What does gigahertz mean?
Gigahertz, abbreviated GHz, is a unit for measuring frequency and is especially familiar as a description of computer processor speed. One gigahertz represents one billion cycles per second, allowing engineers and consumers to compare the operating frequencies of processors, communication systems, and radio equipment. In computing, a processor described as running at 3.2 gigahertz completes cycles at a rate of 3.2 billion per second, although clock speed alone does not determine overall performance. The unit is also used in radio and telecommunications to identify frequency bands, such as the 2.4-gigahertz band used by some wireless networks. Gigahertz is part of the broader hertz family of frequency units, which includes kilohertz, megahertz, and terahertz. The word combines the metric prefix giga, derived from a Greek word meaning giant, with hertz, the unit named after German physicist Heinrich Hertz.
nounA unit of frequency equal to one billion cycles per second, used especially to state the operating or clock frequency of electronic processors, radio transmitters, and other systems.
- An informal designation for the clock speed or processing rate of a computer processor.
- A unit of frequency equal to one billion cycles per second, used to describe electronic, telecommunications, and radio-frequency systems.
"The new processor runs at 3.2 gigahertz."
"The laptop's gigahertz rating increased, although processor performance also depends on architecture and other factors."
"The transmitter operates in the 2.4-gigahertz band."
The noun is normally unchanged when pluralized, and a quantity is expressed with a numeral: two gigahertz.
"The processor supports speeds of 3.2 gigahertz."
Gigahertz joins the metric prefix giga, meaning a billion, to the surname of the physicist whose work revealed the existence of radio waves.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of gigahertz
Gigahertz is a twentieth-century compound formed from the metric prefix giga- and hertz, the unit named after German physicist Heinrich Hertz. The prefix giga- comes from Greek gigas, meaning giant, and denotes a factor of one billion. Together with the related units kilohertz, megahertz, and terahertz, it provides a standard way to describe the rapidly increasing operating frequencies of electronic and communications systems.
How gigahertz is actually used
The term is most common in technical and scientific contexts and is usually written as GHz when abbreviated. Informal comparisons of computer processors by gigahertz can understate differences in architecture, memory, and workload.
Easily confused with gigahertz
A megahertz is one million cycles per second, whereas a gigahertz is one billion cycles per second.