To synchronize and coordinate the operation of various devices with different speed, the clock frequency is used. Any command is executed in one or several cycles (ticks), and the pulse rotation speed (frequency) sets the rhythm of all components of the system and largely determines the speed of work. The source of the clock frequency is a separate block - the generator, which is a quartz resonator. The more pulses the generator emits in one second, the faster the computational operations take place, the faster the computer runs. That is exactly until recently, but with the invention of multi-core processors, the situation has changed somewhat. So, the clock frequency is the number of pulses per second that synchronize the operation of the computer.
Today, computer performance is affected not only by clock frequency, but also by cache size, number of cores, video card speed and processor architecture. For example, modern multi-core processors have a relatively low clock speed, and they work much faster. This is achieved by programmatically dividing computational operations between processor cores. Thus, the operation at a lower processing speed is faster - increases the speed of the computer. After the advent of multi-core processors, increasing the clock frequency has become less relevant. Today, the speed of a computer, along with this parameter, is determined by the number of cores and the speed of reaction / data processing in other parts of the system.
In the manufacturing process, processors are tested in various modes, at different temperatures and pressures. As a result of the tests, the maximum working clock frequency is determined, which is on the marking. But this is not its greatest value, there is such a thing as overclocking the processor, in which the clock frequency increases significantly.
The production of multi-core processors has solved another problem: reducing the temperature of the processor. With an increase in the clock frequency, the heat generation by the processor increased, which led to overheating and malfunctions. Multi-core processors allowed to increase speed at low frequencies. Many modern models with partial load can temporarily lower the clock speed, reducing power consumption and heat generation. During this time, the processor manages to cool, which leads to lower fan speeds, lower
power consumption and lower noise (at high speeds, the fans “sound” quite loudly).
For gaming computers , the clock speed of the video card plays an equally important role. There is a direct correlation - the higher this parameter, the faster the rendering of finished pixels and the selection of texture data. But to install a high-speed graphics card and have a low-speed processor and a small amount of RAM does not make sense. The parameters of all these devices must be balanced. Only in this case, the computer will work at high speed and without failures.