Processor speeds have risen through the years, and the ability of dual processors to handle more and more jobs at a time have accelerated computer power. Moore’s Law which states that the number of transistors that can be attached to a circuit board doubles every two years, also has a direct effect on the speed at which the processors can work.
This trend has continued to some extent and is expected to continue for a few more years to come. But, there has been some minor slow down in the rate at which processor speeds have advanced. This is due to the possibility that silicon, the base material for all semi-conductors, is reaching a limit as a material for use in these integrated circuit chips. Presently speeds of 3GHZ are about the maximum you can expect to find in current computers.
New materials on the horizon, using titanium and combinations of metals offer promise for future semi-conductors and should help to increase processor speeds in the future.
The jury is still out as to whether or not the speed is actually critical to advancement in computing, especially as the variety in the growth of applications and the way they function changes.
Advancements in storage using Flash memory are currently having a greater impact on computers than the speed of their processors.