The timing crystal is the master timing device for the computer system. The crystal is part of the circuitry which comprises the timing clock circuit. This circuit depends upon the oscillations from the crystal to give the regular, even frequencies upon which every component in the system operates. The frequency of the crystal related directly to the "speed" of the computer, and these span a wide range. For example, crystals in some computers can resonate at 8 megahertz and others at 50 MHz. Generally, the more advanced the computer, the faster it operates (the higher the frequency of the oscillations from the crystal).