What Is Bus?

Your computer's system bus is like a bridge connecting all the different parts. For data to be shared between components, such as between the CPU and RAM, the information must travel through the bus. Buses can connect to any media, such as Ethernet cables. Many buses exist, such as the memory bus that controls how data is read from and written to computer memory. Buses are often described by their width, which is the amount of data that they can transfer at one time. For example, a 64-bit wide bus can move significantly more data than a 16-bit wide bus. Parallel buses are faster, but they also use up more bandwidth. If you're communicating data across a network, you'll need a serial connection. You'll likely want a parallel relationship if you're sharing data within a computer. Parallel connection is best for high-bandwidth, low-latency data transfers. Serial links are best for low-bandwidth, high-latency data transfers. Latency is where it takes a certain amount of time for data to be transmitted, and latency can be thought of as latency if you're receiving data or latency if you're sharing data. Parallel connections have lower latency if you're receiving data, but they also have higher latency if you're transmitting data. The traditional definition of a bus is an electrical parallel structure with conductors connected with identical or similar CPU pins. It referred to the plug socket that connected an entire computer system in the early days but has since grown in meaning. It now includes anything from the way you connect devices and memory to your monitor to the interoffice party bus you took home last night. It is a bus where people meet, trade news and views, and travel. When it was discovered, the electricity became the engine that powered man's machines into the modern age.