1.1.2

• The higher the clock speed, the better the performance. Everything in a computer happens on the pulse of the internal clock, the faster the clock speed the faster the instructions are processed
• The following are three of the most common characteristics which can affect a CPU’s performance

  Clock speed

  Number of cores

  Cache size
• The number of duplicate processing units (cores) placed in one CPU. A dual core processor has two processor cores in the same integrated circuit, linked together.

  A dual core processor has the potential to perform two instructions at the same time.

  However, it doesn’t always perform at this rate as software may not be able to take full advantage of both cores
• Cache allows the computer to access data quickly. The size of cache affects the performance of the PC. Too much cache will make finding data take longer.