1. CPU performance

The CPU is responsible for carrying out all instructions for all programs that the computer is running. More than any other component, the quality of the CPU affects the computer's performance.

But not all CPUs are made equal. Technology is getting better all the time, and newer CPUs are capable of carrying out more instructions in less time while being more reliable than the CPUs of decades past.

There are several avenues that computer manufacturers have pursued in the hunt for a more effective CPU, and we will discuss several of them in this section.

These include:

• Adjusting the clock
• Adjusting the procesing cores
• Adjusting the cache memory