– Why does clock speed matter on a CPU, and why do some top-tier CPU’s have lower clock speeds than some from nearly 10 generations ago?

Question

I have a good understanding of what clock speed is, but why does it matter?

For the second question, I was wondering since for example, the new i9-14900K has a base clock speed of 3.2 GHz, whereas my previous desktop CPU, the i7-4790K, had a base clock speed of 4.0 GHz. Why hasn’t this number steadily gone up thought the years?

In: Technology

Answer 1

Not sure if these analogies work but it’s like an adult and a small kid each can carry a container of water from the car inside the house. The adult can bring in a five gallon just while the kid can only bring in a 500ml bottle.

The lawnmower engine can go 3000rpm like a car’s engine can go 3000rpm but the car is putting out more power due to more displacement.

A swimmer can swim the length of a pool in say 10 strokes. A younger swimmer can do it in 15 strokes.