A laptop with a good processor speed can handle more heavy workloads and intensive tasks than a processor that has comparably lower speeds. Processors that have higher speeds can also perform the tasks faster. Another factor that determines the overall performance of a processor is its efficiency. Some processors are designed to be energy efficient by limiting performance while some are fabricated to perform specific tasks more effectively. Besides efficiency, processor speed is also necessary to enhance the overall experience of the system. A slow responding system hampers the workflow and productivity of the user.
What Is Processor Speed?
Processor speed refers to the number and how fast instructions a CPU (Central Processing Unit) can handle per cycle. Measured in Hertz(Hz), a 1Hz cycle refers to one operation or instruction carried out every second by the processor. Modern processors run in the range of several Megahertz(1 million Hertz), and Gigahertz(1 billion Hertz). Meaning, that the processors in your device carry out millions and billions of instructions per second. However, due to processors now having multi-threading, specialised processing cores and parallel operating capabilities, the rate at which a CPU runs isn’t the only factor that determines its speed.
What Processor Speed Should a Laptop Have?
Choosing a laptop based on its processor speed depends on what you’re getting the device for. For normal use cases like web browsing, document and text processing, a comparatively low powered processor works fine. For more compute heavy tasks like playing games, processing data and manipulating graphics, a much powerful processor is needed. If the laptop is being used mostly for office work like word processing, data entry and documenting, a laptop with a more efficient processor that can provide more battery life and ample processing power is sufficient. A CPU clock speed of around 2.4 to 2.7 GHz should be enough for office tasks and web browsing. If your work entails rendering, computer aided design modelling (CAD), physics simulations and video processing, ideally a desktop is much more capable but for laptops, a one that has more RAM and a very powerful processor is needed. These processes are compute heavy and require a lot of resources to process. A processor speed of more than 3 GHz is recommended for such tasks. Lastly, if you’re planning to buy a laptop for gaming, a laptop that has a moderately powerful processor but highly capable graphics card (GPU) is needed. Most games cannot effectively take advantage of CPU’s multi-core aspect . A CPU with a clock count of more than 2.7 GHz for light games and processor for more than 3.8 GHz for demanding games is recommended.
What Determines the Speed of a Processor?
There are several factors that determine the overall speed a processor has. Its capability to carry out the number of instructions simultaneously and the actual speed that the processor runs at being the most important. Other factors that determine the overall speed and performance of a processor are:
Core Count
Core count refers to the actual processors of the CPU. Modern CPUS have multiple cores that determine the amount of instructions they can carry out in a single instance. The higher the number of cores in a system, the more instructions it can carry out simultaneously. The cores carry out the actual logical operation and processing of the information rather than handling the Input/Output (I/O) of the system. The cores are also not involved with the graphical processing of the data in the device. Another factor, called threading, also determines the ability of a processor core to handle operations simultaneously. Threading is a high level process that virtually multiplies the physical cores of a CPU (commonly in two) to process more instructions parallelly. For example, a modern CPU with 4 cores will typically have 8 threads to carry out instructions.
Clock Speed
Clock speed refers to the speed that a processor is running at a given time. Technically, it means how fast the CPU cores are processing the instructions at a given clock cycle. Clock speed is dependent on the number of transistors a CPU has and the type of architecture it was fabricated from. With each successive iteration, increase in transistor count has resulted in increase of processor speed. A faster processor typically operates at a higher clock frequency than a low powered CPU. Some even have the ability to increase or decrease the clock speed based on user preference and the amount of work the processor handles. Modern processors typically run at a base clock which is their normal operating frequency and a boost clock, which increases their processing speed. This mode however, tends to generate more heat as more power is used by the CPU. Users now have the ability to fine tune their processors and control at what speed to operate them by overclocking their processors.
CPU Architecture
CPU architecture refers to the method a CPU is fabricated. Based on the type of architecture, scaling done in nanometers(nm), processors can be designed to be low powered and efficient (eg: ARM) or fast and powerful as in the case of high-end Intel and AMD processors. Modern desktop processors are built using ARM or x86 architecture that focuses on efficiency or performance or a balance between the two.
Cache Size
The amount of data a processor can handle depends on the size of its memory and its fabrication process. 64-bit CPUs have significantly more memory than a 32-bit processor. This means that registers, and the cache carry and store data at a much higher scale due to greater size. There are mainly two types of memory in a processor called Registers and Caches. These are super fast memory units that are only a couple of megabytes(MBs) large. These memory units are separated by a tier called Levels which determines their speed. For example a level 1 (L1) cache is smaller but faster than a L2 or L3 cache in the CPU. This means that the higher memory a CPU has, the more it can handle, store and process the data making the overall system faster and enhancing the user experience.
Generation
With each generation of processor, the way they handle processes with multithreading is refined by revising the fabrication process. This means that even a processor having low clock speed can perform a task faster by being more efficient For instance, a 12th generation processor clocked at 2.2 GHZ base frequency can very much outperform a processor of 6th generation, clocked at 2.8 GHZ.
Verdict
You should first consider choosing a laptop based on the type of work you intend to do on your device. Aspects like efficiency, performance and battery life should be taken into consideration while purchasing a new laptop. Choose a processor based on the core count, clock speed and the features it provides like overclocking, multi threading and its compatibility with the applications you intend to use in your device.
