ITPEC IP October 2022 Question 10

For the same CPU architecture, increasing clock frequency generally increases processing speed. Clock frequency indicates cycles per second, so a higher rate lets the processor perform more cycle-based work in a given time when architectural factors remain fixed.

Answer (c)

Why not others:
- a 64-bit CPU can handle wider data than a 32-bit CPU
- reducing cache capacity generally increases slower memory accesses rather than guaranteeing higher speed
- a quad-core CPU has more cores for simultaneous work than a dual-core CPU

Key rule: CPU performance depends on clock rate, work per cycle, cores, cache, and workload; clock comparisons are meaningful when architecture is held constant.

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