What is the CPU multiplier?

[RockGuitarDude]

I know it's part of the FSB x Mult = Speed equation but whereas the FSB corresponds to communicating with memory, I have no idea what the CPU multiplier really does...

2 processors at the same speed with different settings for the Multiplier and FSB, which will be faster? The one with the higher FSB or higher multiplier?

 

[RS3RS]

The one with the higher FSB will be a lot faster.

As you know, the FSB times the multi. determines the clock speed of the processor. Let's say we have a 3200mhZ processor, and it's FSB is 200 mhZ (200*16=3200).

3200mhZ is, in a sense, the speed that the CPU itself is running at. The FSB is also, in a sense, the speed at which the CPU communicates with the rest of the components.

The fastest possible form of 3200 mhZ would be to have a FSB of 3200 mhZ, and a multiplier of 1. This elimintates the bottleneck created by the FSB, and then you have full speed access to the rest of the components. (Of course, this doesn't exist, as all modern processors are bottlenecked by the FSB, just saying if it were to happen...)