High CPU core counts are a major selling point for computers and electronics these days. The idea is simple: higher core counts suggest more power, like impressive horsepower numbers on a car. But is this always the case?
For PC gamers, advice around the web or from friends may suggest that super high-end CPUs with many cores or hyperthreading, like a Core i7, won’t help much, if at all, in games. Why is that? The answer lies in a concept called parallelization, which means splitting a program’s workload across multiple processing cores, so a computer can work on two different parts of the same load at the same time.
Certain programs can take advantage of multiple CPU cores because they require lots of number crunching that can be easily split up. Applications for video editing, encryption, file compression, and even scientific research, such as weather modeling, can be parallelized easily.
Computer GPUs are designed for parallel computing since the same idea holds true for rendering 3D graphics in a game. Your GPU often doesn’t handle much else other than pushing out frames to your monitor. Other important aspects of games, such as artificial intelligence, responding to inputs, and telling the GPU what to render, are still handled by the CPU.
Because of the complexity involved in processing things like AI and other forms of game logic, and the fact that many of the code instructions for these types of things must be done in a specific order or in reaction to the gamer, they’re much harder for programmers to parallelize and split the workload, especially as many current game engines aren’t designed from the ground up to take advantage of multiple cores.
That said, your mileage may vary depending on what game you’re playing. Some games, due to variations in the processes the CPU is handling, are more CPU-bound than others and can benefit slightly from additional cores. And since getting games to take advantage of lots of cores is a bit of an unsolved problem in the industry, work is ongoing to try to figure out how to make higher-end games easier to parallelize, which could ultimately result in cooler, more immersive experiences.
For now, if you’re just using your PC to game, getting anything above a quad-core is probably overkill. Instead, it’s better to focus on getting cores that perform well individually and on other components of your system.
In conclusion, the answer to “how many threads can a quad-core processor handle at once?” depends on what applications you’re running and what tasks you’re performing. For gaming, a quad-core is generally sufficient, but for other demanding applications, more cores can provide a significant boost in performance.