Genesis had the faster clock; Super NES had twice the work RAM
The 16-bit spec fight gives two different answers before a game has even run.
The Nintendo specifications preserved by SNES Central describe “Work RAM for CPU - 128 Kilobytes (CPU temp. storage).” The label matters: work memory and video memory serve different jobs.
The Genesis wins if the contest ends at the CPU clock. The Super NES wins if it ends at main work memory. The schoolyard console argument managed to pick a benchmark before anybody had a benchmark.
Sega’s developer documentation gives the NTSC main CPU clock as 7.67 MHz, with PAL at 7.60 MHz. Its architecture separates 64 KB of main RAM, 64 KB of video RAM and 8 KB for the sound side.
Nintendo’s old specifications preserved by SNES Central distinguish 128 KB of CPU work RAM from 64 KB video RAM. They also list 3.58, 2.68 and 1.79 MHz clock rates, rather than one universal operating speed.
| Resource | Genesis, NTSC | Super NES |
|---|---|---|
| Main CPU | Motorola 68000 | 65C816-family custom CPU |
| Main CPU clock figure | 7.67 MHz | Up to 3.58 MHz |
| Main work RAM | 64 KB | 128 KB |
| Video RAM, kept separate | 64 KB | 64 KB |
Using the rounded clock figures gives 7.67 ÷ 3.58 ≈ 2.14. Work memory gives 128 ÷ 64 = 2. Neither calculation measures how quickly two different processors finish the same game logic. A clock tick is a unit of time, not an equal-sized parcel of completed work.
Someone revisiting these machines for a favorite game should start with the game and its actual port. A programmer choosing a homebrew target has a different decision: which CPU, display system and memory budget make the project practical.
The next round of the argument needs a named game, a scene and a measurement. Until then, both sides can keep winning by changing the column they point at.