GATE General Aptitude and CS Solutions Practice Test

The key idea is the distinction between maximum capacity and actual performance. Bandwidth is the theoretical maximum data rate a channel can carry, assuming ideal conditions. Throughput is the actual rate at which useful data is successfully delivered over time, taking into account overhead, retransmissions, and network congestion. So throughput represents the real, achieved data rate, which is typically lower than the theoretical bandwidth. In perfect conditions throughput would approach bandwidth, but in real networks the gap exists due to overhead and errors. Latency relates to delay, not rate; bandwidth is the ceiling, not the actual rate; error rate measures mistakes, not how much data gets through.