data transfer rate

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data transfer rate The rate at which data can be moved between devices. The average rate is usually determined by the capability of the read or write device but the instantaneous rate is determined by the capability of the interface or transmission path. Buffer memories are used to achieve the change in rate. For typical magnetic tape operating at 800 bytes per inch and 75 inches per second the rate is about 60 kilobytes per second. Disk storage systems can have transfer rates in excess of 3 megabytes per second. Fast serial interfaces operate at up to 50 Mbps.