Why is a processor’s speed not the only important factor in a computer’s performance?

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Hello, everyone! I’ve been doing some research into computer hardware lately, and one thing that I keep coming across is this idea that the speed of a processor, while important, isn’t the only thing that affects a computer’s overall performance. I’m having a bit of a hard time wrapping my head around this because I always thought that a faster processor meant a faster computer. Can anyone explain why this isn’t necessarily the case? I’m really interested to learn more about this!

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Anonymous 0 Comments

Your CPU often has to wait for data to process. RAM is slower than the CPU, and your hard drive / SSD is slower still.

Faster RAM and faster drive = less time the CPU is waiting for data.

Also more RAM = less need to keep fetching data from your drive = less waiting time.

Also you have the CPU heatsink, modern CPUs detect of they are getting too hot and slow down. Better heatsink = cooler CPU = no slowing down.

Then there’s the graphics card. These are much faster than the CPU at drawing 3D graphics so better graphics card = more FPS in games (also some things more video rendering can use the GPU).

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