How multi-cores are used?

[StorkNest]

Yesterday had a tech here to check possible issues with the internet. While showing him something on my computer, he took a look at the Performance tab in Task Manager and we saw this:

The tech does not understand why the first core shows near max usage while the second is almost flat. Personally I am curious myself especially with nothing running. I know there are background services that can be seen under the Processes tab, still I trimmed that down to the mandatory stuff. By comparison, I know someone's computer that runs more Processes, uses an older Athlon chip, has Win XP (I use Vista) and does not have this much core usage.

I will see spikes of activity on the second core when doing something like browsing the web. But it doesn't explain why would the first core be near max like this?

 

[whitepass]

You should see no more that 1% to 2% at the most, mostly 0% so you have something running.

 

[clam1952]

Have a look in resource monitor and see what's using all that CPU time only using 1% here with Firefox running

 

[JackDownUnder]

Here is a multi-processor just after start up with Firefox, Outlook & ACAD running.

Click here

 

[itareus]

...The tech does not understand...

Thats true ...

Basically it does not matter which core of the CPU is doing the work, the idea is to spread the load.

If you want to see what's running have a look at Task Manager (right click toolbar and select Task Manager) switch to the "Processes" tab and click the "CPU" column header once, so that you get a down triangle above the "CPU" letters in that column. The process at the top is the one using the most CPU cycles, if that piece of software is set up to use multiple cores then it comes down to how the software overall handles the distribution of processor cycles.

Edit: Reading your initial post again I agree with Whitepass, there must be something running (in Vista and using IE I'm using about 1% overall, spread among 4 cores - if you check processes (as above) and find nothing then there is a way of finding, and changing, the startup settings. It can be a bit complex so I won't go into it now.

No need to bang you head on the wall about this, just regard it as one of lifes little mysteries !

 

[johnwhelan]

Yesterday had a tech here to check possible issues with the internet. While showing him something on my computer, he took a look at the Performance tab in Task Manager and we saw this:


The tech does not understand why the first core shows near max usage while the second is almost flat. Personally I am curious myself especially with nothing running. I know there are background services that can be seen under the Processes tab, still I trimmed that down to the mandatory stuff. By comparison, I know someone's computer that runs more Processes, uses an older Athlon chip, has Win XP (I use Vista) and does not have this much core usage.

I will see spikes of activity on the second core when doing something like browsing the web. But it doesn't explain why would the first core be near max like this?

Sort the processes tab by cpu. Many applications only run single core they have to be specially written to run multi-core. If you have a single core malware that might give these sort of results. I'd run a full scan on the machine. The Microsoft security suite usually does a reasonable job.

I'm surprised that your technical person doesn't understand this stuff. Two single core programs will run on separate cores by the way the operating system is responsible for distributing the load.

Cheerio John

 

[StorkNest]

Well, here's the Processes list first with nothing running:

And with Google Chrome running, 2 tabs open:

Don't know why running Chrome with 2 tabs open shows 5 times on the list but there it is.
Nothing on the list can be turned off, all of it is needed. This is all I see that could be running on 1 core, when Chrome has been open, I have seen some spikes on the second core but the point the tech made was that when nothing is running on the desktop, all activity should not be on the first core and maxing it out. For reference, the processor is a E2200, 2.2Ghz, 1MB L2 Cache, 800 Mhz FSB and the BIOS shows both cores Enabled.

 

[itareus]

Click the "Show processes from all users" button, sort the CPU column and see what is shown running then.

 

[JCitron]

I would suspect that there's something not Kosher on the system. Sometimes malware can hide from the task manager making it appear that nothing is there. There is also malware that can hid within syshost processes.

Try running these two programs and see what they have to show. Run both as Administrator.

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb896645 ---- Process Monitor.

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb896653 ---- This is like task manager and will actually show the contents of your syshost files by hovering over them.

John

 

[StorkNest]

Click the "Show processes from all users" button, sort the CPU column and see what is shown running then.

That answered a lot.

 

[spikesignal]

Don't know why running Chrome with 2 tabs open shows 5 times on the list...

That's because one process is for the whole browser, each tab has its own process and the browser expansions run in their own processes. Additionally there is a GPU-Process. You can use Shift+Esc in chrome to access its own task manager.

Sorry if this was unrelated to this thread, just pointed this out.

 

[bendorsey]

Hi Folks:

Forgive my ignorence but how to you get to that Windows Task Manager screen?

Thanks,

Ben

 

[JCitron]

Hi Folks:

Forgive my ignroence but how to you get to that Windows Task Manager screen?

Thanks,

Ben

Hi Ben,

Here are three of the easiest ways to run task manager.

1) Right-Click on the taskbar where you minimized applications are located. Choose Task Manager.

2) If you can't get to the taskbar, but DON'T WANT to kill your application, press Ctrl+ESC at the same time.

3) And finally if everything is stuck, press CTRL+DEL. This can have dire consequences with graphics applications though, that's why it's best to choose the first two methods.

John

 

[bendorsey]

Thanks John:

Worked right off the bat from your first suggested method.

1 to 2 % usage and 2.23 Gb but why do I have 8 windows on top and one below whereas the screenies above only have 2 and 1? I have a nice computer but I didn't think it was that fancy, lol.


Ben
Ben

 

[ulmer94]

You have enough cores (8), then, to be able to handle Trainz well and ANYTHING else at the same time (or should)!! You sure it isn't that fancy? Unless you have trash for a graphics card....

 

[bendorsey]

I have an Alienware Aurora Tower (guess it was worth the big bucks, lol).

My old gateway (which was the top of the line model at the time) used to take 5 or more minutes to re-make the cache files. This takes about 20 seconds so I guess it was $$$ well spent.

Thanks,

Ben

 

[Robert2d6]

You have enough cores (8), then, to be able to handle Trainz well and ANYTHING else at the same time (or should)!! You sure it isn't that fancy? Unless you have trash for a graphics card....

The only time multicores are really utilized, is when the software is written for a multicore machine, which Trainz is not. Otherwise it runs like it would on a single core but just divides the single core processing to the available cores, so if you have a 4 core machine, each core gets 1/4 of the data to process.

 

[johnwhelan]

The only time multicores are really utilized, is when the software is written for a multicore machine, which Trainz is not. Otherwise it runs like it would on a single core but just divides the single core processing to the available cores, so if you have a 4 core machine, each core gets 1/4 of the data to process.

I'm not quite certain what you are trying to say. TRS2004, TRS2006, TC3 all ran on a single core, TS2009 and later will take advantage of more than one core.

Cheerio John

 

[whitepass]

so if you have a 4 core machine, each core gets 1/4 of the data to process.

That almost never happens.