cpu cores
cpu cores
I'm working on choosing components for my first PC build. I currently have an Intel i5 8600K and run several programs at once. Eventually, the CPU usage hits 100% and programs stop working. I'm considering upgrading to a 9800X3D or 9700X but want to know if this would still cause issues. I'm unsure if I need more cores than my current 6-core setup or if there are specific CPU specs to focus on. Any advice would be appreciated.
The problem lies more in CPU efficiency than core count. The i5 8600K offers six cores without HyperThreading. The 9700X and 9800X3D provide eight cores with Simultaneous Multi-Threading, AMD's equivalent of HT. Their individual speed boosts overall performance significantly. Under heavy loads, they’re roughly three times faster than the 8600K when fully utilized. You can still achieve maximum performance regardless of core count. The key concern is how these tasks will actually perform. Which activities push the 8600K to its limits?
Using 100% CPU should never cause a crash. The benefit of more or faster cores depends on the software you're running. Check if it can handle additional cores, if it mainly relies on one core, or somewhere in between. The best approach is to review benchmarks for your specific program to determine its performance characteristics.
Basic idea, adding more cores usually helps. Unless the software or PC has issues, crashes shouldn’t happen unless programs are faulty or RAM is the problem. Try the Cinebench multicore test and Prime95 small FTTs to check.
Thanks for the responses. The RAM is currently at 90% to 100%, but I plan to upgrade it for the new setup. Mostly I’ll use several browsers with open tabs and a video player running in the background, along with some files being processed. I didn’t want to purchase a new PC and keep facing the same issue, so I’d prefer investing more in additional cores if needed.
Lack of system RAM might cause crashes, especially without swap space. Moving files depends more on disk speed than CPU power. Running many browser tabs isn’t usually CPU-heavy, unless the sites use a lot of scripts. Video playback should mostly run on the GPU, as long as it’s recent enough and supported by the codec. You’ll likely need more powerful cores than just a few. X3D works best for games, not general use, so an 8-core processor is sufficient.