Other data buses are in a computer, such as the PCI and AGP buses.
The front side bus, or FSB, is the component that connects the central processing unit, or CPU, to the system memory, allowing data to pass between the two. The FSB speed -- also known as clock speed -- is directly tied to the speed of the CPU and is therefore the rate at which the computer can perform calculations.
Clock Speed
The clock speed is simply the speed that the FSB transfers data to the CPU, measured in hertz. Different CPUs are set to use different default clock speeds, with some motherboards allowing you to change the clock speed to overclock or underclock the system.
Clock Speed and CPU Speed
The speed of the CPU is set by taking the clock speed and multiplying it by the CPU's multiplier, a value preset by the manufacturer of the CPU. For instance, if the clock speed is 100 MHz and the CPU has a multiplier of 24, the CPU has a speed of 2.4 GHz.
Overclocking
Some users may overclock their CPU by increasing the clock speed, making the CPU work faster. This can be dangerous, however, because it increases the amount of heat generated by the CPU and can damage or even destroy it if the clock speed is increased too much.
Underclocking
Underclocking is the reverse of overclocking, lowering the clock speed below its default settings to decrease the speed of the CPU. By doing so, the CPU generates less heat and uses less electricity, which may be useful in some specialty applications.
Tags: clock speed, clock speed, clock speed