Is there a way to force hyper threading?

[kajunchicken]

Alright, I'm probably gunna sound like a noob asking this question but oh well.
I have a phenom II x4 and I'm wondering, is there any way to make windows think it's an eight core? You know, the i7's do the same thing with hyperthreading.

First off don't bash me, I know the i7's hyperthreading is built into the processor itself at a hardware and BIOS level. But shouldn't there be a way for Windows to implement it at a software level?

Secondly, don't say, "why do you want to do that it's poinless!"
I know that there is no real world benefit from hyperthreading. I'm just bored and want to boost my benchmarks.

 

[FlintIronStagg]

no.
chance.

 

[Brett928S2]

Hi

No, not unless you own AMD....lol

All the best Brett

 

[socialfox]

I don't know anyway of doing that but if you are wanting to improve benchmark scores then you should overclock your CPU.

 

[kajunchicken]

Yup kinda what I figured, it just seemed like something that could be done through software. Guess not though.

My problem with overclocking is that the original CPU cooler that I bought didn't fit in my case so I had to use the stock one... That means I'm running my x4 on the x2's cooler. I already overclocked it to 3.3 Ghz at 1.4v. I haven't even run a stability test on the overclock because I'm afraid it's gunna overheat lol.

Running a 160 watt CPU on a 65 watt cooler... not exactly a great idea.

 

[socialfox]

You sure your not getting throttling while gaming and stuff? That probably created your desire for finding a way of forcing hyper threading due to slowness, may want to replace the cooler, if you need help just post your computer case and we will find you a suitable cooler. Don't forget to state your budget range.

 

[kajunchicken]

It doesn't throttle, I checked that out because I thought the same thing as you. CPU never gets above 50-52 during CPU heavy games which is way below the 65C limit of AMD computers.

Seeing as I don't have any throttling I won't be buying a new cooler until I get a new processor. Last time I ripped 3 pins out of my CPU replacing the cooler. Not exactly the smartest thing I ever did.

 

[socialfox]

Well, the next time you remove your heatsink best if you twist the cooler rather than pulling it out directly.

 

[InvalidError]

Yup kinda what I figured, it just seemed like something that could be done through software. Guess not though.

Hyperthreading is very much a hardware thing.

The difference between an HT CPU and non-HT CPU is that the CPU presents itself as having twice as many cores to the OS when HT is enabled. All the logical cores look exactly the same as far as the OS and software are concerned. What happens internally is that each physical core holds two execution contexts (threads) and can issue mixes of instructions pulled from either context to the core's execution units.

At the extreme end of the SMT (simultaneous multi-threading) spectrum, you have CPUs like the UltraSparc T2/3/4 which are capable of juggling eight threads per physical core, four times as many as Intel's HT.

 

[kajunchicken]

The difference between an HT CPU and non-HT CPU is that the CPU presents itself as having twice as many cores to the OS when HT is enabled. All the logical cores look exactly the same as far as the OS and software are concerned. What happens internally is that each physical core holds two execution contexts (threads) and can issue mixes of instructions pulled from either context to the core's execution units.

Yup I know how processors "tell" the BIOS that they have eight cores instead of four... But I was thinking, couldn't you "tell" Windows your processor has 8 cores. Shouldn't the processor still be able to mush two thread into one core without any type of architecture change?

The reason I was thinking this is because the i5 and the i7 have the same basic architecture, the i7 just has hyperthreading enabled. Shouldn't this mean that the i5 should technically be able to hyperthread; if you could "hack" the processor and enable it?

 

[InvalidError]

Yup I know how processors "tell" the BIOS that they have eight cores instead of four... But I was thinking, couldn't you "tell" Windows your processor has 8 cores. Shouldn't the processor still be able to mush two thread into one core without any type of architecture change?

For the CPU to do simultaneous multi-threading, it needs to be capable of simultaneously managing multiple IP pointers, multiple sets of data pointers, multiple sets of data registers, multiple sets of debug registers, etc. In other words, multiple concurrent execution contexts. Without the physical capabilities present and enabled in the CPU, it is impossible.

If you tell the OS you have eight cores when the CPU is physically capable of holding only four contexts, the OS will either crash or run into exceptions while attempting to initialize non-existent cores and ignore them.

While the i5 most likely does have the physical circuitry, it is factory-disabled by Intel through fuse bits or other similar non-reversible technique.

 

[kajunchicken]

Best answer selected by kajunchicken.

 

[kajunchicken]

^ Good answer. I like how Intel actually disables features (like more cores, etc.) unlike AMD that basically doesn't care. More money lets you do what you want I guess.