I/O Interfaces & Buses
What is the difference between bandwidth and latency in interface performance?
- ABandwidth and latency are the same thing in different units
- BLarger bandwidth always means smaller latency
- CBandwidth is the amount of data sent per unit time; latency is the time for one piece of data to arrive
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. Bandwidth is the amount of data sent per unit time; latency is the time for one piece of data to arrive
Bandwidth is like the number of lanes on a road, and latency like the travel time to the destination. More lanes let more cars through at once but do not shorten the time for one car to arrive. Large transfers are governed by bandwidth, while many small back-and-forth exchanges are governed by latency. Identifying which one dominates is the first step to improving performance.
- A. They are different quantities.
- B. A link can have large bandwidth and still high latency.
- C. Correct. They are different quantities and must be considered separately.