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Dhiraj
Dhiraj

Reputation: 11

What is difference between 'Cores across processors' and 'Number of CPUs'?

E.g. Consider following is processor configuration of my machine: Intel(R) Core(TM)i5 CPU 650 @3.20GHz (4 CPUs) Then how should i find out how many 'Cores across processors' My machine have? Is it the 4 cores[i.e. Number of CPU]?

I have referred following links but still i does not get clear idea: http://www.ehow.com/how_6873203_do-number-core-processors-windows_.html

Can anyone please clear my doubt?

Upvotes: 1

Views: 989

Answers (2)

Germán Alfaro
Germán Alfaro

Reputation: 600

Let's clarify first what is a CPU and what is a core, a central processing unit CPU, can have multiple core units, those cores are a processor by itself, capable of execute a program but it is self contained on the same chip.

In the past one CPU was distributed among quite a few chips, but as Moore's progressed they made to have a complete CPU inside one chip (die), since the 90's the manufacturer's started to fit more cores in the same die, so that's the concept of Multi-core.

In these days is possible to have hundreds of cores on the same CPU (chip or die) GPU's, Intel Xeon. Other technique developed no the 90's was simultaneous multi-threading, basically they found that was possible to have another thread in the same single core CPU, since most of the resources were duplicated already like ALU, multiple registers.

So basically a CPU can have multiple cores each of them capable to run one thread or more at the same time, we may expect to have more cores in the future, but with more difficulty to be able to program efficiently.

Upvotes: 0

Ken
Ken

Reputation: 2335

Cores across processors means nothing, or at least, nothing in particular, it's a generic and non-technical assumption/phrase with no exact meaning or no meaning at all.

According to Intel this CPU provides 2 physical cores with Hyper Threading and this mean that you get 4 logical cores or so called threads.

Hyper Threading is an Intel Technology that for each core provides 2 threads, so 2*2 = 4 threads.

I think that this is the closest answer to what you are asking here.

Upvotes: 1

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