multi-core question????

liquidmonkey · 07-04-2009, 03:39 PM

i have a core i7 920 and use as a utility to monitor when each of the 4 cores is being used.

i have noticed that very very seldom do all four cores get used and even more seldom does a core ever go above 20% or 40%. maybe this is normal and i don't get how multi-cores are supposed to work but i thought that when a program such as photoshop, lightroom, VLC (playing 1080p movies) or a game needs more power then ALL CORES would be used and it would show well over 50% usage.

some tasks take too long IMHO and the monitor shows the cores just around 5 or 10%. shouldn't they be at over 50% to speed things up?

is it possible to force core usuage at all?

Yanko693 · 07-04-2009, 05:21 PM

why would you want to force core usage? try looking in your bios for any kind of power saving features. i'm not familiar with the i7 but i know some amd cpu's have a power save kind of thing where it shuts down two cores when not really needed.

2048Megabytes · 07-04-2009, 06:21 PM

I think the reason you are rarely seeing all four cores being utilized is likely because the Core i7 920 processor is such a powerful and efficient processor. It is like giving a ten pound weight to a professional athlete. He would have no problem moving the weight around.

If the professional athlete is likened to a Core i7 processor let's also liken the Pentium 4 processor to a 3 year old child. Give him the ten pound weight and he will have to exert himself a lot more to move the same ten pound weight.

Bodaggit23 · 07-04-2009, 06:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by liquidmonkey

i have noticed that very very seldom do all four cores get used

some tasks take too long IMHO

That's the idea, but most programs don't know how to utilize more than one core.

The issue you're seeing is a limitation of the programs, not being able to utilize more than one core.

What OS are you using?

liquidmonkey · 07-04-2009, 07:21 PM

programs not being able to utilize more than one core sounds like the most likely explanation. i only hope software makers will put that option into future versions

i'm using VISTA ULTIMATE SP2 64-bit

2048Megabytes · 07-04-2009, 07:47 PM

Is any of the software you are using with your Core i7 system running sluggishly?

Bodaggit23 · 07-04-2009, 09:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by liquidmonkey

i'm using VISTA ULTIMATE SP2 64-bit

Sorry, I didn't see your sig.

07-04-2009, 03:39 PM	#1 (permalink)
liquidmonkey Silver Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 165	multi-core question???? i have a core i7 920 and use as a utility to monitor when each of the 4 cores is being used. i have noticed that very very seldom do all four cores get used and even more seldom does a core ever go above 20% or 40%. maybe this is normal and i don't get how multi-cores are supposed to work but i thought that when a program such as photoshop, lightroom, VLC (playing 1080p movies) or a game needs more power then ALL CORES would be used and it would show well over 50% usage. some tasks take too long IMHO and the monitor shows the cores just around 5 or 10%. shouldn't they be at over 50% to speed things up? is it possible to force core usuage at all? __________________ VISTA Ultimate SP2 64bit 2 x 24" LG Monitors Intel Core i7 920 with Xigmatek HDT-S1283 ASUS P6T WS PRO 12gigs of OCZ Gold XTC Triple Channel 6x2gig DDR3 1333MHz PC12800 XFX Nvidia GTX 260 core 216 Corsair TX750W Cooler Master 690 HDD Total = 4.5 TB

07-04-2009, 06:21 PM	#3 (permalink)
2048Megabytes Diamond Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Mainland United States Posts: 2,291	I think the reason you are rarely seeing all four cores being utilized is likely because the Core i7 920 processor is such a powerful and efficient processor. It is like giving a ten pound weight to a professional athlete. He would have no problem moving the weight around. If the professional athlete is likened to a Core i7 processor let's also liken the Pentium 4 processor to a 3 year old child. Give him the ten pound weight and he will have to exert himself a lot more to move the same ten pound weight. __________________ "Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become more corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters." -- Benjamin Franklin Operating Systems: Linux Ubuntu 9.04 and Windows Vista Power Supply: OCZ StealthXStream OCZ600SXS Video Card: MSI R3650-T2D512 OC Radeon HD 3650 Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-M78SM-S2H Memory: Super Talent PC2-6400 2 gigabytes Processor: Phenom 9550 Quad-Core (2.2 gigahertz)

07-04-2009, 07:21 PM	#5 (permalink)
liquidmonkey Silver Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 165	programs not being able to utilize more than one core sounds like the most likely explanation. i only hope software makers will put that option into future versions i'm using VISTA ULTIMATE SP2 64-bit __________________ VISTA Ultimate SP2 64bit 2 x 24" LG Monitors Intel Core i7 920 with Xigmatek HDT-S1283 ASUS P6T WS PRO 12gigs of OCZ Gold XTC Triple Channel 6x2gig DDR3 1333MHz PC12800 XFX Nvidia GTX 260 core 216 Corsair TX750W Cooler Master 690 HDD Total = 4.5 TB

07-04-2009, 07:47 PM	#6 (permalink)
2048Megabytes Diamond Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Mainland United States Posts: 2,291	Is any of the software you are using with your Core i7 system running sluggishly? __________________ "Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become more corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters." -- Benjamin Franklin Operating Systems: Linux Ubuntu 9.04 and Windows Vista Power Supply: OCZ StealthXStream OCZ600SXS Video Card: MSI R3650-T2D512 OC Radeon HD 3650 Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-M78SM-S2H Memory: Super Talent PC2-6400 2 gigabytes Processor: Phenom 9550 Quad-Core (2.2 gigahertz)

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07-04-2009, 05:21 PM	#2 (permalink)
Yanko693 Bronze Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: NE OH Posts: 57	why would you want to force core usage? try looking in your bios for any kind of power saving features. i'm not familiar with the i7 but i know some amd cpu's have a power save kind of thing where it shuts down two cores when not really needed.

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