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What does enabling all the cores on the computer do? Two computer optimization myths that won't die

Technologies are constantly developing and improving, and today 9 out of 10 computers have multi-core processors installed. And if dual-core processors themselves can use both cores, then in the case of four- or eight-core processors everything is not so obvious.

Often, users are not even aware of the hidden potential of their processor and do not use it to its full potential in games or complex programs. In our article, we will tell you how to enable all cores on Windows 10 and get complete information about your processor and its capabilities.

Default number of running cores

During operation, each individual core of the computer may be subject to a different load, which is associated with a change in the PC load profile. BIOS settings on some systems allow you to set a separate operating frequency for the cores. When the load on the PC is evenly distributed, the user will receive high performance.

If we talk about a dual-core processor, then only in one case will only one core be used - when you turn on the computer. For these purposes, the BIOS uses the resources of only one core. On the other hand, it is always possible to activate all resources to speed up even this process. On the third hand, the best way to speed up loading the OS and turning on the PC is to install Windows on an SSD.

Methods for enabling kernels on Windows 10

To activate all the cores of a quad-core (for example) processor when you turn on the PC, you can use:

  1. Changing the system configuration.
  2. Changing BIOS.

The instructions below are suitable for both 32- and 64-bit Windows 10 of all editions. Here are the necessary steps:

Note. In the “Maximum Memory” settings, you need to select any numerical value not lower than 1024 MB. Otherwise, your computer's boot speed may decrease altogether.

To avoid performing these steps again, in the previous “System Configuration” window, check the “Make these boot options permanent” checkbox. Confirm the actions with “Apply” and OK.

Changes via BIOS

You only need to change BIOS settings if the PC does not boot. There is no need to use this method if you do not have any basic knowledge of working with BIOS / UEFI. It's better to use the previous method.

To activate all cores of a multi-core processor through the BIOS, follow these steps:

Gone are the days when a multi-core processor was considered something out of the ordinary, and the owners of such computers could be counted on one hand. Today, even the most shabby, budget laptop has at least a couple of cores in the processor. What does this mean in practice? The fact that the work performed almost continuously by a computing device can now be transferred to the shoulders of two or more workers.

Even the most insignificant user actions give rise to a huge sequence of processor instructions. If some of them can be performed on one core, and some on another, then the overall performance of the computer will increase dramatically. Windows potentially supports all available cores, but in practice this option usually needs to be activated first. Read below to learn how to enable all processor capabilities on a computer running Windows 7.

Like any other modern OS, Windows positions itself as a multitasking system. Before the era of multi-core processors, multitasking was something of a convention. From the user's point of view, it looked like several processes were actually running on the computer screen at once. In fact, the system simply distributed time between windows, alternately making one task or another active. Even two cores in the system turn multitasking from fiction into reality.

Loading at system startup

Turning on your computer and starting Windows does not mean enabling multitasking. For this to happen when you start your computer, you need to make some settings in Windows. This can be very helpful in improving overall performance. Anyone using a computer for gaming or work will immediately feel the positive effect of this procedure. To solve this problem, Windows offers the user all the necessary tools. The setup procedure is extremely simple.

In order to enable all processor cores, you do not need to go into the registry or perform other complex manipulations.

Buyers of new powerful laptops do not even suspect that all its power may be unused if this is not specifically taken care of. Having many cores running on one - this situation is reminiscent of a story about wasted money. It is necessary to enable the processor cores immediately after the system starts. So, let's get to it.

From words to deeds

To use the full power of the processor in Windows and enable multitasking at startup, you need to take a few very simple steps:

  • Press the “Win” + “R” keys to access the “Run” window.
  • In the window that appears, enter the msconfig command.
  • As a result, the Windows system configuration window opens in front of us. To turn on all the computing power, go to the second tab called .
  • Click on the button "Extra options" and we get another window - the window for fine-tuning Windows activation.
  • All that remains is to indicate the number of cores actually available in the system in the drop-down list.

Then click on “Ok”, reboot and enjoy the result - Windows should work much faster. Doing all the described manipulations means turning on the second wind of your system. And working and playing will become much more convenient, and many tasks that were previously performed with difficulty will now be solved in an instant.

Despite the fact that Windows is considered an operating system for ordinary users, unlike numerous Linux distributions, it still allows you to perform some operations for which advanced users still prefer the latter. In particular, this refers to access to hardware components. The OS itself and the installed drivers make sure (or at least try) to perform at their best and provide the best user experience. First, you need to know how to enable all processor cores on Windows 10, and we will discuss this issue in detail in this article.

Find out quantity

If suddenly you don’t know how many there are in total and want to find out the kernel version in Windows 10 in your processor, then this is where you should start. The easiest way to do this is using Windows tools itself. Right click on the Start menu > Computer Management. In the left menu, enable Device Manager > Processor.
The number of points will indicate the number of processor cores that can be used when you know how to activate all processor cores in Windows 10.
Similar information can be obtained using third-party programs:

  • CPU-Z;
  • AIDA64;
  • Everest.

The first one is free, the rest cost money, but, of course, in addition to the quantity, they tell you how to view a huge amount of information about the computer and system, starting from the list of components and ending. Of course, they only provide information and do not know how to enable and run all processor cores in Windows 10.

How kernels generally work and how to enable them

There is a common misconception that not everyone works on a computer. This is wrong. At any moment, in addition to being turned on, all of them are involved, so of course, you will never know how to disable the processor core, because it is impossible. But there is another nuance - they can work with different frequencies, being responsible for different tasks. Modern processors are often equipped with several powerful ones that will run during games, editing and other complex tasks; and simpler ones - for elementary processes. This achieves a balance between performance and energy efficiency, which is especially important for laptops. But there is no answer to the question of how to enable the second processor core in Windows 10, because they all work the same way.
It is also necessary to pay attention to the fact that in some cases it is impossible to turn on and direct the power of everyone to process a specific task. It depends solely on the software developer. Only he decides whether to unlock the cores and whether to support multithreading or not. If not, only one will carry out the greatest load and all the work, while the rest work in a gentle mode.

How to enable all processor cores on Windows 10 at startup?

There is one moment in the operation of the operating system when in fact only one thing can be active - this is the process of turning on the computer. But even in this case, the situation can be changed and you can find out how to enable 4 cores on Windows 10 using the built-in system tools and BIOS.

In the first case, you need to enable the “Run” dialog box or use the “Windows + R” hotkeys. After that, enter “msconfig” and click OK.
A window with basic system settings will open.


Option with BIOS

The second option on how to use and configure all processor cores to work in Windows 10 is to use the BIOS. It starts when you turn on the computer using the F2 or Del keys depending on the device type.

In the BIOS itself, again, depending on its version, you need to find the item “Advanced Clock Calibration” or similar, and there enable the value “All cores” or “Auto”.

Again, it should be noted that these settings will only affect the computer startup process and will not work this way. The operation of the operating system as a whole or individual programs depends entirely on the developers. Have they added this feature and how well have they optimized it?

For those who are interested...
This question “How to enable all kernels on Windows 7” is often asked by users whose computers run slowly and periodically freeze.

Even multi-core devices may experience stuttering. Let's take a closer look at how to effectively speed up a PC and “force” the system to use all available cores to the fullest.

Modern computers are multi-core devices. However, no operating system uses all cores to their full capacity. Such a limitation is necessary to save resources on PCs and laptops.

Modern hardware technologies allow you to “load” the required number of cores when working with certain programs that require greater performance.

If your PC doesn't start running faster even when running a powerful photo editor, game, or editing program, you'll need to adjust the processor usage mode yourself.

Method 1 – Setting up multitasking in OS startup mode This setup option is one of the simplest and most effective. The bottom line is that overclocking the processor occurs immediately during OS startup.
The user can always change the settings and return the original parameters.

Follow the instructions:

Open the command window using the Win + R key combination;

In the text field of the window that opens, enter the system configuration command msconfig;
Rice. 1 – calling the Windows configuration window

Now go to the downloads tab. Here you can view the version of the installed OS, configure safe mode and other boot options;

Click on the advanced options key;
Rice. 2 – Windows configuration window

In the tab that opens, you can select the mode for using the available computing characteristics of your PC. Check the boxes next to the number of processors and maximum memory. These lines were previously inactive because the computer was in resource-saving mode;

Select the highest number of cores and the maximum amount of available memory;
Rice. 3 – setting up boot parameters

After turning on the computer again, multitasking mode is activated. The user can also select fewer processors and memory. The optimal number for fast work is 5-6 cores and 1024 MB of memory for each processor.

Method 2 - BIOS setup

Another option for adjusting the operating speed of the OS is to add new settings in the BIOS. This option allows you not only to increase the efficiency of completing tasks, but also prevents crashes that occur in the OS and the regular appearance of a blue screen

First, we need to go into the BIOS. Most desktop computers and laptops run the I/O system in the same way. Simply turn on the PC and in the first 5 seconds after pressing the “Power” key, click on the Escape, F5, F2, or F1 button. The lower left corner of the screen indicates which button to press.

Next, the BIOS will launch. In some cases, turning on may take longer than one minute. Control in the window that opens is carried out using four directional arrow keys. Selection is a click on Enter.

The appearance, location of tabs and their sequence may vary. It all depends on the PC manufacturer and the BIOS modification. To set up multitasking, follow the instructions:

Open the Clock Calibration section as shown in the figure below;
Rice. 4 – calibration of core usage in BIOS

Using the left-right arrows on your keyboard, set the parameter"All Cores". This way, the laptop will use all available cores at the same frequency;

Save your changes and exit the window BIOS.

Wait for Windows 7 to turn on.

Method 3 – CPU-Z utility

You can also activate all cores using third-party programs. They require minimal user intervention and have a simple and intuitive interface. One of the popular utilities is CPU-Z.

The program allows for comprehensive configuration of hardware and software components:

Processor;
Cache;
Motherboard;
Memory;
System module parameters (Serial Presence Detect).

To enable all cores we need the CPU tab. The figure below shows the configuration display window in the CPU-Z application. At the bottom there is a Cores field, its value is the number of PC cores that operate at the same frequency. Enter the maximum number of processors in the field. Field Threads(threads) must be equal to Cores.Rice. 5 – main window of the CPU-Z application

After making changes, press the “OK” button. Turn off the program and restart the device.

Method 4 - AIDA64 program

Another good program for setting the number of cores used is AIDA64. Application Features:

Ability to view the hardware characteristics of a PC or laptop;
Generating reports on device operation;
Displaying the characteristics of the installed OS;
Ability to change processor usage parameters;
PC speed testing function.

First, look at how many cores are available in your PC. The information is located in the Multi CPU tab (on the left side of the window, select "System board" - "CPU"):

Rice. 6 – main window of the AIDA64 utility

turn on each of the cores. Restart the program and check if the processor activation has failed. This can happen due to a conflict between the program and the hardware components of the PC. You should repeat the setup again. All that's left is to repeat turn on the computer and enjoy its fast operation.

It is advisable to activate all cores if there is an urgent need to perform complex operations in the process of editing videos or to speed up the operation of video games.

If your computer is too slow without using all cores, this may indicate a failure in the OS. A set of actions should be carried out to optimize the operation of the operating system.

OS optimization

Computer optimization is actions that result in OS starts working faster, and errors occur less frequently. How to optimize Windows? This procedure is carried out the same way, regardless of the system version.

To speed up your browser and other programs, close unnecessary processes in the Device Manager window. And also clear the tab of unwanted software that starts when the OS is turned on and operates in the background.

Cleaning your hard drive of unnecessary files and other junk will help improve overall system performance. Go to the tab "My computer", click on the storage medium icon and open the properties window. Select "Disk Cleanup" and wait until the report on unnecessary files is generated. Clear all data by checking unnecessary fields.
Rice. 7 – Windows 7 optimization

Video instructions:

Many users find Windows operating systems not very flexible in terms of settings, overclocking and optimization. Fortunately, this is not entirely true and the OS can very well help increase computer performance. For example, if by default not all processor cores are used, you can use certain manipulations in the system to enable them all without using additional software.

Important information

Typically, the operating system itself determines the optimal number of cores that need to be used for its operation. Sometimes unused cores are connected automatically during high loads. Windows almost always uses all processor cores when the computer is running, the load is just distributed differently between them.

However, if you decide to use them all in operations such as turning on the computer and starting the OS, it is recommended that you check the temperature of the working cores before and after starting work. If the ball temperature was already high before the start, and after connecting it only increased, then it is recommended to return to the default settings.

Also pay attention to the stability of the system before and after work. Sometimes a computer may start slower, but more stable with one core, and when you connect more additional cores, the information processing speed will speed up, but stability may suffer. In this case, it would also be wiser to roll back to the default settings.

Stage 1: Find out the number of available cores

It is worth understanding that if the processor has only two cores, you will not be able to use four or more cores in the computer’s operation, so it is initially recommended to find out their available number. You can do this using the following instructions:

Similarly, you can view the number of processor cores using third-party software, for example, AIDA64. However, in this case, it would be more correct to use the functionality of Windows itself, since sometimes there are problems of this kind that AIDA64 (or other third-party software) sees only 4 cores, and Windows for some reason only 2.

Stage 2: Connecting all cores at startup

Typically, by default, the system will use all available cores while the computer is running. True, some may have a heavy load, while others may have a smaller load; also, at low loads, some cores may be completely turned off in order to save energy.

However, when you turn on your computer, only a limited amount of the processor's processing power can actually be used, which can make it somewhat slower to turn on. You can activate all the powers of the device when you turn it on directly from the operating system using these instructions:

Alternative method via BIOS

If for some reason you are unable to do everything as in the instructions above, you can use it to increase the number of cores responsible for loading the BIOS OS. In this case, it is advisable to exercise some caution, and if you are on friendly terms with your computer, then it is better not to use this method at all, so as not to accidentally mess up something in the settings.

The step-by-step instructions look like this:


Typically, all processor cores are used in one way or another while the computer is running, the only exception being when it is turned on. But even if you use all the CPU resources in this process, you won’t see much of an increase in performance during normal PC operation, the only thing is that it will load faster when turned on.