How To Find Out How Many CPU Cores You Have

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As CPUs become more powerful (and complex) with each passing generation, it’s hard to remember all the specifications of your processor. Sure, you may not have trouble recalling the model, but what about specific parameters, like the number of physical and logical cores inside? For those who work with multiple systems, it becomes even more difficult to keep track of all the system specs for each device. The situation is even more complex now, as many mobile processors have two types of cores inside: efficiency and performance cores.

If you plan on setting up virtual machines or just want to ascertain whether you can play your favorite games with your CPU, the core count is one parameter you shouldn’t overlook. Luckily, there are many ways to check the number of cores on your processor.

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How to check the number of CPU cores on a Windows computer

Task Manager has the info you want

The Windows Task Manager utility is a treasure trove of information about your system and its performance, including how many physical and logical CPU cores you have on your system.

Right-click the Start button and pick Task Manager.
Head to the Performance tab and click on CPU.
The core count, logical processors, and other details will appear in the bottom-right section of the Task Manager.

Use HWiNFO64 to check the number of CPU cores

If you’re rocking a newer Intel processor with a hybrid architecture, you won’t be able to check the number of Performance (P) and Efficient (E) cores via the Task Manager. In this case, consider using a third-party application like HWiNFO64 to check your CPU specifications.

Download the portable version of HWiNFO64 from the company website.
Extract the contents of the zipped folder and run HWiNFO64.exe with administrator privileges.
Click the Start button.
The number of P and E-cores will be visible under the Active Cooler window and in the CPU section of the System Summary pop-up window.

How to find out how many CPU cores your Mac has

It’s easier than you think

For Mac users, everything you need to find out how many CPU cores you have is built into macOS.

Open Launchpad and search for System Information (the white icon on right in image) then run the app.
The Hardware Overview of your Mac will say the Total Number of Cores.

In the example above, the 2015 Intel MacBook Pro has two CPU cores. If you have a newer Mac with Apple Silicon inside, you will also see the number of efficiency and performance cores the processor has.

screenshot of macos system information showing the core count of an apple m2 processor

You could alternatively use Terminal commands to get the same information on the number of CPU cores.

Open the Terminal app from Launchpad.
Enter the following command into the Terminal window, then press Enter.
```
system_profiler SPHardwareDataType | grep "Cores" 
```
You will see a brief message showing Total Number of Cores and a number after it. If you have Apple Silicon, this will also split the number of cores into performance and efficiency.

What are physical and logical CPU cores

Inside every CPU, there are a number of cores and threads, which roughly translates to how much work that CPU can do at any one time. Having more than one physical core means the CPU can multitask, with one instruction set going through each core. The more cores, the better at handling simultaneous tasks. Threads (aka logical cores) aren’t physical components on the CPU, but they can be thought of as an additional path for simultaneous tasks to be handled.

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Finding out how many cores your CPU has is only part of the picture

Although a higher core count isn’t synonymous with better performance, it’s a good idea to have more cores in your processor, especially if you dabble in complex workloads involving hypervisors and virtual machines. If your processor lacks enough cores for your computing needs, it might be time to part with your old CPU. If you wish to buy a new processor but aren’t sure where to start, feel free to consult our collection of the best CPUs you can buy right now.