Processor speed in gigahertz and memory capacity in megabytes.
Processor speed in gigahertz and memory capacity in megabytes.
The difference comes from what each measurement represents. RAM speeds in MHz relate to data transfer rates, while CPU clock speeds in GHz indicate processing frequency. It's common to see MHz for RAM because it reflects bandwidth, whereas GHz is used for clock speeds that measure how fast the processor can execute instructions. So the units match the function they describe.
MHZ and GHZ describe how often something happens per second. Right now, RAM operates at MHZ, while CPUs function at GHZ, which is significantly quicker.
It's quite straightforward, but the RAM runs at varying speeds. 2666mhz feels like roughly 2.666ghz :p. The CPU values are rounded, making GHz a more convenient unit.
It was exciting when the CPU reached 1 GHz, and people began discussing them at that speed. Memory never got compared in the same way, so we continued using MHz.