How to check max clock speed of CPU

There are a couple of ways:

lscpu or more precise lscpu | grep "MHz".
This will give you the general MHz for the CPU.
$ lscpu | grep "MHz". CPU MHz: 1600.000
cat /proc/cpuinfo or more precise cat /proc/cpuinfo | grep "MHz".
This will give you the individual MHz for each CPU Core. So if you have an Core 2 Duo, AMD Bulldozer, Core i7, etc.. it will show the MHz for each core.
$ cat /proc/cpuinfo | grep "MHz" cpu MHz : 1600.000 cpu MHz : 1600.000 cpu MHz : 1600.000 cpu MHz : 1600.000 cpu MHz : 1600.000 cpu MHz : 1600.000 cpu MHz : 1600.000 cpu MHz : 3400.000
lshw -c cpu or more precise version: lshw -c cpu | grep capacity
Will give you the general MHz. Same as lscpu.
$ lshw -c cpu | grep capacity WARNING: you should run this program as super-user. capacity: 1600MHz WARNING: output may be incomplete or inaccurate, you should run this program as super-user.
sudo dmidecode -t processor or more precise: sudo dmidecode -t processor | grep "Speed" Will not only give you a MHz in use but also the Maximum you can push / overclock your CPU to.
$ sudo dmidecode -t processor | grep Speed [sudo] password for cyrex: Max Speed: 4000 MHz Current Speed: 2666 MHz

Out of all of this, lshw and dmidecode provide the best information out of your CPU.

You can also target the current MHz detected by the kernel by querying the log files:

cat /var/log/dmesg | grep "MHz processor" - For the current detected MHz speed

cat /var/log/kern.log | grep "MHz processor" - For the current and past detected MHz speeds. Will not work in some cases, that is why I posted the dmesg one first.

And that's all I can remember from the top of my head. I am fairly certain there are other ways, just don't remember right now. Of course, talking about terminal ways.

Note: All the commands above will also give you the CURRENT cpu Hertz, meaning, if you expect to see the same one on lscpu and when doing the cat /proc/cpuinfo it will be near impossible. you CAN compare the maximum because that should show the same for any of the ways you can analyze the CPU, but the current will always be literally "the current CPU hertz" at the moment you execute it. Lastly do note that dmidecode reads information from the ACPI tables which is not always the same as the real time ones done by the other tools.

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Every computer contains at least one processor, also known as a CPU or central processing unit. Your computer’s CPU is probably made by Intel or AMD. Here’s how to see what CPU you have and how fast it is.

You don’t need a system information utility to find this information. Windows shows it in several different places.

To find this information in the Windows 10 or Windows 11 Settings app, navigate to Settings > System > About. Look under “Device specifications.” The name of your computer’s processor and its speed are displayed to the right of “Processor.”

You can press Windows+i to open the Settings app quickly. You can also press the Windows key, type “About” to search your Start menu for this Settings screen, and then click the “About This PC” shortcut that appears.

The Task Manager on Windows 10 and Windows 11 shows detailed CPU information, too. Right-click your taskbar and select “Task Manager” or press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to launch it. Click the “Performance” tab and select “CPU.” The name and speed of your computer’s CPU appear here. (If you don’t see the Performance tab, click “More Details.”)

RELATED: Seven Ways to Open the Windows Task Manager

You’ll also see real-time CPU usage data and other details, including the number of cores your computer’s CPU has.

Windows 7—or Windows 10—users can find this information in the Control Panel. Specifically, it’s on the system pane. Head to Control Panel > System and Security > System to open it. You can also press Windows+Pause on your keyboard to instantly open this window.

RELATED: 13 Ways to Open the Control Panel on Windows 10

Your computer’s CPU model and speed are displayed to the right of “Processor” under the System heading.

If Windows isn’t booting on your system, you can still find this information in several other ways. Your computer’s documentation likely includes system specification details like this. You may also find this information displayed in your computer’s BIOS or UEFI firmware settings screen.

RELATED: What Does a PC's BIOS Do, and When Should I Use It?

Check the CPU base clock on Windows: Go to My PC > This PC. Right-click and select Properties to display the CPU speed.
Check the CPU base clock on Mac: Click the Apple icon and select About This Mac. The CPU speed displays next to the Processor name.
Check the computer speed boost clocks: Download and run CPUZ (Windows) or Intel Power Gadget (Mac).

This article explains how to check both the base clock speed and computer speed boost clocks.

The base clock speed is the speed with which your processor is guaranteed to run during normal utilization. It will typically run faster when it can, but this is the lowest frequency you would typically expect your CPU to operate at.

Windows and macOS have their own built-in methods for checking your CPU's base clock.

The following method works in Windows 7, 8, and 10.

Type My PC into the Windows search bar.
In Windows 7, and 8, you'll see the result My PC. In Windows 10, it will display as This PC. In either case, right click (or tap and hold) on the result and select Properties.
Your CPU speed will be displayed in the new window that appears.

The following method works on every version of macOS since its change from OS X, and some versions before then.

Select the Apple icon in the top-left corner of your screen.
Select About This Mac from the drop-down menu.
Your CPU speed will be displayed next to the Processor name.

To know the typical clock speed and maximum clock speed(s) that your CPU can run at, you need to use a bespoke piece of software. For Windows PCs, CPUZ is one of the best.

Download CPUZ from the official website and install it as you would any other piece of software.
Run CPUZ and update it if necessary.
Look at the Core Speed frequency. That is your current CPU speed. If you run anything remotely intensive, like a web browser, or even a game, you should see the core speed reach its typical boost frequency.

Checking the active boost frequency of your CPU on MacOS requires a tool of its own. The best is Intel Power Monitor.

Download Intel Power Gadget directly from Intel.
Select the package and follow the installer prompt instructions. You may need to Allow system software from Intel in the Security and PrivacySystem Preferences.
When installation is complete, launch it from the Applications folder as you would any other application.
The Frequency table will tell you what your active clock speed is. Launch a web browser or any moderately intensive application. Your CPU frequency should increase to its boost speed.

CPU speed is an important metric for how fast your computer is. It's not the be all and end all, especially when it comes to games, but knowing how fast your processor is running can help you find ways to improve performance, make sure you're getting the most from your existing hardware, and better know when it's time to upgrade.

There are a lot of factors that go into a processor's speed at any particular task. Its number of cores and supportive threads can be an important factor in software applications that can really support multi-threading. Cache size is important too, as is the age of a CPU and its underlying architecture.

Typically, however, when people mention CPU speed, they're colloquially referring to clock speed. That's the number of cycles with which a processor can conduct tasks per second. In modern processors it's typically referred to in gigahertz (GHz), usually in multiple single digits. The fastest processors in the world can operate at above five gigahertz (displayed as 5.0GHz) while more modest options might run under two gigahertz (2.0GHz).

No it does not. Modern processors use clever algorithms to "boost" the frequency of their clock speed when it's required and when power and thermal limits haven't been reached. Some CPUs can operate at these higher frequencies for prolonged periods of time, while others do so for short periods of time and then downclock, or lower the frequency, to keep temperatures low.

Processors with inadequate cooling or coolers that are clogged with dust, may consistently run at a slower speed to avoid overheating.

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