How is the processing power of a CPU primarily measured?

The processing power of a CPU is primarily measured by the speed and amount of data it can process because these factors directly influence how quickly and efficiently the CPU can execute instructions and handle data.

Speed is typically measured in gigahertz (GHz), which indicates how many cycles per second a CPU can perform. A higher clock speed generally means the CPU can execute more instructions per second, translating to better performance in most applications. The amount of data processed relates to the CPU's architecture, including its data bus width and the efficiency with which it can move data in and out of memory.

While factors such as the number of cores and the capacity of memory cache also play significant roles in performance, they are not the primary measurements for overall processing power. The number of cores affects parallel processing capabilities, allowing the CPU to handle multiple tasks simultaneously, while the cache helps improve access speed to frequently used data. However, the foundational measure of how a CPU operates hinges on its fundamental speed and data handling capabilities.