How cores are created in processors. Single core or dual core

When you're buying a new laptop or building a computer, the processor is the most important decision. But there is a lot of jargon, especially regarding kernels. Which processor to choose: dual-core, quad-core, six-core or eight-core. Read the article to understand what this really means.

Dual core or quad core, as simple as possible

Let's keep it simple. Here's everything you need to know:

• There is only one processor chip. This chip may have one, two, four, six or eight cores.
• Currently, an 18-core processor is the best you can get on consumer PCs.
• Each "core" is the part of the chip that does the processing. Essentially, each core is a central processing unit (CPU).

Speed

Now simple logic dictates that more cores will make your processor faster overall. But it is not always the case. It's a little more complicated.

More cores only give more speed if a program can divide its tasks among the cores. Not all programs are designed to split tasks between cores. More on this later.

The clock speed of each core is also a decisive factor in speed, as is the architecture. A newer dual-core processor with a higher clock speed will often outperform an older quad-core processor with a lower clock speed.

Power consumption

More cores also result in higher CPU power consumption. When the processor is turned on, it supplies power to all cores, not just the ones involved.

Chip makers are trying to reduce power consumption and make processors more energy efficient. But, the general rule is that a quad-core processor will drain more power from your laptop than a dual-core processor (and therefore drain the battery faster).

Heat release

Each core affects the heat generated by the processor. Again, as a general rule, more cores lead to higher temperatures.

Because of this extra heat, manufacturers must add better radiators or other cooling solutions.

Price

More cores are not always a higher price. As we said earlier, clock speed, architectural versions, and other considerations come into play.

But if all other factors are equal, then more cores will fetch a higher price.

All about the software

Here's a little secret that processor manufacturers don't want you to know. It's not about how many cores you use, but what software you run on them.

Programs must be specifically designed to take advantage of multiple processors. This kind of "multithreading software" is not as common as you might think.

It's important to note that even if it's a multi-threaded program, what it's used for is also important. For example, the Google Chrome web browser supports multiple processes, as well as the Adobe Premier Pro video editing software.

Adobe Premier Pro offers different engines to work on different aspects of your editing. Given the many layers involved in video editing, this makes sense as each core can work on a different task.

Likewise, Google Chrome offers different kernels to run on different tabs. But therein lies the problem. Once you open a web page in a tab, it is usually static after that. No further processing is necessary; the rest of the work is to store the page in RAM. This means that even though the kernel can be used to lay out the background, it is not necessary.

This Google Chrome example provides an illustration of how even multi-threaded software may not give you much of a real performance boost.

Two cores don't double the speed

So let's say you have the right software and all your other hardware is the same. Will a quad core processor be twice as fast as a dual core processor? No.

Increasing cores does not address the software scaling issue. Scaling to cores is the theoretical ability of any software to assign the right tasks to the right cores, so each core computes at its optimal speed. This is not what is really happening.

In reality, tasks are split sequentially (as most multithreaded programs do) or randomly. For example, let's say you need to complete three tasks to complete an activity, and you have five such activities. The software tells core 1 to solve problem 1, while core 2 solves the second, core 3 solves the third; Meanwhile, core 4 is idle.

If the third task is the hardest and longest, then it would make sense for the software to split the third task between cores 3 and 4. But that's not what it does. Instead, although cores 1 and 2 will complete the task faster, the action will have to wait for core 3 to complete and then compute the results of cores 1, 2, and 3 together.

This is all a roundabout way of saying that the software, much like today, is not optimized to take full advantage of multiple cores. And doubling the cores does not equal doubling the speed.

Where will more cores really help?

Now that you know what cores do and their performance limitations, you should ask yourself, "Do I need more cores?" Well, it depends on what you plan to do with them.

If you often play computer games, then more cores on your PC will undoubtedly come in handy. The vast majority of new popular games from major studios support multi-threaded architecture. Video gaming is still largely dependent on what kind of graphics card you have, but a multi-core processor helps too.

Any professional who works with video or audio programs will benefit from more cores. Most popular audio and video editing tools use multi-threaded processing.

Photoshop and design

If you are a designer, then higher clock speeds and more CPU cache will increase speed better than more cores. Even the most popular design software, Adobe Photoshop, largely supports single-threaded or slightly threaded processes. Lots of cores won't be a significant incentive for this.

Faster web browsing

As we've already said, having more cores doesn't mean faster web browsing. While all modern browsers support multi-process architecture, kernels will only help if your background tabs are sites that require a lot of processing power.

Office tasks

All core Office applications are single-threaded, so a quad-core processor won't add speed.

Do you need more cores?

In general, a quad-core processor will perform faster than a dual-core processor for general computing. Each program you open will run on its own kernel, so if the tasks are separated the speeds will be better. If you use many programs at the same time, often switch between them and assign their own tasks to them, choose a processor with a large number of cores.

Just know this: Overall system performance is one area where there are too many factors. Don't expect a magical performance boost by replacing just one component, even the processor.

Processor in a mobile phone. Characteristics and their meaning

The smartphone industry is progressing every day, and, as a result, users are getting newer, more modern and powerful gadgets. All smartphone manufacturers strive to make their creation special and irreplaceable. Therefore, today much attention is paid to the development and production of processors for smartphones.

Surely, many fans of “smart phones” have more than once asked the question, what is a processor and what are its main functions? And also, of course, buyers are interested in what all these numbers and letters in the name of the chip mean.
We suggest you familiarize yourself a little with the concept "smartphone processor".

Processor in a smartphone- this is the most complex part and is responsible for all calculations performed by the device. In fact, it is wrong to say that a smartphone uses a processor, since processors as such are not used in mobile devices. The processor, together with other components, form a SoC (System on a chip - system on a chip), which means that on one chip there is a full-fledged computer with a processor, graphics accelerator and other components.

If we are talking about the processor, then first we need to understand such a concept as "processor architecture". Modern smartphones use processors based on the ARM architecture, which is developed by the company of the same name ARM Limited. We can say that architecture is a certain set of properties and qualities inherent in a whole family of processors. Qualcomm, Nvidia, Samsung, MediaTek, Apple and other processor companies license technology from ARM and then sell the finished chips to smartphone manufacturers or use them in their own devices. Chip makers license individual cores, instruction sets and related technologies from ARM. ARM Limited does not produce processors, but only sells licenses for its technologies to other manufacturers.

Now let's look at concepts such as core and clock speed, which are always found in reviews and articles about smartphones and phones when talking about the processor.

Core

Let's start with the question, what is a kernel? Core is an element of the chip that determines the performance, power consumption and clock speed of the processor. Very often we come across the concept of a dual-core or quad-core processor. Let's figure out what this means.

Dual-core or quad-core processor - what's the difference?

Very often, buyers think that a dual-core processor is twice as powerful as a single-core processor, and a quad-core processor is, accordingly, four times more powerful. Now we will tell you the truth. It would seem quite logical that moving from one core to two, or from two to four, increases performance, but in fact it is rare that this power increases by a factor of two or four. Increasing the number of cores allows you to speed up the operation of the device due to the redistribution of running processes. But most modern applications are single threaded and therefore can only use one or two cores at a time. The question naturally arises, what is a quad-core processor for then? Multi-core is mainly used by advanced games and media editing applications. This means that if you need a smartphone for gaming (3D games) or shooting Full HD video, then you need to purchase a device with a quad-core processor. If the program itself does not support multi-cores and does not require large resources, then unused cores are automatically disabled to save battery power. Often, the fifth companion core is used for the most unpretentious tasks, for example, to operate the device in sleep mode or when checking mail.

If you need an ordinary smartphone for communication, surfing the Internet, checking email, or keeping up with all the latest news, then a dual-core processor is quite suitable for you. And why pay more? After all, the number of cores directly affects the price of the device.

Clock frequency

The next concept we have to get acquainted with is clock frequency. Clock frequency is a characteristic of the processor, which shows how many clock cycles the processor is capable of working per unit of time (one second). For example, if the device characteristics indicate frequency 1.7 GHz - this means that in 1 second its processor will perform 1,700,000,000 (1 billion 700 million) cycles.

Depending on the operation, as well as the type of chip, the number of clock cycles it takes for the chip to perform one task may vary. The higher the clock frequency, the faster the operating speed. This difference is especially noticeable when comparing identical cores operating at different frequencies.

Sometimes the manufacturer limits the clock speed in order to reduce power consumption, because the higher the speed of the processor, the more power it consumes.

And again we return to multi-core. Increasing the clock speed (MHz, GHz) can increase heat generation, which is highly undesirable and even harmful for smartphone users. Therefore, multi-core technology is also used as one of the ways to increase the performance of a smartphone without making it too hot in your pocket.

Performance increases by allowing applications to run simultaneously on multiple cores, but there is one condition: the applications must be the latest generation. This feature also saves battery power.

CPU cache

Another important characteristic of the processor that smartphone sellers often keep silent about is CPU cache.

Cache- This is memory designed for temporary storage of data and operating at the processor frequency. The cache is used to reduce the processor's access time to slow RAM. It stores copies of part of the RAM data. Access time is reduced due to the fact that most of the data required by the processor ends up in the cache, and the number of accesses to RAM is reduced. The larger the cache size, the larger part of the data needed by the program it can contain., the less often access to RAM will occur, and the higher the overall performance of the system will be.

The cache is especially relevant in modern systems, where the gap between the speed of the processor and the speed of the RAM is quite large. Of course, the question arises, why do they not want to mention this characteristic? Everything is very simple. Let's give an example. Let’s assume that there are two well-known processors (conditionally A and B) with absolutely the same number of cores and clock speed, but for some reason A works much faster than B. It’s very simple to explain: processor A has a larger cache, and therefore itself the processor runs faster.

The difference in cache volume is especially noticeable between Chinese and branded phones. It would seem that according to the characteristics numbers, everything seems to be the same, but the price of the devices differs. And this is where buyers decide to save money with the thought “why pay more if there is no difference?” But, as we see, there is a difference and a very significant one, but sellers often keep silent about it and sell Chinese phones at inflated prices.

The race for additional performance in the processor market can only be won by those manufacturers who, based on current production technologies, can provide a reasonable balance between clock speed and the number of processing cores. Thanks to the transition to 90- and 65-nm technical processes, it has become possible to create processors with a large number of cores. To a large extent, this was due to new capabilities for adjusting heat dissipation and core sizes, which is why today we are seeing the emergence of an increasing number of quad-core processors. But what about software? How well does it scale from one to two or four cores?

In an ideal world, programs that are optimized for multithreading allow the operating system to distribute multiple threads across the available processing cores, be it a single processor or multiple processors, single core or multiple. Adding new cores allows for greater performance gains than any increase in clock speed. This actually makes sense: more workers will almost always complete a task faster than fewer, faster workers.

But does it make sense to equip processors with four or even more cores? Is there enough work to load four cores or more? Do not forget that it is very difficult to distribute work between the cores so that physical interfaces such as HyperTransport (AMD) or Front Side Bus (Intel) do not become a bottleneck. There is a third option: the mechanism that distributes the load between the cores, namely the OS manager, can also become a bottleneck.

AMD's transition from single to dual cores was almost flawless, as the company did not increase the thermal envelope to extreme levels, as it did with Intel Pentium 4 processors. Therefore, the Athlon 64 X2 processors were expensive, but quite reasonable, and the Pentium D 800 line was famous for its hot work. But Intel's 65nm processors and, in particular, the Core 2 line have changed the picture. Intel was able to combine two Core 2 Duo processors in one package, unlike AMD, resulting in the modern Core 2 Quad. AMD promises to release its own quad-core Phenom X4 processors by the end of this year.

In our article we will look at the Core 2 Duo configuration with four cores, two cores and one core. And let's see how well the performance scales. Is it worth switching to four cores today?

One core

The term “single-core” refers to a processor that has one computing core. This includes almost all processors from the beginning of the 8086 architecture up to the Athlon 64 and Intel Pentium 4. Until the manufacturing process became thin enough to create two computing cores on a single chip, the transition to a smaller process technology was used to reduce operating voltage, increase clock speeds, or add functional blocks and cache memory.

Running a single-core processor at high clock speeds can provide better performance for a single application, but such a processor can only execute one program (thread) at a time. Intel has implemented the Hyper-Threading principle, which emulates the presence of multiple cores for the operating system. HT technology made it possible to better load the long pipelines of Pentium 4 and Pentium D processors. Of course, the performance increase was small, but the system responsiveness was definitely better. And in a multitasking environment, this can be even more important, since you can do some work while your computer is working on a specific task.

Since dual-core processors are so cheap these days, we don't recommend going for single-core processors unless you want to save every penny.

The Core 2 Extreme X6800 processor was the fastest in the Intel Core 2 line at the time of its release, operating at 2.93 GHz. Today, dual-core processors have reached 3.0 GHz, albeit at a higher FSB1333 bus frequency.

Upgrading to two processor cores means twice the processing power, but only on applications optimized for multi-threading. Typically, such applications include professional programs that require high processing power. But a dual-core processor still makes sense, even if you only use your computer for email, web browsing, and working with office documents. On the one hand, modern models of dual-core processors do not consume much more energy than single-core models. On the other hand, the second computing core not only adds performance, but also improves system responsiveness.

Have you ever waited for WinRAR or WinZIP to finish compressing files? On a single-core machine, you are unlikely to be able to quickly switch between windows. Even DVD playback can tax a single core as much as a complex task. The dual-core processor makes it easier to run multiple applications simultaneously.

AMD dual-core processors contain two full cores with cache, an integrated memory controller and a cross-connect that provides shared access to memory and the HyperTransport interface. Intel took a path similar to the first Pentium D, installing two Pentium 4 cores in the physical processor. Since the memory controller is part of the chipset, the system bus has to be used both for communication between the cores and for accessing memory, which imposes certain limitations on performance. The Core 2 Duo processor features more advanced cores that deliver better performance per clock and better performance per watt. The two cores share a common L2 cache, which allows data exchange without using the system bus.

The Core 2 Quad Q6700 processor runs at 2.66 GHz, using two Core 2 Duo cores inside.

If today there are many reasons to switch to dual-core processors, then four cores do not yet look so convincing. One reason is limited optimization of programs for multiple threads, but there are also certain architectural problems. Although AMD today criticizes Intel for packing two dual-core dies into a single processor, deeming it not a "true" quad-core CPU, Intel's approach works well because the processors actually deliver quad-core performance. From a manufacturing standpoint, it's easier to get high die yields and produce more products with small cores that can then be spliced ​​together to make a new, more powerful product in a new process. As for performance, there are bottlenecks - two crystals communicate with each other through the system bus, so it is very difficult to manage multiple cores distributed over several crystals. Although having multiple dies allows for better power savings and adjusting the frequencies of individual cores to suit the needs of the application.

True quad-core processors use four cores, which, along with cache memory, are located on a single chip. What is important here is the presence of a common unified cache. AMD will implement this approach by equipping 512 KB of L2 cache on each core and adding L3 cache to all cores. AMD's advantage is that it will be possible to turn off certain cores and speed up others to get better performance for single-threaded applications. Intel will follow the same path, but not before introducing the Nehalem architecture in 2008.

System information display utilities, such as CPU-Z, allow you to find out the number of cores and cache sizes, but not the processor layout. You won't know that the Core 2 Quad (or the quad-core Extreme Edition shown in the screenshot) consists of two cores.

One of the stages in improving the von Neumann architecture is thread parallelization ( Thread Level Parallelism, TLP). Distinguish simultaneous multithreading (Simultaneous Multithreading, SMT) And die-level multithreading (Chip- level Multithreading, CMT). The two approaches mainly differ in their understanding of what a flow is. A typical representative SMT is the so-called technology HTT (Hyper- Threading Technology).

P the first representatives of architecture CMP steel processors intended for use in servers. It was a simple tandem; in such devices, two essentially independent cores were placed on one substrate (Fig. 8,). The development of this scheme first became a structure with a shared cache memory (Fig. 9, and then a structure with multi-threading in each core.

The advantages of multi-core processors are as follows.

Simplicity (naturally relative) of design and production. Once a single efficient core has been developed, it can be replicated on-chip, complementing the architecture with the required system components.

Energy consumption is noticeably reduced. If, for example, you place two cores on a chip and force them to operate at a clock frequency that provides performance equal to that of its single-core “brother,” and then compare the power consumption of both, you will find that power consumption decreases several times, since it grows almost proportionally to the square frequencies.

In general, if you look closely at Figures 8 and 9, you can see that there is no fundamental difference between, say, a 2-processor system and a computer on a 2-core processor. The problems are the same. And one of the first is the corresponding operating system.

Ways to organize the work of processors

The main incentive for the development of computer architecture is to increase productivity. One of the ways to increase computer productivity is specialization (both individual computer elements and the creation of specialized computing systems).

The specialization of processors began in the 60s, when the central processor of large computers was freed from performing routine information input/output operations. This function has been transferred to the I/O processor, which communicates with peripheral devices.

Another way to improve performance is to move away from von Neumann's sequential architecture and focus on parallelism. M. Flynn drew attention to the fact that there are only two reasons that give rise to computational parallelism - the independence of command streams simultaneously existing in the system, and the unrelatedness of data processed in one command stream. If the first reason for the parallelism of the computing process is quite well known (it is simple multiprocessing), then we will dwell on data parallelism in more detail, since in most cases it exists hidden from programmers and is used by a limited circle of professionals.

The simplest example of data parallelism is a sequence of two commands: A=B+C; D=E*F;

If we strictly follow the von Neumann principle, then the second operation can be launched for execution only after the completion of the first operation. However, it is obvious that the order in which these instructions are executed does not matter - the operands A, B and C of the first instruction are in no way related to the operands D, E and F of the second instruction. In other words, both operations are parallel precisely because the operands of these instructions are not related to each other. You can give many examples of a sequence of three or more commands with unrelated data that will lead to a clear conclusion: almost any program contains groups of operations on parallel data.

D Another type of data parallelism, as a rule, occurs in cyclic programs for processing data arrays. For example, when adding elements of two arrays, one command can process a large array (multiple stream) of data. Such commands are called vector, and the processor that implements this mode is called vector. The following definition can be given: “A vector processor is a processor that provides parallel execution of operations on data arrays (vectors). It is characterized by a special architecture built on a group of parallel processing elements, and is designed for processing images, matrices and data arrays.”

There are several classifications of software parallelism that are quite similar in meaning, of which the classification into six levels is considered the most recognized (Fig. 10). The top three levels of parallelism are occupied by large software objects - independent jobs, programs and program procedures. Unrelated statements, loops, and operations form the lower levels of parallelism. If we combine this ranking with M. Flynn's categories of “parallel command streams” and “parallel data streams,” we see that upper-level parallelism is mainly achieved through many independent command streams, while lower-level parallelism owes its existence mainly to unrelated data streams .

Conveyor processing and conveyor structures

ABOUT One of the effective ways to increase computer performance is pipelineization. In Fig. eleven A) shows processing in a single universal block, and Fig. 11 b) And V)- in the conveyor. The idea of ​​pipeline processing is to split a function implemented by a universal function block (FB) between several specialized ones. All functional blocks of the conveyor must operate at the same speed (at least on average). In practice, the latter can rarely be achieved and, as a result, the performance of the pipeline decreases, since the period of receipt of input data is determined by the maximum processing time in each functional block. To compensate for fluctuations in the operating time of the FBs, buffer registers are included between them. A more universal technique is to include FIFO type buffer storage devices (Fig. 11 V). There is one more difference to note between the figures. b) And V). In structure V) there is no SI synchronization line. This does not mean that it cannot be in such a structure, there are simply two types of pipelines: synchronous with a common synchronization line and asynchronous, without one. The first ones are also called with command management, and the second – with data management. An example of asynchronous pipelines is systolic arrays.

TO The pipeline is not always a linear chain of blocks. Sometimes it turns out to be advantageous when functional blocks are connected to each other not sequentially, but according to a more complex scheme in accordance with the processing logic, while some blocks in the chain can be skipped, while others can form cyclic structures. The structure of a nonlinear pipeline capable of calculating two functions X and Y, and a diagram in which functions X and Y require certain functional blocks is shown in Fig. 12

Probably every user who is little familiar with 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 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.