In the most General sense, the speed MP, as well, as with any digital computing means, is defined as the average execution speed of a specific algorithm, teams which is a mixture of, reflecting the specific class of tasks. Mixture for various classes of problems are prepared on the basis of statistical generalizations commands all characteristic of this class of algorithms. There are, for example, a mixture of Gibson, which can be used to compare the performance of different computational tools in solving their scientific and engineering problems, and other compounds.

However, it should be taken into account, that the resulting value is the average character and can differ from the value, obtained for a specific task.

Because of the difficulty to quantify the performance in the above sense, in practice, are less common, but it is less simplistic notion. Also used are the concepts of cycle time and clock frequency, indirectly related to performance.

 Most often, the speed MP is characterized by the time or speed of execution short of the addition operation the contents of register R with the contents of the accumulator with subsequent shipment of the result in register R (the operation of the RJR), although in the literature there are other definitions. However, comparison of MP performance in the above sense cannot be deemed correct in any case and, more, often leads to misconceptions. The fact, the algorithms performed tasks, reflecting the specifics of the tasks themselves, can contain different number of operations of type RR, which in this case is taken as a performance. Besides, the MP can be directed, as already mentioned, on the performance of various algorithms, in which the proportion of the addition operation can be almost anything.

Thus, the speed of the operation RR can be judged only on the performance of the universal MP, and to compare this characteristic can only be functionally the same MP when solving one and the same problem.

Cycle time or treatment is called time period, spent MP to appeal to a single word in memory. This time can be determined by the performance of the MP, and storage device.

Clock frequency is the frequency of the clock generator, or external part of the IPC, which allow you to specify time delays that are synchronized by the signal generator MP. For one step in various MP runs a different number of micro-operations, the execution time of each can be different, therefore, the use of a clock frequency, as the cycle time, only for the qualitative assessment of performance, taking into account the above circumstances.

Partly on the performance can be judged by the circuitry and manufacturing technology MP, since they determine the time delays of logic elements, forming the structure of the am. As has been shown, the speed increases in the number of logic circuits, implemented through the use of circuitry: p-MOS, n-MOS, CMOS, CMOS/SOS, I2L, Hook up and ESL, t. e. each of the following circuitry provides more performance, than previous. Approximate values of the speed characteristics of the MP are given in table. 4.

As you can see, objective and universal evaluation of the performance of MP is complex and, to date, for it is virtually no easy and fairly universal criteria.