How to check the number of CPU cores on Windows

The number of processor cores your laptop has a direct impact on its ability to multitask and handle multi-threaded workloads like video editing, 3D rendering, and coding. One thing to keep in mind is the difference between ‘cores’ and ‘logical processors’.

Cores tends to refer to physical cores, the actual hardware that does the processing. Logical processors refers to how software like your operating system sees each of these physical cores.

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Cores often support a feature called simultaneous multi-threading (SMT) or hyper-threading (HT) which allows the operating system (Windows, Linux, etc.) to see each physical core as two logical processors.

SMT and HT are good features to have as they further boost the performance of your computer by using the physical cores more efficiently.

Here's how to check CPU cores on Windows

Step 1: Right-click on the taskbar and select ‘Task Manager’.

Step 2: Now open the ‘Performance’ tab and select CPU.

Step 3: Here you’ll see the name of your laptop’s processor, and at the bottom a table indicating the number of cores and logical processors in your laptop.

System performance isn’t determined just by the number of cores you have. The quantity and speed of your RAM, whether you’re using an SSD or not, and the tech in your CPU itself determine overall system performance.