What does FSB do?

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i am not sure if this is correct or not, but i picture FSB as a pipe. i think FSB is similair to electrical current. FSB & current is like a metal pipe. a larger FSB or more electrical current is like having a larger diameter pipe, more things can go through.

and voltage is like the processor clock speed. so just by looking at FSB alone you cannot determine if a certain processor is faster than another processor even if it has a FSB twice its size. example: comparing processors by FSB alone with 400Mhz & 800Mhz FSB, you cannot tell which is the better one.

i should think about this analogy more, i'm not sure if it technically makes sense.
 
fsb or frontside bus is like a pipe but only to a certain degree. Processors,motherboards and memory all have fsb speed ratings. since information gos through all off these components the speed will be running at the lowest rated speed. For example, a 400mhz fsb processor, a 400mhz fsb mobo and 333mhz fsb memory will have the computer running at 333. to specificaly answer your question the standard memory speed is 333mhz fsb(ddr) so for a short period of time (as long as it is unihibited by processor or mobo speed) the computer will run a top speed, but only until the next generation of memory technology comes along. when that happens most likely 400mhz fsb will quickly become outdated. As E/-Esine points out dont go buying a processor/motherboard just because of fsb speed
 
err.. doesn't the RAM run at 333 if that's what it's set at... if the motherboard can handle 400 and the CPU's running at 400, wouldn't the chip push data at 400mhz along with passing over the northbridge at 400mhz, when it hits the ram it'll slow to 333 and speed back up to 400mhz when it's on it's way back?.. hrm
 
what if you have a 3ghz cpu and only 444mhz ram bus speed? will that slow your cpu down from it's full potential?
 
cpu speed is different from fsb speed(they both contribute to the overall speed) so i cant realy answer your question for certain with out knowing the fsb speed of your cpu. Chances are though with a 3 ghz cpu you probably have 800mhz fsb speed, so the answer to your question is no,it wouldnt slow your cpu down
 
and to answer demalii-i always thought it ran at the lowest common denominator
 
cguy you are right but that only applys so ram. Ram will run as fast as the weakest link of an other ram module but if the cpu is at 400fsb and the mobo supports 400fsb then u have ram at 333mhz it will run as fast as its rated for until it hits that part of the circit.
 
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