Ghz Desktop
Ghz Desktop

how fast do transistors operate (GHz) in modern desktop cpus?

i’m talking about an individual transistor in the cpu, not the clock rate

It depends on the design of the machine. In a 3.3 GHz machine, you have 300 picoseconds for the logic levels to settle before the clock pulse comes by and makes things happen depending on them. The logic levels must propagate through some number of transistors, and the number depends on the machine design; I would expect that normally it would be in the range of 3 to 10. If it is 10, then the transistor must switch within about 30 picoseconds of the control levels changing.

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