If computer clocks max out somewhere around 5GHz, how is it possible for 100Gbit internet to exist? How does the computer possibly transfer that much data per second?

Question

If computer clocks max out somewhere around 5GHz, how is it possible for 100Gbit internet to exist? How does the computer possibly transfer that much data per second?

In: 591

Answer 1

These are measurements of two different things: a CPU is clocked in hertz (cycles per second). This is a speed measurement.
Network throughput is a measure of total data transfer and is speed x transfer size.

Think of a highway. CPU speed is similar to vehicle speed. Faster speeds mean more operations.

Bandwidth is total number of cars that pass and is calculated as speed x number of lanes. The wider the highway (bus) the more data that can be transferred at any given speed.