions from one value to another;
- is measured in hertz, which determines the number of active transitions per second.
The clock frequency characterizes the performance of a subsystem (processor, memory, etc.), that is, the number of operations performed per second.
However, systems with the same clock frequency may have different performance, since different systems may require a different number of cycles to perform one operation (usually from fractions of a cycle to tens of cycles), and in addition, systems using pipelining and parallel processing, can perform several operations at the same time on the same cycles.
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