Quartz Crystal: When you need high precision, low jitter, or very stable clock (e.g. USB, radio, precision timers). Crystal oscillator: “Plug & play” clock source: no need to design an oscillator circuit or add caps. Ideal for microcontrollers, FPGAs, comms modules. Ceramic resonator: Low‑cost, moderate‑precision clocks (e.g. general‑purpose microcontrollers where ±1 % is acceptable).
| Feature | Quartz Crystal | Crystal Oscillator | Ceramic Resonator |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pins | 2 | 3–4 | 3 |
| External components | Two load caps + amplifier | None | External inverter only (caps built‑in) |
| Frequency tolerance | ±10–30 ppm | ±50–100 ppm | ±0.5 % |
| Temperature stability | Excellent | Good | Fair |
| Aging | < 5 ppm/yr | < 10 ppm/yr | ~10 ppm/yr |
| Cost | Low | Higher | Lowest |
| Typical jitter | Very low | Low–medium | Medium–high |
| Ease of use | Needs oscillator design | Drop‑in clock | Needs simple inverter |