How to enable all processor cores. What does the number of processor cores affect? Multi-core processor
I told you why the growth of processor frequencies has stalled at several gigahertz. Now let's talk about why the development of the number of cores in consumer processors is also extremely slow: for example, the first honest dual-core processor (where both cores were in one chip), built on the x86 architecture, appeared already in 2006, 12 years ago - this there was the Intel Core Duo line. And since then, 2-core processors have not left the arena, moreover, they are actively developing: for example, just the other day a Lenovo laptop came out with a processor built on the latest (for x86 architecture) 10 nm process technology. And yes, as you may have guessed, this processor has exactly 2 cores.
For consumer processors, the number of cores has been stuck at 6 since 2010, with the release of the AMD Phenom X6 line - yes, AMD FX were not honest 8-core processors (there were 4 APUs), just as Ryzen 7 is two blocks of 4 cores , located side by side on the chip. And here, of course, the question arises - why is this so? After all, the same video cards, being essentially “single-headed” in 1995-6 (that is, having 1 shader), have managed to increase their number to several thousand by now - for example, in Nvidia Titan V there are already 5120 of them! At the same time, over a much longer period of development of the x86 architecture, user processors settled on an honest 6 cores per chip, and CPUs for high-performance PCs - on 18, that is, a couple of orders of magnitude less than those of video cards. Why? We'll talk about this below.
CPU architecture
Initially, all Intel x86 processors were built on the CISC architecture (Complex Instruction Set Computing, processors with a full set of instructions) - that is, they implemented the maximum number of instructions “for all occasions”. On the one hand, this is great: for example, in the 90s, the CPU was responsible for both image rendering and even sound (there was a life hack - if the game is slow, turning off the sound in it can help). And even now the processor is a kind of combine that can do everything - and this is also a problem: parallelizing a random task across several cores is not a trivial task. Let’s say that with two cores it can be done simply: we “hang” the system and all background tasks on one core, and only the application on the other. This will always work, but the performance gain will be far from double, since background processes usually require significantly fewer resources than the current heavy task.
On the left is a diagram of the Nvidia GTX 980 Ti GPU, where you can see 2816 CUDA cores combined into clusters. On the right is a photograph of an AMD Ryzen processor die, where 4 large cores are visible.
Now let’s imagine that we have not two, but 4 or even 8 cores. Yes, in archiving and other calculation tasks, parallelization works well (and that is why the same server processors can have several dozen cores). But what if we have a task with a random outcome (which, alas, is the majority) - say, a game? After all, here every new action depends entirely on the player, so “spreading” such a load across several cores is not an easy task, which is why developers often “hand-write” what the cores do: for example, one can only be occupied by processing the actions of artificial intelligence, another is responsible only for surround sound, and so on. It is almost impossible to load even an 8-core processor in this way, which is what we see in practice.
With video cards, everything is simpler: the GPU, in fact, deals with calculations and only them, and the number of types of calculations is limited and small. Therefore, firstly, it is possible to optimize the computing cores themselves (Nvidia calls them CUDA) specifically for the required tasks, and, secondly, since all possible tasks are known, the process of parallelizing them does not cause difficulties. And thirdly, control is carried out not by individual shaders, but by computing modules, which include 64-192 shaders, so a large number of shaders is not a problem.
Energy consumption
One of the reasons for abandoning further frequency race is the sharp increase in energy consumption. As I already explained in the article about slowing down the increase in CPU frequency, the heat dissipation of the processor is proportional to the cube of the frequency. In other words, if at a frequency of 2 GHz the processor emits 100 W of heat, which, in principle, can be removed without problems with an air cooler, then at 4 GHz it will already be 800 W, which can be removed at best with an evaporation chamber with liquid nitrogen (although this should be taken into account , that the formula is still approximate, and the processor has not only computational cores, but it is quite possible to obtain the order of numbers with its help).
Therefore, increasing the breadth was an excellent solution: so, roughly speaking, a dual-core 2 GHz processor will consume 200 W, but a single-core 3 GHz processor will consume almost 340 W, that is, the gain in heat dissipation is more than 50%, while in tasks with good optimization for multi-threading a low-frequency dual-core CPU will still be faster than a high-frequency single-core one.
An example of an evaporation chamber with liquid nitrogen for cooling extremely overclocked CPUs.
It would seem that this is a bonanza, we quickly make a 10-core processor with a frequency of 1 GHz, which will generate only 25% more heat than a single-core CPU with 2 GHz (if a 2 GHz processor generates 100 W of heat, then 1 GHz - only 12.5 W, 10 cores - about 125 W). But here we quickly run into the fact that not all tasks are well parallelized, so in practice it will often turn out that a much cheaper single-core CPU with 2 GHz will be significantly faster than a much more expensive 10-core CPU with 1 GHz. But there are still such processors - in the server segment, where there are no problems with parallelizing tasks, and a 40-60 core CPU with frequencies of 1.5 GHz often turns out to be many times faster than 8-10 core processors with frequencies of 4 GHz, while allocating a comparable amount heat.
Therefore, CPU manufacturers have to ensure that single-threaded performance does not suffer as cores grow, and taking into account the fact that the limit of heat dissipation in a typical home PC has been “found” quite a long time ago (this is about 60-100 W), there are ways to increase the number of cores with the same single-core performance and the same heat dissipation, there are only two options: this is either to optimize the processor architecture itself, increasing its performance per clock cycle, or to reduce the technical process. But, alas, both are progressing more and more slowly: over more than 30 years of existence of x86 processors, almost everything that is possible has already been “polished”, so the increase is at best 5% per generation, and reducing the technical process is becoming increasingly difficult due to fundamental problems of creating correctly functioning transistors (with dimensions of tens of nanometers, quantum effects already begin to affect, it is difficult to produce a suitable laser, etc.) - therefore, alas, it is increasingly difficult to increase the number of cores.
Crystal size
If we look at the area of processor chips 15 years ago, we will see that it was only about 100-150 square millimeters. About 5-7 years ago, chips “grew” to 300-400 sq mm and... the process practically stopped. Why? Everything is simple - firstly, it is very difficult to produce giant crystals, which is why the number of defects increases sharply, and, therefore, the final cost of the CPU.
Secondly, fragility increases: a large crystal can very easily split, and its different edges can heat up differently, which again can cause physical damage.
Comparison of Intel Pentium 3 and Core i9 crystals.
And thirdly, the speed of light also introduces its own limitation: yes, although it is high, it is not infinite, and with large crystals this can introduce a delay, or even make the processor’s operation impossible.
As a result, the maximum crystal size stopped at about 500 sq mm, and is unlikely to grow anymore - therefore, in order to increase the number of cores, you need to reduce their sizes. It would seem that Nvidia or AMD were able to do this, and their GPUs have thousands of shaders. But here it should be understood that shaders are not full-fledged cores - for example, they do not have their own cache, but only a common one, plus “sharpening” for certain tasks made it possible to “throw out” everything unnecessary from them, which again affected their size. And the CPU not only has full-fledged cores with its own cache, but often graphics and various controllers are located on the same crystal - so in the end, again, almost the only ways to increase the number of cores with the same crystal size are the same optimization and the same reduction of the technical process, and they, as I already wrote, are going slowly.
Operation optimization
Let's imagine that we have a team of people performing various tasks, some of which require the work of several people at the same time. If there are two people in it, they will be able to agree and work effectively. Four is more difficult, but the work will also be quite effective. What if there are 10 or even 20 people? Here we already need some means of communication between them, otherwise there will be “distortions” in the work when someone is not busy with anything. In Intel processors, this means of communication is a ring bus, which connects all cores and allows them to exchange information with each other.
But even this does not help: for example, at the same frequencies, 10-core and 18-core Intel processors of the Skylake-X generation differ in performance by only 25-30%, although in theory they should be as much as 80%. The reason is precisely the bus - no matter how good it is, there will still be delays and downtime, and the more cores, the worse the situation will be. But why then are there no such problems in video cards? It's simple - if the processor cores can be thought of as people who can perform various tasks, then the computing units of video cards are more like robots on an assembly line that can only carry out certain instructions. They essentially don’t need to “agree” - therefore, as their number increases, the efficiency decreases more slowly: for example, the difference in CUDA between 1080 (2560 units) and 1080 Ti (3584 units) is 40%, in practice it is about 25-35%, then there are significantly fewer losses.
The more cores, the worse they work together, up to zero performance gain as the number of cores increases.
Therefore, there is no particular point in increasing the number of cores - the increase from each new core will be lower and lower. Moreover, it is quite difficult to solve this problem - you need to develop a bus that would allow data to be transferred between any two cores with the same delay. The star topology is best suited in this case - when all cores should be connected to a hub, but in reality no one has yet done such an implementation.
So in the end, as we see, increasing the frequency and increasing the number of cores is a rather difficult task, and the game is often not worth the candle. And in the near future, it is unlikely that anything will change seriously, since nothing better than silicon crystals has yet been invented.
It largely depends on the number of cores it includes. Therefore, many users are interested in how to find out the number of processor cores. If you are also interested in this issue, then this article should help you.
How to find out the number of cores in a processor using Windows
The easiest way to find out the number of cores in a processor is to look at the processor model and then look on the Internet to see what it is equipped with. To do this, open the “View basic information about your computer” window. This window can be opened in several ways:
- Open the Start menu and go to " ". After that, open the “System and Security” section, and then the “System” subsection;
- Right-click on the “My Computer” icon and select “Properties”.
- Or just press the Win+Break key combination;
After opening this window, pay attention to.
Enter the name of this processor into a search engine and go to the manufacturer’s official website.
This will take you to a page with . Here you need to find information about the number of cores.
If you have Windows 8 or Windows 10, then you can find out the number of processor cores (key combination CTRL-SHIFT-ESC) in the “Performance” tab.
In Windows 7 and older versions of Windows, information about the number of cores is not displayed in the Task Manager. Instead, it displays a separate load graph for each core. If you have an AMD processor, then the number of such graphs will be equal to the number of cores.
But, if you have an Intel processor, then the number of graphics cannot be trusted, since the processor may use Hyper-threading technology, which doubles the actual number of cores.
How to find out the number of processor cores using special programs
You can also use special programs to view the characteristics of your computer. In this case, the CPU-Z program is best suited. Run this program on your computer and look at the “Cores” value, which is displayed at the bottom of the window on the “CPU” tab.
This value corresponds to the number of cores in your processor.
When buying a processor, many people try to choose something cooler, with several cores and a high clock speed. But few people know what the number of processor cores actually affects. Why, for example, can a regular and simple dual-core processor be faster than a quad-core processor, or the same “percent” with 4 cores be faster than a “percent” with 8 cores. This is a rather interesting topic that is definitely worth understanding in more detail.
Introduction
Before we begin to understand what the number of processor cores affects, I would like to make a small digression. Just a few years ago, CPU developers were confident that manufacturing technologies, which are developing so rapidly, would allow them to produce “stones” with clock speeds of up to 10 GHz, which would allow users to forget about problems with poor performance. However, success was not achieved.
No matter how the technological process developed, both Intel and AMD ran into purely physical limitations that simply did not allow them to produce processors with a clock frequency of up to 10 GHz. Then it was decided to focus not on frequencies, but on the number of cores. Thus, a new race began to produce more powerful and productive processor “crystals”, which continues to this day, but not as actively as it was at first.
Intel and AMD processors
Today, Intel and AMD are direct competitors in the processor market. When looking at revenue and sales, the Blues have a clear advantage, although the Reds have been struggling to keep up lately. Both companies have a good range of ready-made solutions for all occasions - from a simple processor with 1-2 cores to real monsters with more than 8 cores. Typically, such “stones” are used on special work “computers” that have a narrow focus .
Intel
So, today Intel has successful 5 types of processors: Celeron, Pentium, and i7. Each of these "stones" has a different number of cores and is designed for different tasks. For example, Celeron has only 2 cores and is used mainly on office and home computers. Pentium, or, as it is also called, “stump”, is also used at home, but already has much better performance, primarily due to Hyper-Threading technology, which “adds” two more virtual cores to the physical two cores, which are called threads . Thus, a dual-core “percent” works like the most budget quad-core processor, although this is not entirely correct, but this is the main point.
As for the Core line, the situation is approximately the same. The younger model with the number 3 has 2 cores and 2 threads. The older line - Core i5 - already has full-fledged 4 or 6 cores, but lacks the Hyper-Threading function and does not have additional threads, except for 4-6 standard ones. Well, the last thing - core i7 - these are top-end processors, which, as a rule, have from 4 to 6 cores and twice as many threads, i.e., for example, 4 cores and 8 threads or 6 cores and 12 threads.
AMD
Now it’s worth talking about AMD. The list of “pebbles” from this company is huge; there is no point in listing everything, since most of the models are simply outdated. It is perhaps worth noting the new generation, which in a sense “copies” Intel - Ryzen. This line also contains models with numbers 3, 5 and 7. The main difference from Ryzen’s “blue” ones is that the youngest model immediately provides full 4 cores, while the older one has not 6, but eight. In addition, the number of threads changes. Ryzen 3 - 4 threads, Ryzen 5 - 8-12 (depending on the number of cores - 4 or 6) and Ryzen 7 - 16 threads.
It is worth mentioning another “red” line - FX, which appeared in 2012, and, in fact, this platform is already considered obsolete, but thanks to the fact that now more and more programs and games are starting to support multi-threading, the Vishera line is again has gained popularity, which, along with low prices, is only growing.
Well, as for the disputes regarding the processor frequency and the number of cores, then, in fact, it is more correct to look towards the second, since everyone has long ago decided on clock frequencies, and even top models from Intel operate at nominal 2.7, 2.8 , 3 GHz. In addition, the frequency can always be increased using overclocking, but in the case of a dual-core processor this will not give much effect.
How to find out how many cores
If someone does not know how to determine the number of processor cores, then this can be done easily and simply, even without downloading and installing separate special programs. Just go to the "Device Manager" and click on the small arrow next to the "Processors" item.
You can get more detailed information about what technologies your “stone” supports, what its clock frequency is, its revision number and much more using a special and small program called CPU-Z. You can download it for free on the official website. There is a version that does not require installation.
The advantage of two cores
What could be the advantage of a dual-core processor? There are many things, for example, in games or applications, in the development of which single-threaded work was the main priority. Take the game Wold of Tanks as an example. The most common dual-core processors such as Pentium or Celeron will produce quite decent performance results, while some FX from AMD or INTEL Core will use much more of their capabilities, and the result will be approximately the same.
The better 4 cores
How can 4 cores be better than two? Better performance. Quad-core “stones” are designed for more serious work, where simple “stumps” or “celerons” simply cannot cope. An excellent example here would be any 3D graphics program, such as 3Ds Max or Cinema4D.
During the rendering process, these programs use maximum computer resources, including RAM and processor. Dual-core CPUs will be very behind in render processing time, and the more complex the scene, the longer they will take. But processors with four cores will cope with this task much faster, since additional threads will come to their aid.
Of course, you can take some budget “protsik” from the Core i3 family, for example, the 6100 model, but 2 cores and 2 additional threads will still be inferior to a full-fledged quad-core one.
6 and 8 cores
Well, the last segment of multi-cores is processors with six and eight cores. Their main purpose, in principle, is exactly the same as that of the CPU above, only they are needed where ordinary “fours” cannot cope. In addition, full-fledged specialized computers are built on the basis of “stones” with 6 and 8 cores, which will be “tailored” for certain activities, for example, video editing, 3D modeling programs, rendering ready-made heavy scenes with a large number of polygons and objects, etc. .d.
In addition, such multi-core processors perform very well when working with archivers or in applications that require good computing capabilities. In games that are optimized for multi-threading, such processors have no equal.
What is affected by the number of processor cores?
So, what else can the number of cores affect? First of all, to increase energy consumption. Yes, as surprising as this may sound, it is true. There is no need to worry too much, because in everyday life this problem, so to speak, will not be noticeable.
The second is heating. The more cores, the better the cooling system is needed. A program called AIDA64 will help you measure the processor temperature. When starting, you need to click on “Computer” and then select “Sensors”. You need to monitor the temperature of the processor, because if it constantly overheats or operates at too high temperatures, then after some time it will simply burn out.
Dual-core systems are unfamiliar with this problem, because they do not have very high performance and heat dissipation, respectively, but multi-core systems do. The hottest stones are those from AMD, especially the FX series. For example, take the FX-6300 model. The processor temperature in the AIDA64 program is around 40 degrees and this is in idle mode. Under load, the number will increase and if overheating occurs, the computer will turn off. So, when buying a multi-core processor, you should not forget about the cooler.
What else does the number of processor cores affect? For multitasking. Dual-core processors will not be able to provide stable performance when running two, three or more programs simultaneously. The simplest example is streamers on the Internet. In addition to the fact that they are playing some game at high settings, they simultaneously run a program that allows them to broadcast gameplay to the Internet online; they also have an Internet browser with several open pages, where the player, as a rule, reads comments people watching it and monitors other information. Not even every multi-core processor can provide proper stability, not to mention dual- and single-core processors.
It’s also worth saying a few words that multi-core processors have a very useful thing called “L3 cache”. This cache has a certain amount of memory into which various information about running programs, performed actions, etc. is constantly recorded. All this is needed in order to increase the speed of the computer and its performance. For example, if a person often uses Photoshop, then this information will be stored in memory, and the time to launch and open the program will be significantly reduced.
Summing up
Summarizing the conversation about what the number of processor cores affects, we can come to one simple conclusion: if you need good performance, speed, multitasking, work in heavy applications, the ability to comfortably play modern games, etc., then your choice is processor with four cores or more. If you need a simple “computer” for office or home use, which will be used to a minimum, then 2 cores are what you need. In any case, when choosing a processor, first of all you need to analyze all your needs and tasks, and only after that consider any options.
QX | 22 July 2015, 14:45
Not only the frequency, the technical process too. Modern 2-core processors at 3 GHz cannot be compared with the first 2-core processors, also at 3 GHz. The frequency is the same, but the old ones are just terrible brakes compared to the new ones. As a result, the modern 2-core i3 is much better than the 4-core Quad Q6600. Even the newer Pentium G is better than the old Quad.
QX | 11 July 2015, 12:18
Here the difference in frequency is not great, 3.5 versus 3 GHz. That's why 4 cores are interesting. But of course, if the other characteristics also keep up. Many cores are needed for archiving, video encoding, etc. By taking 2 nuclear weapons you can also save a little. Another question is how much you will work on it. Well, it would be better if you specifically named both models. And so, I would advise you to have a more powerful and fresher Core i3.
MaKos007 | March 30, 2015, 16:00
Here I will be spreading my thoughts across the tree. Therefore, I’ll say right away that your choice is a dual-core processor with a higher frequency. If the theory is not interesting, then you don’t need to read further.
The processor frequency is, in fact, the number of operations it performs per unit of time. Thus, the higher the frequency, the more actions are performed per second, for example.
What about the number of cores... If there is more than one core, the processor can process more than one task. It's like conveyor belts. One conveyor belt works quickly, but two parallel belts on which operations take place produce twice as much output. So, in theory, dual-core solutions will work twice as fast as a single-core solution.
This is a theory, but as with conveyors, these two threads need to be loaded with something. at the same time, load correctly so that each belt works with full efficiency. In the case of processors, this depends on the architecture of programs and games that use this multi-core. If an application can divide tasks into several threads (read - use a multi-core processor), then multi-core can give a significant increase in the speed of command execution. But if it can’t, or the tasks are such that it’s impossible to divide, then it doesn’t matter at all whether there are many cores in the CPU or not.
In fact, the question of the optimal number of cores is complex. What is also important here is the architecture of the cores themselves and the connections between them. Thus, the first multi-core processors had a significantly less functional design than modern ones. In addition, it should be taken into account that modern Windows 7 and Windows 8 operating systems (I am not considering *nix systems here and their support for multi-core processors is a separate and very interesting topic) have become very good at parallelizing many tasks. Thus, multi-core helps not to slow down the main processes (applications and games used by the user) due to background tasks. Thus, anti-virus protection and firewall will not slow down (more precisely, they will slow down to a lesser extent) a running game or work in Photoshop.
For which programs is multi-core important? After spending some time on the Internet, you can find out that it speeds up the conversion of video and audio; rendering 3D models, signal encryption, etc. You don't need 4 cores to work in Photoshop and video editing. It is quite enough, as I already said, two, but with a higher performance of each of them.
teleport | April 21, 2013, 01:30
A simple calculation of performance shows: for a 2-core the total performance is 2 x 3.5 = 7, for a 4-core - 4 x 3 = 12. So a 4-core is almost 2 times more powerful. In addition, it is probably more modern, and therefore more economical and productive. And if only one core is used, it heats up less, since the frequency of one core is slightly lower, but this is significant for heating.
For video editing, the processor is most likely not critical; the resources of the video card or a special video editing card are mainly used. But the processor also takes part in this, and if a 2-core processor allocates one core for this task, then the remaining tasks (different antivirus programs) will fight for the remaining core, which will lead to terrible stupidity. In short, multi-core is better.
yang | 11 April 2013, 20:22
In this case, a dual-core processor will be more efficient and economical in all respects.
Probably every user with little knowledge of computers has encountered a bunch of incomprehensible characteristics when choosing a central processor: technical process, cache, socket; I turned for advice to friends and acquaintances who were competent in the matter of computer hardware. Let's look at the variety of various parameters, because the processor is the most important part of your PC, and understanding its characteristics will give you confidence in your purchase and further use.
CPU
The processor of a personal computer is a chip that is responsible for performing any operations with data and controls peripheral devices. It is contained in a special silicon package called a die. For short designation use the abbreviation - CPU(central processing unit) or CPU(from the English Central Processing Unit - central processing device). In the modern computer components market there are two competing corporations, Intel and AMD, who constantly participate in the race for the performance of new processors, constantly improving the technological process.
Technical process
Technical process is the size used in the production of processors. It determines the size of the transistor, the unit of which is nm (nanometer). Transistors, in turn, form the internal core of the CPU. The bottom line is that continuous improvement in manufacturing techniques makes it possible to reduce the size of these components. As a result, there are much more of them placed on the processor chip. This helps improve the performance of the CPU, so its parameters always indicate the technology used. For example, the Intel Core i5-760 is made using a 45 nm process technology, and the Intel Core i5-2500K is made using a 32 nm process. Based on this information, you can judge how modern the processor is and how superior it is in performance to its predecessor, but when choosing, you must also take into account a number of other parameters.
Architecture
Processors are also characterized by such a characteristic as architecture - a set of properties inherent in a whole family of processors, usually produced over many years. In other words, architecture is their organization or internal design of the CPU.
Number of cores
Core- the most important element of the central processor. It is a part of the processor that can execute one thread of instructions. The cores differ in cache memory size, bus frequency, manufacturing technology, etc. Manufacturers assign new names to them with each subsequent technological process (for example, the AMD processor core is Zambezi, and Intel is Lynnfield). With the development of processor production technologies, it has become possible to place more than one core in one case, which significantly increases CPU performance and helps to perform several tasks simultaneously, as well as use several cores in programs. Multi-core processors will be able to quickly cope with archiving, video decoding, the operation of modern video games, etc. For example, Intel's Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Quad processor lines, which use dual-core and quad-core CPUs, respectively. Currently, processors with 2, 3, 4 and 6 cores are widely available. A larger number of them are used in server solutions and are not required by the average PC user.
Frequency
In addition to the number of cores, performance is affected by clock frequency. The value of this characteristic reflects the performance of the CPU in the number of clock cycles (operations) per second. Another important characteristic is bus frequency(FSB - Front Side Bus) demonstrating the speed at which data is exchanged between the processor and computer peripherals. The clock frequency is proportional to the bus frequency.
Socket
In order for the future processor to be compatible with the existing motherboard when upgrading, you need to know its socket. A socket is called connector, in which the CPU is installed on the computer's motherboard. The socket type is characterized by the number of legs and the processor manufacturer. Different sockets correspond to specific types of CPUs, so each socket allows the installation of a specific type of processor. Intel uses the LGA1156, LGA1366 and LGA1155 socket, while AMD uses AM2+ and AM3.
Cache
Cache- the amount of memory with a very high access speed, necessary to speed up access to data that is permanently located in memory with a slower access speed (RAM). When choosing a processor, remember that increasing the cache size has a positive effect on the performance of most applications. The CPU cache has three levels ( L1, L2 and L3), located directly on the processor core. It receives data from RAM for higher processing speed. It is also worth considering that for multi-core CPUs, the amount of first level cache memory for one core is indicated. L2 cache performs similar functions, but is slower and larger in size. If you plan to use the processor for resource-intensive tasks, then a model with a large second level cache will be preferable, given that for multi-core processors the total L2 cache size is indicated. The most powerful processors, such as AMD Phenom, AMD Phenom II, Intel Core i3, Intel Core i5, Intel Core i7, Intel Xeon, are equipped with L3 cache. The third level cache is the least fast, but it can reach 30 MB.
Energy consumption
The power consumption of a processor is closely related to its manufacturing technology. With decreasing nanometers of the technical process, increasing the number of transistors and increasing the clock frequency of processors, the power consumption of the CPU increases. For example, Intel Core i7 processors require up to 130 watts or more. The voltage supplied to the core clearly characterizes the power consumption of the processor. This parameter is especially important when choosing a CPU to use as a multimedia center. Modern processor models use various technologies that help combat excessive power consumption: built-in temperature sensors, automatic control systems for voltage and frequency of processor cores, energy-saving modes when the CPU load is light.
Additional features
Modern processors have acquired the ability to work in 2- and 3-channel modes with RAM, which significantly affects its performance, and also support a larger set of instructions, raising their functionality to a new level. GPUs process video on their own, thereby offloading the CPU, thanks to technology DXVA(from the English DirectX Video Acceleration - video acceleration by the DirectX component). Intel uses the above technology Turbo Boost to dynamically change the clock frequency of the central processor. Technology Speed Step manages CPU power consumption depending on processor activity, and Intel Virtualization Technology hardware creates a virtual environment for using multiple operating systems. Also, modern processors can be divided into virtual cores using technology Hyper Threading. For example, a dual-core processor is capable of dividing the clock speed of one core into two, resulting in high processing performance using four virtual cores.
When thinking about the configuration of your future PC, do not forget about the video card and its GPU(from the English Graphics Processing Unit - graphic processing unit) - the processor of your video card, which is responsible for rendering (arithmetic operations with geometric, physical objects, etc.). The higher the frequency of its core and memory frequency, the less load on the central processor will be. Gamers should pay special attention to the GPU.