CPU vs Core(s)?

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  1. Posts : 477
    Windows 7 & Windows 10
       #1

    CPU vs Core(s)?


    This may be somewhat far afield but--

    I have a desktop gadget that measures CPU, Core and RAM % usage. It was my understanding that the CPU cores are the processing engines within the structure of the CPU. So I'm surprised to see that the Core 1 + Core 2 % at any given time is no where near the total value of CPU usage %.

    I tried Googling and reading but I'm not finding this specific question/answer.

    Even though this is not really directed at this forum's target, would someone mind offering up a quick explanation?

    Thanks,

    Mark
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  2. Posts : 8,398
    ultimate 64 sp1
       #2

    can you give us an example of your readings?

    imagine a dual-core processor, and core 1 is being used 60%, and core 2 is 40% - then the average use is 50% for the whole cpu.

    does this make sense?
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  3. Posts : 477
    Windows 7 & Windows 10
    Thread Starter
       #3

    If the object were to determine the average usage, then yes.

    However, if the object is to determine the total usage at the moment of the CPU then why wouldn't the answer be to add core 1 + core 2 and have that % be the same as the cpu usage %--which it never is according to my desktop gadget?
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  4. Posts : 1,846
    Windows 7 Ultimate x64, & Mac OS X 10.9.2
       #4

    But then if both cores were at 50% the cpu readout would say 100%?
    Which would be miss leading.



    Sent from my BlackBerry 9900 using Tapatalk
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  5. Posts : 477
    Windows 7 & Windows 10
    Thread Starter
       #5

    Okay, then what is the relationship between total cpu usage and % core usage?
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  6. Posts : 5,795
    Windows 7 Ultimate x64 SP1
       #6

    It sounds like you are wandering off on a topic that isn't going to be very beneficial. There's no real relationship between the two. If you consider a dual core CPU, you essentially have two "brains" to do the calculations. They are somewhat independent, in that the total usage doesn't need to always add to 100%. If you had a single core, it wouldn't be 100% all the time, either. If one core is working on a task at 30%, the other core could sit idle, or it could be working on a separate task at 30%, 45%, etc...whatever.

    That's the entire point behind multiple core CPUs...is to divide the workload up.
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  7. Posts : 1,846
    Windows 7 Ultimate x64, & Mac OS X 10.9.2
       #7

    If you want a rough idea of the "total" percentage open task manager then minimise it.

    The graph that shows up in the task bar is accurate enough.

    Sent from my BlackBerry 9900 using Tapatalk
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  8. Posts : 8,398
    ultimate 64 sp1
       #8

    markg2 said:
    Okay, then what is the relationship between total cpu usage and % core usage?
    total cpu usage = average of individual core usage

    as badger906 said above, if both cores of a dual-core cpu were running at 50%, total cpu usage is 50% too - the cpu still has capacity to do the same workload again.

    also if core 1 was 100% and core 2 was 0%, then the total usage would be 50% too...same as 75/25, 60/40 etc etc

    it might help if you imagined you had two factories with 100 people employed in each one.

    in factory A, 60 people are working hard, whilst 40 are slacking off looking at facebook. in factory B, 40 are working, 60 are picking their nose. so out of the total workforce in both factories, only 50% are working.
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  9. Posts : 27
    Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit
       #9

    Total CPU Usage for dual cores = (Core 1 + Core 2 usage) Divided by 2

    And for all CPU's = (Sum of Usage of all cores) Divided by number of cores

    Correct me if I'm wrong just tried to work it out here, but there is your relationship...
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  10. Posts : 27
    Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit
       #10

    Well that seems to work...

    Core 1 : 20%
    Core 2 : 27%
    Total CPU Usage : 20+26= 46 /2 = 23%

    Example 2 :

    Core 1 : 16%
    Core 2 : 50%
    Core 3 : 24%
    Core 4 : 68%

    Total CPU Usage = 16+50+24+68 = 158 / 4 = 39.5% so rounded 40%

    Example 3 : (Simplified)

    Core 1 : 24%

    Total CPU Usage = 24 /1 = 24%
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