Find out how many cores and threads your CPU has with these 4 simple methods

Check the number of cores and threads through these simple methods!

Abdul Rashid

Abdul Rashid

Close-up of a CPU installed on a motherboard, highlighted by purple lighting, showing the number of cores and threads, with visible branding and part details. Image taken by PCGuide.com

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If you want to know how many cores and threads your CPU has, we’ve got you covered right here with four different methods.

If you’re someone who is always engaged in multitasking and has multiple applications open in the background, then you will benefit greatly from having a processor with a higher number of cores and threads. Some software also require you to have a processor with a specific number of cores, but how can you check that out?

Luckily, there are four methods that can help you learn how many cores and threads your CPU has, and we’ll go through all of them in this guide.

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Quick Answer

The easiest way to check the number of cores and threads is by going to Task Manager > Performance > CPU. Alternatively, if you want to check the number of cores of a processor you don’t own, you can head over to the official website of AMD or Intel and check it out via the product page.

How to see how many cores and threads your CPU has

Here are four different methods that can help you check the number of cores and threads your CPU has.

Using Task Manager

The best and quickest way to check the number of cores and threads is via the Task Manager.

Step

1

Open the Task Manager

First, open the Task Manager. This can be done by pressing CTRL + SHIFT + ESC simultaneously.

Alternatively, you can right-click on the Task Bar and select Task Manager from the menu that will appear.

Step

2

Go to the Performance tab

Next, you need to click on the Performance tab, and select CPU. You will be able to see the number of cores and threads below the Utilization chart.

Cores and threads in Task Manager

Using System Information

Alternatively, you can use the System Information menu for the same purpose, but this will only tell you the number of cores.

Step

1

Open the Run Command box

Go to the Windows Search Bar, type Run, and press Enter.

Alternatively, you can press Windows key + R to open it.

Step

2

Go to System Information menu

Next, type msinfo32 in the Run Command box and click on OK to open System Information.

A screenshot of the Windows Run dialog box with the command "msinfo32" typed into the "open" text field to check CPU cores.

Step

3

Check the number of cores

Next, click on System Summary, and you’ll be able to see the number of cores next to Processor on the right side.

Screenshot of windows system information highlighting the CPU cores, which include an AMD Ryzen 5 5600X 6-core processor.

Using the Command Prompt

Command Prompt can also be used to learn about the number of cores and threads your processor has. It may not present the information in a proper format, but it still gets the job done.

Step

1

Open Command Prompt

First, type Command Prompt in the Windows Search Bar and click on the first option that appears.

Step

2

Type the WMIC.EXE command

Now, type WMIC.EXE command and press enter. This will start the wmic:root/cli> line.

Command prompt window open on Windows 10, displaying a file path and an arrow pointing to "wmic.exe" text used to query the number of CPU cores.

Step

3

Check your CPU information

Type cpu get and press Enter. The system will then present the information about your CPU, and you can head over to the extreme right side to see the number of cores and threads (logical processors).

Two red upward-pointing arrows on a black background, beside columns labeled "CPU cores," "number of enabled cores," and "number of logical processors.

Using the official websites

If you want to check the number of cores and threads of your own or some other processor that you’re planning to buy, you can simply visit the official AMD and Intel websites.

Step

1

Go to the official website

Go to the official website of Intel or AMD and search for your processor.

Step

2

Open the product page

Now open the product page of your processor and read about its specifications from there, including the number of cores and threads.

AMD official website displaying information of a CPU, such as its cores and threads

Is it better to have more cores or threads?

This will depend on your needs. For instance, having more cores is better for multitasking, while having more threads will improve the overall performance of single-threaded applications.

Does my CPU have enough cores and threads?

These days, having a CPU with 6 cores and 12 threads is considered a sweet spot, as it is great for gaming, multitasking, and other content-creation tasks. For the basic stuff, you’ll be fine with a processor with 2 or 4 cores. In any case, if your CPU currently does not have enough cores and threads, then you may want to check these options out.

Conclusion

These were four methods that can help you find out the number of cores and threads your CPU has. The first three methods are useful for finding information about the CPU you currently have in your system, while the fourth method can help you learn about a processor you don’t own.

Abdul Rashid

Abdul Rashid

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