FSB , Processor, Memory, PCI, & AGP Speeds – How do they work together?
All these speeds can be source of confusion for many newbies and veterans to overclocking alike and also to those just wanting to build a PC. Here’s a brief explanation that will hopefully help. System Clocking (aka Front Side Bus speeds): All of the major components on the motherboard – Processor, Memory, PCI, and AGP devices are connected via signal busses that require some form of external clock signal to set their operating speed and to synchronize them during operation. Unfortunately, they don’t all operate at the same speed. Processors and Memory run at higher speeds than AGP (video cards) and PCI (io) devices. Also, processor and memory speeds can vary dramatically from processor make/model to another, while AGP and PCI speeds are typically fixed. Processor external clock speeds are set by the Manufacturer (Intel, AMD) and vary by processor model. Common processor external clock speeds are 100 MHz, 133 MHz, 166 MHz, 183 MHz, and 200 MHz. The AGP bus speed is fixed at 66.66 MHz,
