Speed may refer to any of the following:

  1. In general, speed is the overall time something takes to complete. For example, if a computer is fast it opens program in less than a few seconds depending on the size of the program. Often many fast computers can open smaller programs in less than a second. However, if a computer is slow it can take several seconds or maybe even a minute or more to open a big program.

There are several factors that contribute to the overall speed of a computer. These factors include the processor, cache, memory, bus, hard drive, video card, operating system, and software. A full breakdown of how each of these components affect the speed of a computer is on the following pages.

See our slow definition for all links related to why a computer or parts of a computer (e.g., Internet) may be slow.

  1. When referring to the Internet speed and network speed, speed, or high-speed, use the term bandwidth, which is how much data the connection can transfer. For example, a dial-up connection has a small bandwidth (56.6k a second), whereas a broadband connection has a much larger bandwidth of many Mb or even Gb per second. Your connection’s maximum bandwidth, the remote computer’s bandwidth, the latency, and number of hops between the two computers all determines your Internet speed.
  • What makes a computer fast and powerful?
  • How to determine the type and speed of a processor.
  • How to measure a computer’s performance.
  • My computer is running slow, what steps can I do to fix it?
  1. The access speed or drive speed is how fast a computer drive can read and write data. For example, one of the factors that determine a hard drive speed is the RPM (rotations per minute). A hard drive that only spins at 5400 RPM has a slower drive speed than a hard drive that spins at 7200 RPM. SSDs (solid-state drives), have no rotating platters, can still be benchmarked by determining the IOPS.

Keep in mind your connection may be an asymmetrical connection, which means it has a different download and upload speeds. For example, a broadband cable modem connection has a faster download speed than upload speed. Although most people primarily download on the Internet, when using VoIP or another upload intensive service, upload speed is another contributing factor to overall Internet speed.

  • How to test the speed of your Internet connection.
  • Why is my Internet connection so slow?

  1. The mouse speed or touchpad speed is how fast the mouse pointer moves on the screen. If the mouse cursor speed is too slow or too fast, it can be adjusted through the operating system or software installed with the mouse.

  2. The printer speed is how many PPM (pages per minute) a printer can print. See our PPM definition for further information on this term and related printer speed measurements.

  • How to change the mouse speed in Windows.
  1. The speed at which you type or your typing speed is measured by WPM (words per minute) and GWAM. See our WPM and GWAM pages for further information and related links on these terms.

Benchmark, Clock speed, High-speed Internet, Performance, Slow, Transfer speed, Upload/download

  • How to test how many words a minute you can type.
  • How to improve your typing.