Computer Tips: What is Burst Speed?

Most people go about asking what is 'burst speed'. Simply put, burst speed is exactly what it sounds. It is a 'burst of speed'. However, there is a difference between burst speed and sustained speed. And in the terms of computers, burst speed is related to how fast data travels from your internal or external harddrive for a short amount of time. It is important to remember at this point that burst speed is different from sustained speed.

Sprints are different from lap running, because sprints actually determine how fast runners get from one point to another in the shortest possible amount of time. The same is the case with your harddrive. How much data can the harddrive transfer from one point to another in the shortest amount of time. While burst speed may not seem important, it really is important. The burst speed of your harddrive is what determines how fast your programs open up once you execute them.

Apart from the harddrive, the other major factor that determines the overall burst speed of your computer, is RAM. Generally, the more RAM you have, coupled with a fast harddrive, the burst speed is likely to be great. However, if the amount of RAM is low, the burst speed is likely to be low since data is processed inside the RAM in real time.

Basically, if you have a decent amount of RAM, a good and fast CPU, with good Motherboard and HardDrive, the overall burst speed of your computer will be fairly high. Remember, that harddrives too have their own data processing speed, and if you want an overall good performance, you need to make sure that all of your PC components are good. So, this could be like a runner, without the extra mass/pounds on him/her. This would help him/her to run faster, with greater speed in a short sprint.

The concept of burst speed, can also be applied to your graphic cards as well as your internet connection. If you play the latest and top of the line games, you will most likely require graphic cards that have a decent processing power, and good speed. Having an old graphics card, will only increase the graphic render times of your game, thus making the computer appear as slow and misleading you.

Similarly, the burst speed of the internet connection would be more important when downloading small sized files from the internet. Burst speeds last for a few seconds to a minute at the maximum. Therefore, if you download a large file (say a game trial, or movie), the sustained speed of your internet connection will eventually take over.

So, basically, burst speed is the speeds at which your computer would work in the shortest amount of time overall. The main parts that influence the burst speed are CPU, RAM, MotherBoard, and your HardDrive.

To sum it up, and for the non geek people, good parts in your computer, is equal to good things in your body. While the bad parts would equal junk. So, the difference of performance and integrity is pretty much obvious.