SysTem CloCK

The clock is a device that generates periodic, accurately spaced signals used for several purposes such as regulation of the operations of a processor or generation of interrupts. The clock circuit uses the fixed vibrations generated from quartz crystal to deliver a steady stream of pulses to the processor. The system clock controls the speed of all the operations within a computer.

The clock speed is the internal speed of a computer. The clock speed is expressed in megahertzes (MHz). 33 MHz means 33 millions= cycles per second. A computer processor’s speed is faster if it has higher clock speed. For example, a 100-MHz processor is four times as fast internally as the same processor running at 25MHz.