Hyper-Threading Hyperthreading HT H.T.

[matt4x4]

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Tell me what HT is good for?

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Exaggerated Usage Pattern

- Lets say I have 90 internet web pages open, in 9 windows and 10 tabs in each window. No flash or video playing, except for one internet tab of Youtube to listen to tunes while I multi-task. I am not editing no videos. I have a 2 to 3 pictures open and I am using a program called IrfanView to convert to 500KB size maybe throw some text and lines onto the picture. Perhaps I am working on a Word document as well and I have Windows Mail open and casually typing an email and throwing in my 500KB pictures.

Would HT help me?

Now we start adding more. Add to that situation above, an online game such as World of Tanks (which I believe is a single core game). Same question, would HT help me?

Maybe throw in an antivirus that is running. I usually run them when I am sleeping, but the same question, would HT help me?

Perhaps a super fast CPU speed is better, maybe a 1GHz increase from an average 3GHz CPU speed. Maybe a larger cache size, and more RAM.

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On HT, from what I've read, its better to have more cores and more L3 cache.
HT is good for editing.

HT has no effect on games.
An overclocked i5 6600K outperforms a stock i7 6700.

CPU's with HT
i3 Dual Core --HAS-- HT
i5 Quad Core --DOES NOT HAVE-- HT except i5 6xx series and mobile i5's.
i7 Quad Core --HAS-- HT

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From this website (**I am guesing that M is mobile**)
http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/architecture-and-technology/hyper-threading/hyper-threading-technology.html

Intel® HT Technology is available on the Intel® Core™ processor family, the Intel® Core™ M processor family, and the Intel® Xeon® processor family.

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All from (**I just use the find feature on Mozilla FireFox**)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Intel_microprocessors

32-bit processors: NetBurst microarchitecture
Pentium 4
0.13 μm process technology Northwood B (2.26, 2.4, 2.53, 2.66, 2.8, 3.06 GHz)

533 MHz system bus. (3.06 includes Intel's Hyper-Threading technology).

0.13 μm process technology Northwood C (2.4, 2.6, 2.8, 3.0, 3.2, 3.4 GHz)

800 MHz system bus (all versions include Hyper-Threading)
6500 to 10,000 MIPS

Pentium 4E - Hyper-Threading support is only available on CPUs using the 800 MHz system bus.

Pentium Extreme Edition
Dual-core microprocessor
Enabled Hyper-Threading

Intel Pentium
Clarkdale – 32 nm process technology
G6950 – 2.8 GHz (no Hyper-Threading)[7]

Core i5
Clarkdale – 32 nm process technology

650/655K – 3.2 GHz Hyper-Threading Turbo Boost
660/661 – 3.33 GHz Hyper-Threading Turbo Boost
670 – 3.46 GHz Hyper-Threading Turbo Boost
680 – 3.60 GHz Hyper-Threading Turbo Boost


Core i7 - Hyper-Threading is again included.

Xeon
Gainestown – 45 nm process technology
Hyper-Threading is included in some models

 

[Ecky]

HT can affect games - plenty of benchmarks show Core i7's greatly outperforming Core i5's.

For instance, in Battlefield 4, the i7 2600K outperforms the i5 4690K significantly, despite having something like a 25% IPC disadvantage:

The most simplified way of explaining hyperthreading is by saying allows for a core to work on two separate tasks at once. Having a core do two tasks that use different resources (e.g. multitasking) can show gains approaching 100%. In tasks where all cores are fully loaded doing the same thing, benefits are more modest - closer to 25-35%.

 

[matt4x4]

I dont play many games. Just online World of Tanks on the PC. I cant stand the point of view shoot 'em up games, Doom type (aging myself), its hard on my eyes. I might get into basic racing type games. But the most is chess and some basic online flash games. Desktop Tower Defense 1.5 is a lemmings/maze type game that tends to lag and slow down hugely when I am multi-tasking. Also I used to play the old classic Sim City type game. Those type of games.

I understand the basics of HT. Just wondering if my usage pattern would help with HT. 2 core w/HT, or 4 core w/o HT, or 4 core w/HT.
Averaged out this is my usage pattern - 3 windows, with 10 internet pages. Online forums like TomsHardware, 4x4 forums, Electric forums, no video/no flash, wikipedia, corperate websites like Intel, BestBuy, online classifieds like Kijiji and Craigslist, Newegg. Splash in some MS Word and Excel, Windows Mail would be open too. Maybe have some pictures open, and IrFanView. Then like a o/s game like Chess, Hearts.

Then when I get really into it, I would have a Youtube page open to listen to music.
Then I would have World of Tanks open but not playing, I would Alt-Tab out to desktop multitask. Then jump back in and play a game or 2. Then jump out and multi-task. Normally with my system so Old I wouldnt have flash going, no youtube. But if I want to upgrade would HT help.

 

[Ecky]

Honestly, a Core i3 would probably suit your needs very nicely. For mixed usage, a Core i3 can feel very close to an i5 with 4 real cores.

EDIT: Given that it's an older CPU, not a brand new i3, I'd probably go for an i7 myself. They're so inexpensive, that why not?

 

[k1114]

Your tasks hardly use the cpu at all. You may have a lot of things open but they are idling so just ram usage. In fact I still have a core 2 duo that will multitask like that with world of tanks.

This isn't really about if ht will help, it's about do you need more multithreaded performance. Cores are better performance than ht and the price of the cpu will reflect that. An i3 will be less performance and price than an i5 of the same gen. Your usage will be fine on an i3. You'd be better off with a ssd too.

 

[matt4x4]

Well I am looking at refurbished desktop units now, with the o/s and Office already on. Then I get their MS codes, wipe/format HD and reinstall.
Most have W7, some 8 and some 10. Its about price point for me, $150-$250 CAD ($110 - $170USD). Im currently looking at online classifieds.
Just hunting for i3/i5/i7/Xeon/P4 in high speeds. But would stick to the i-series.

Already got a SSD.

 

[Ecky]

If you're going that route, get it before the end of the month. Windows 10 (which is definitely superior to 7 and 8) is a free upgrade until the start of August.

 

[k1114]

P4 as in pentium 4? Stay away from them. $50 is lowest people usually go before they get thrown out and rock bottom is core 2 right now. I know in the US $150 gets a 2nd gen i5. You may have to go with a 1st gen i5, 750 and 760 are quad core.

 

[matt4x4]

How is this ad for $300 Canadian or $225 USD. Has W10 or W7 with Office and an i7 SandyBridge which can run "on par" with the newer CPU's, so someone typed in another thread here on TomsHardware.


"Intel Core i7-2600 processor, 3.40 GHz 8MB cache 1333 memory 4GB, Quad-Core HT, Intel HD Graphics 2000, vPro"

 

[k1114]

It seems about the same as what I find on ebay. It's not really on par with modern cpus, games maybe but not on other tasks. There's nearly a 20% ipc increase to skylake. But as said, your tasks are low demand so won't notice it.

 

[synphul]

As k1114 pointed out most of those tasks are using bursts from the cpu then the cpu is idling while they reside in ram. An i3 (modern like 4th or 6th gen) or an i5 would likely work just fine. The mobile i5's are in fact hyper threaded as are mobile i7's but both are typically low power (U series) dual core with ht. In other words fancy names for essentially an i3 on a desktop. Hyper threading can add a bit of a boost to the existing cores but in itself isn't a performance booster by default.

If comparing a pentium g (dual core no ht) to an i3 (dual core with ht) then yes ht has an advantage. Even though a desktop i5 doesn't have ht it surpasses an i3 because instead of splitting 2 threads per core it has a dedicated core to each of the 4 threads. Physical cores trump hyperthreading in that instance.

More ram would be a benefit (say around 16gb) and a fast system drive like an ssd would be more significant for the type of tasks you're talking about. Ht is typically for heavily threaded high demand workloads like video editing or encoding rather than switching back and forth between a bunch of low demand tasks.

When doing say video encoding you're talking about a sustained workload, it will be converting the video for an extended period of time. 10 straight minutes, 30, an hour or two. Unlike typing a few words, clicking a different window for another application, that sort of thing. The workload is so light the cpu will process it and back to idle within seconds.

Many av's run realtime these days, doing a quick scan of files as they're moved, opened and so forth. If doing a full disk scan from beginning to end then much of it will depend on your drive speed. The cpu can't process any faster than it can read data from the drive and the drive (even ssd's) are typically the slowest of all devices save for a cd/dvd player. Ram is faster than a hdd/ssd, so is the cache on the cpu. If you're doing the scan when sleeping then it really shouldn't matter too much unless you have a massive drive. Drives can only be scanned so fast and read speed will have the most effect there.

 

[matt4x4]

Yeah, I bought an SSD and re-installed the OEM Vista.

I did read about the HT in the laptop i5. I just want a laptop to d/l videos and music and listen/watch. Camping and airplane and such.
Keeping the desktop clean. I never really get no virus'

Thats a cheaper option then going i7 just to get HT. Maybe use the laptop with a monitor and keyboard. I just got another idea to research.
Be better then my current 2008 system. Anyways I am just thinking out loud and typing it. I tend to procrastinate. I want the best bang for the buck. I can be a cheap skate. I want a $5000 i7 system for $50, you know what I mean. Even though I wouldnt even utilize the system.

I just love having 1000000000 web pages open. Like now, just closing it all down, with youtube cranked.

I got a plan, Im gunna throw in some more RAM into the old desktop. Transfer it all over to the SSD.
Then buy an i5 desktop either from an online classifieds kijiji or newegg.ca.

Is my thought of having W7 illogical?
Is the W10 security issue over-blown?

I just hate being tracked. You know what I mean. But I dont go out of my way. Just using DuckDuckGO. I know Yahoo tracks us too. But Google and Gmail are bad. I will stop blabbing.