Acronym for million instructions per second. A old measure of a
computer's speed and power, MIPS measures roughly the number of
machine instructions that a computer can execute in one second.
However, different instructions require more or less time than
others, and there is no standard method for measuring MIPS. In
addition, MIPS refers only to the CPU speed, whereas real
applications are generally limited by other factors, such as I/O
speed. A machine with a high MIPS rating, therefore, might not
run a particular application any faster than a machine with a
low MIPS rating. For all these reasons, MIPS ratings are not
used often anymore. In fact, some people jokingly claim that
MIPS really stands for Meaningless Indicator of Performance.
Despite these problems, a MIPS rating can give you a general
idea of a computer's speed. The IBM PC/XT computer, for example,
is rated at ¼ MIPS, while Pentium-based PCs run at over 100
MIPS. Featured Partners Sponsored - Increase worker
productivity, enhance data security,