Helping businesses choose
better software since 1999
better software since 1999
Guides & Research
Capterra Glossary
Million instructions per second (MIPS) is the raw processing and execution speed of a computer. It measures the number of instructions a machine can complete in one second. These instructions and how long they take depend factors including a computer's memory, storage capacity, and input and output speed.
Computing performance, or MIPS, is important for businesses related to how quickly their devices can complete certain functions and tasks. MIPS is useful when comparing processors that have the same type of architecture because it gives an overall picture of task performance speed and not just instruction execution speed.