SandBox: The Need for Speed Page 1 2 3 4

Time Is Money Here in the Sandbox, The Computer Mama works with engineers who study how long it takes to do things. They run tests and set benchmarks to see if a process can be improved. Computers have performance benchmarks and speed ratings, too. How fast is your computer going? The first clue is the Megahertz number. If you have an Intel Pentium running at 3500 MHz it is faster than one running at 200 Mhz. So CPU speed is one measurement of performance.   The CPU processor speed doubles every 18 months, approximately. It started around 1993 with the i386. Windows 95 recommended an i586, or Pentium.   Today, an i686 processor may have multiple CPUs, such as a Dual Core.