The times when a processor had one core are long gone, and today we will tell you how to simply and easily find out how many cores your processor (Cpu) contains.
In the Windows operating system, this can be done in the following ways.
First. Call the task manager. This can be done by pressing one of the key combinations “Ctrl + Alt + Delet”, or “Ctrl + Shift + Esc”. Next, go to the “Performance” tab and there, depending on operating system we will either see screens, the number of which is equal to the number of cores, or their number will simply be indicated in words (this is in Windows 10).
The second way to go to the “Task Manager”, you can get there by clicking on the properties of my computer and selecting the appropriate menu item. In the “Task Manager” we go to the processor branch and open it. There we will see lines with the same names, the number of lines will be equal to the number of cores.
Method three. Press the key combination "Windows + R" and command line enter the command “msconfig”. A window will open in front of us where we need to go to the “Download” tab and select “Advanced options” in it. At the top, check the “Number of processors” checkbox and open the drop-down list, which will indicate the number of cores. Advantage this method is that here, if necessary, you can disable any core on your processor.
These are the three easiest ways to find out the number of cores on your processor; these methods work on Windows operating systems from version seven and higher.
Thanks to multi-cores, data processing occurs in several threads, which increases the speed of calculations several times. However, this technology has its downside. The program must be optimized for a multi-core processor, otherwise it may run even slower than on a single-core processor.
How to check how many cores are on your computer
The Windows operating system has long provided for this question, which allows you to complete the request in several steps.
The number of elements in the list is the number of cores in your CPU. In the screenshot we see that the processor has 4 cores.
This method is suitable for operating rooms Windows systems 10. On lower systems, the algorithm is almost the same, only the method of opening the control panel differs. However Intel company It also produces processors with hyper-threading technology. If you are the owner of such a processor, then most likely the method will show an incorrect result due to the nature of the technology (the physical cores in it can be divided and shown as several cores). If your processor has Hyper-threading technology, don’t worry, we can also count the number of cores for you.
Determining the number of cores using utilities
There are many programs on the Internet for displaying information about your computer. Let's turn to a free and one of the most popular programs - CPU-Z. How to use it:
But you can get this information without additional utilities. Let's consider the third method.
Windows Task Manager
- To open the task manager, press three buttons at the same time - Ctrl+Alt+Delete. In the menu that appears, select the item of the same name. Option #2: Right-click on Windows icon in the lower left corner. In the opened context menu select "Task Manager"
- In the window that opens, find the “Performance” tab (or a synonymous word). If you have Windows Vista/7, then the number of windows under the text “CPU Load History” will show the number of cores. In Windows 8/10 everything is even simpler - their number is written in the lower right corner.
If you don't have access to a computer
The documentation for the processor always contains information about its cores. In processors of the Intel family, the cores are designated by the words Duo (2), Dual (2), Quad (4), and so on. AMD is a little more complicated, here you need to find the X symbol next to which there is a number. It looks like "X 2", "X 4" and so on. This number indicates the number of cores.
We have given a comprehensive list of methods to resolve your issue. If one thing doesn't work, try another. Of course, there are more advanced methods (such as getting information through the BIOS), but why is this necessary when there are many simple ways. Decide for yourself which one to use.
Despite the fact that in the store the buyer can look at the characteristics of the product being purchased, in practice there are cases when unscrupulous sellers deceive gullible users. One of these frauds is indicating the wrong quantity. In this way, you can greatly inflate the price and sell outdated goods at a higher cost. To avoid such deception, you need to understand how to find out how many cores are on a laptop.
Without software
Many modern laptops are sold without a pre-installed operating system. So it is not possible to check the necessary information programmatically. How to find out how many cores are on a laptop in this situation?
- First of all, these are mini stickers. Any official manufacturer computer equipment covers the laptop with special stickers that confirm the licensing of the equipment (few people know, but without them, your service may not even accept a broken PC). Check for such a sticker. For example, the "Intel Inside CORE I5" sticker will indicate the presence of a quad-core processor.
- Sticker with technical characteristics. Another "external sign". Similar to the previous case, the manufacturer puts a sticker on the laptop that will indicate the RAM, hard drive, video card and specific processor model.
- Another way to find out how many cores are on a laptop without turning it on is to ask the seller for technical documentation for specific model. Everything will be indicated there. Reputable stores will not refuse you.
Windows
In progress
Another way to find out how many cores are on a laptop also uses built-in Windows tools. Press Ctrl+Alt+Del and launch Task Manager. You can also do this by right-clicking on the bottom panel (with the "Start" button).
After that, go to the "Performance" tab. A screen with a loading schedule will appear in front of you. RAM, and at the top of the window you can see several graphs with processor load. Each of them corresponds to a separate kernel. Actually, this will also answer the question: “How can I find out how many cores are running on a laptop?” Even in a state of complete inactivity, each graph should show at least one percent load.
Hello! Sooner or later, almost all users have a question - how to find out how many cores are in a computer? (and for good kernels specifically in the processor) and what pitfalls there are in this, at first glance, quite simple task. This note is a logical continuation of the instructions about the series of your PC or laptop.
Why did I decide to raise this issue? — I understand that there are quite detailed notes on the Internet about ways to determine the number of processor cores, but almost all of them combined logical cores and real ones.
In fact, having pebble with two cores, you will think that you have four full cores and a misunderstanding will arise - why is a modern toy stupid? Productivity is abundant...
Currently, the number of threads being processed can be greater than the number of physical cores. This allows you to use processor instructions that are not currently used by the core and, in theory, increase performance. Such a virtual core provides an incomparably smaller performance increase, but is defined in the system as a logical processor. This note was written to help you understand these nuances.
It so happens that there are almost 100,500 ways to find out the number of available threads in the system. As soon as we talk about physical cores, the number of options is seriously reduced (and most authors pass off these same logical cores as physical ones, which is a gross mistake).
I decided to divide the note into two small blocks - in the first we will determine the number of cores regular means Windows, and in the second it will try various utilities that will answer our questions.
How to determine how many cores are in a processor using standard Windows tools
Standard tools have a huge advantage - they are already installed in the system and can be used immediately. However, most of the tools built into the system tell us the number of threads, which in some cases can distort our understanding of the number of cores in the processor (if there is Hyper Threading from Intel or SMT from AMD)
Method 1: Task Manager
One of the easiest ways to determine the number of physical processor cores is to launch the task manager (this is done by pressing CTRL + SHIFT + ESC), go to the “Performance” tab, select “CPU” on the left side and look at the number of cores as in the picture below (logical processors are the same threads)
Unfortunately, such a task manager has been present since Windows 8 and in Windows 7, which is familiar to many, it will not be possible to view it this way, there we will only see threads
Method 2: System information
This method works for everyone Windows versions(unfortunately, I can’t check on Windows XP, and who uses it in 2k17). Windows has a tool called System Information. He deduces detailed information about our computer, including helping to find out the number of physical cores in the processor. To run it, open the “Run” command (the easiest way is with the WIN + R key combination) and type the command...
...click OK and wait for the window to load.
Everything here is extremely simple, in the “Processor” line the number of cores and threads will be written, as well as a lot of other useful information.
Standard methods, although they allow you to determine how many cores are in the processor, provide too little information for a sophisticated user - there are specialized applications specifically for them
How to see how many cores are on your computer using third-party utilities
If you want to squeeze out as much information as possible about your processor, then there are specialized utilities for this (if you still don’t know what processor you have in your system, be sure to read). These are the programs we will now consider...
Method 1: CPU-Z
The CPU-Z program is probably, without exaggeration, the best when it comes to viewing the characteristics of the central processor. I prefer the portable version, which does not require installation - download and use. You can download it on the official website:
After startup, the number of processor cores can be viewed on the “CPU” tab in the “Cores” line (and Threads is the number of threads)
In most cases, the number of cores coincides with the number of threads; virtual cores are usually the domain of the most expensive solutions (but there are exceptions)
Method 2. HWiNFO
The following utility helped us and accurately displayed the number of cores and threads in the system without any problems. HWiNFO has several editions (32 and 64 bit versions), you need to download according to the bitness of your operating system, the link to the download page is below, as always (if you have doubts about the bitness of the system, download HWiNFO32 - it will run everywhere)
I recommend using the portable version. Well, after launch, the “System Summary” window will open, where next to the name of the processor you will see the number of physical and logical processors (Cores and Logical, respectively)
In general, the HWiNFO application provides information not only about cores and threads, but also shows a very clear report on giblets your computer
Method 3. AIDA64
The next program that will help you find out how many cores a processor has is AIDA64 (formerly Everest, otherwise people often ask me why I never include it in my list). The product is commercial, but there is a trial period - you can download it from the official website (we are interested in the Extreme version)
By the way, there is also a portable version. We launch the application, on the left side go to “Computer”, “Summary information”, and on the right side in the “System board” block in the “CPU type” line in the example it says QuadCore - this means that in my system I have a processor with four cores. In general, if English is difficult, you can always use an online translator.
AIDA64 is probably one of the most inconvenient applications for determining the number of cores on a computer, but such a monster simply could not be excluded from this top
Method 4. Piriform Speccy
In conclusion, I want to tell you about a utility from the developers of the legendary Ccleaner - this is, as many guessed, Piriform Speccy. Purpose this application— tell as much detail as possible about each component of your system (including the number of processor cores and threads). The utility has free version and you can download it from the official website.
We launch the application and on the left side we find the “Central Processing Unit” item - information about our CPU will open. In the kernel line we will see the number of processor cores (information about threads is just below)
Piriform Speccy is probably one of the best apps to collect information about the computer, but the lack of a portable version makes me a little sad
Conclusions about all the ways to find out how many cores are on a PC
Well friends, it’s time to wrap things up and take stock. After reading this note, you know how to find out how many cores are in your computer... however, there is another simple way - if you know the model of your processor, you can find information about it on the official website. Since there will be information about the number of cores and threads in the system.
The core is the computing unit of the processor. Accordingly, the more there are, the more command streams the computer can execute simultaneously. This has a positive effect on productivity with many simultaneously running processes, as well as in multi-threaded applications (for example, in “heavy” games or video editors). Therefore it is necessary to know this important characteristic your processor.
Determining the number of cores on a computer
Using the device manager
You can find out the necessary information standard using Windows. To open utility:
As a result, you will get a list consisting of types installed devices. There is also a point “ Processors" Click on the arrow to the left of it, or double-click on its name. As a result, a list of several positions will expand, each of which corresponds one thread commands If your CPU supports hyperparallelism (“ Hyper Threading"), then to find out the number of real cores, you should divide the number of these positions by 2. If there is no such technology, there is no need to divide.
Via task manager
This famous application also allows you to find out some information about the CPU. Click to start right click along the unoccupied space at the bottom of the screen, where taskbar. A menu will pop up where we are interested in the item “ ” or “ Launch Task Manager».
Windows 7. In the program window, go to the “ Performance». 
At the top right you will see several graphs titled “ CPU usage history" If there is only one schedule, go to the menu "" set " According to schedule for each CPU" As a result, the number of these graphs will reflect the number of threads. If the processor supports hyperparallelism, then to find out the number of physical cores, the number of graphics should be divided by 2. 
Windows 10. In the program window, click on the “ Performance». 
In the lower right corner you will see the main characteristics of your CPU, including the number physical cores and streams (" logical processors»). 
We use the Everest program
Everest is not a free utility, but, nevertheless, its functionality trial version enough to find out basic information about the system.
You will see many icons in the program window. Click on the icon that says " System board». 
From the icons that appear, click on “ CPU" In the list of properties that opens, pay attention to “ CPU type" Here you will find the information you are interested in.
Determining the number of cores using CPU-Z
This application is very convenient due to its compactness, free and simple interface. Immediately after launch, a tab opens in front of you with all main properties processor, including number of physical cores(in English version " Cores") and threads (" Threads»). 
Let's look at the documentation
All main characteristics of the CPU are also indicated on its packaging and in complete documentation.
