WTH is a "hash rate"?
A “hash” is a term used to refer to an encrypted string. A “hash rate” is a term used in Bitcoin vernacular to quantify processing capability. It refers to the number of hashes that can be processed per second. For example, an AMD 7970 GPU (a top-end graphics card) can process about 600 SHA-256 (type of encryption) encrypted Mh/s (Mega hashes per second) while consuming about 0.3 Kwhs of electricy. Then there are ASIC processors which can now process 60 Gh/s (Giga hashes per second) using about the same amount of electricity.