CPU speed is primarily influenced by which of the following?

CPU speed is primarily influenced by clock speed and the number of cores. Clock speed, measured in gigahertz (GHz), indicates how many cycles a CPU can perform per second. A higher clock speed typically means that the CPU can process instructions faster, which significantly impacts overall performance.

The number of cores in a CPU also plays a crucial role in determining speed. Each core can handle its own thread of instructions, which allows for parallel processing. When a CPU has multiple cores, it can execute multiple instructions simultaneously, enhancing performance, especially in tasks that can leverage multithreading, such as video editing, gaming, and simulations.

Together, clock speed and the number of cores provide a solid measure of a CPU's potential performance, making this the most relevant option regarding CPU speed influence. Other factors, like thermal design power, resolution of the display, and amount of RAM, do affect a computer's performance but are not direct determinants of CPU speed itself.