Instructions Per Second is a metric by which a computer processor’s speed can be measured. It relates the number of instructions that a CPU can execute, counted in millions, within a given time period.
Millions of Instructions Per Second is calculated by the following formula:
Shortcomings
MIPS is a poor metric for performance has two notable issues:
- Instructions are not standardized between machines;
- Non CPU delays such as I/O and memory can impact overall execution time;
As reported by PC magazine in November 24, 1987; the MIPS metric has so many shortcomings that it is popularly referred to as Meaningless Indices of Performance (R).
