Clock rate

Clock rate is the frequency of a processor’s clock signal, measured in hertz. It counts clock cycles per second but does not alone determine how much work a processor completes.

Clock signal: A periodic electrical or logical signal used to coordinate timed operations in digital circuits. Its repeated transitions provide the cycles counted by a processor’s clock rate.
Instructions per cycle: The average number of instructions a processor completes per clock cycle. It captures work per cycle that clock rate leaves out.
Overclocking: Operating a processor or other component above its manufacturer-specified frequency. It deliberately raises clock rate to seek greater performance.
Hertz: The SI unit of frequency, equal to one event or cycle per second. Processor clock rates are expressed in hertz and its multiples.
Clock cycle: One complete period of a clock signal, commonly measured between equivalent points in successive cycles. Clock rate is the number of these cycles occurring each second.
Instructions per second: A measure of how many processor instructions are completed in one second. It combines clock frequency with the processor’s ability to complete instructions.
Underclocking: Operating a processor below its usual or rated frequency to reduce power or heat. It lowers clock rate when efficiency matters more than peak speed.
Megahertz: A frequency unit equal to one million hertz. Older processor specifications commonly expressed clock rates in megahertz.
Clock multiplier: A factor used to derive a processor’s operating frequency from a reference clock frequency. It can raise a processor’s clock rate above its reference clock.
Benchmark (computing): A standardized workload or test used to evaluate computer-system performance. Benchmarks expose performance differences that clock rates alone cannot predict.

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