Many users, if not most of them, often get confused about determining the characteristics of processors installed on their personal computers or laptops, which mainly concerns checking the number of cores. The main misconception is that logical flows are mistakenly assigned to cores. In a sense, this approach has a right to exist, although it is somewhat wrong. Next, we consider a few basic concepts regarding the difference between cores and threads, and at the same time decide how to find out how many threads are in the processor at all, and how many are involved at a certain point in time.
Understanding CPU Threads and Technologies Used
As for the main misconceptions, it should immediately be noted that logical flows, in principle, can be equated with kernels, since they are directly involved in all computing processes. This is achieved through the use of two basic technologies.
Intel processors of the Core i3 and i7 classes, as well as some i5 models, use Hyper-Threading technology to increase the performance of any type of computing operations, which allows you to hang two computing threads onto one core. In AMD processors, this technology is called Zen. So it turns out that when using such methods of load balancing, the same 2-core processor seems to work as a 4-core one, although in reality it is not, and often it can show even better performance than conventional four-core CPUs kernels, precisely due to the fact that each core performs calculations using two independent threads.
How to find out how many threads are in the processor in Windows 7?
But this was brief theoretical information. Now we turn directly to how to find out how many threads are available in the processor at all, and how many are used at any given moment to use all the computing power of a computer device. If we talk about the seventh modification of Windows, the first and easiest method is to call the standard "Task Manager", and then go to the performance tab.
In the CPU load history block, several windows will be displayed, each of which corresponds to a logical flow. By counting their number, you can easily determine which and how many are currently being used. Dividing their number into two, you can find out the true number of cores.
How to find out how many threads are in the processor in Windows 8 and 10?
In the last two modifications, this method also works. However, when you go to the performance tab, only one window with summary indicators is displayed. How to find out the number of threads in the processor in this situation?
To do this, you need to call the PCM menu and activate the display item of logical processors in the section for changing the schedule. However, you can’t do these things at all. Just look at the information block located just below the CPU load window and find the necessary information there.
Using System Information
Now let's see how to find out how many threads are in the processor, in Windows 10 and modifications below, by using the information information utility built into the system. The easiest way to call it is through the "Run" console, where you need to register the abbreviation msinfo32.
In the main section, which opens by default, you need to view the information presented in the right part of the window, where among the main characteristics of the CPU the number of logical flows will be indicated.
system configuration
The necessary information can also be obtained in the configuration settings, which are called from the same Run menu by the abbreviation msconfig.
On the download tab, you need to click the button for additional parameters, then check the box used the number of processors at the top, and in the list look at the maximum number, which will correspond to the total number of threads.
Information Utilities
If you don’t like the system’s own tools, you can solve the problem of how to find out how many threads are in the processor by using informative applications from third-party developers. The most popular of them can be called AIDA64 (formerly Everest program), CPU-Z, Speecy and many others.
It is enough to look at the information presented in the CPU characteristics section in them (in English versions the thread item will be called Threads).
Actions on Linux
Finally, let's see how to find out how many threads are in the processor, on Linux. The method can be offered the most universal (although not the only one).
To do this, it is easiest to use the so-called pseudo-file system proc and the lscpu command , after which the total number of cores will be shown in the CPU (s) item, and the number of threads of each core in the Thread (s) per core line. Also, some users advise using the display of parameters issued by the processor ID, but, I think, this is not the best option.
Conclusion
As a result, it can be noted that almost all of the above methods for obtaining the information you are interested in are quite simple. However, from the point of view of practical use of the main methods used in Windows, the easiest way is to really call the “Task Manager” and immediately look at the information block on the performance tab. But the most universal method is still to call information about the system, which provides a fairly wide technical information on the installed equipment and on the software part of the entire computer system.