When building a PC to your preference, paying attention to all the little things is important. Aside from the CPU, GPU, RAM, etc. you also need to know how many cores and threads are good for your PC. That way you can better optimize how you use your PC.
One thing that could confuse you is whether you should go for a 4 core 4 thread or a 4 core 8 thread CPU. Which one would give you the performance you’re looking for?
To answer such questions, we will explore the relationship between cores and threads, and also learn how many threads you need for the best performance.
What Do 4 Cores 4 Threads or 4 Cores 8 Threads Mean?
4 cores and 4 threads mean that you have 4 physical cores in the CPU and 4 virtual cores. These virtual cores are called Threads. Hyperthreading or SMT makes 1 core act as 2. Meaning, it lets the second thread use the other parts that aren’t being used by the first thread.
So, 4 cores and 8 threads mean that your CPU can use more cores since the Hyperthreading is allowing your 4 cores to act as 8. This essentially makes the CPU work faster and yields greater performance overall.
How Many Threads Do You Need: 4 Cores 4 Threads vs 4 Cores 8 Threads?
To answer what is best for you, you’ll need a good idea of what tasks are you going to perform the most with your PC. Because for Hyperthreading to be effective, a very diversified set of tasks is required where different threads simultaneously need different parts of the CPU. It is mostly seen in editing, rendering, data compression, etc. If these tasks are your main priority, the 4 cores 8 thread is the best to go for.
For gaming, Hyperthreading rarely comes into play since most games don’t even use 4 cores. So, single-thread performance (4 cores 4 threads) is enough for gaming. But also keep in mind that games nowadays require a lot from your PC. It is recommended to go for at least 6 cores and 12 threads if you want your games to perform like they are designed to.
But yes, more cores and more threads always perform better. Having more threads doesn’t mean it will affect your gaming experience negatively. It just won’t benefit as much as other tasks like video editing.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is having more threads better for gaming?
It depends on the game designers taking advantage of more cores and threads. It does improve the performance of the game. Most games don’t use more than 4-6 cores or threads. But having more threads won’t affect gaming.
Is it better to have more cores or a faster processor?
Generally, a single-core CPU does not perform as well as a CPU with multiple cores. It’s much easier for multiple-core CPUs to run multiple tasks at the same time. Which then increases your performance while multitasking or under heavy pressure from powerful apps and programs.
Conclusion
In brief, the 4 core 8 thread is better overall than the 4 core 4 thread CPU. Whether it’s gaming or other heavy tasks like video editing. Yes, it might cost you a bit more but having a better-performing PC will benefit you more in the long run.
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