What is Hyper Threading and How Does It Work?

You might have heard the term Hyper Threading when talking about CPUs or Processors. People often use Hyper Threading to improve CPU performance. So, What is Hyper Threading and How Does It Work? Let’s discuss it in detail.

What is Hyper Threading?

First, you need to understand more about Processors to understand the concept of Hyper Threading.

You can read more on the Types of Processors, Cores, and Threads in this article: What is a CPU (Processor)?

Hyper Threading doubles the cores in your CPU Virtually. It means, that if you have a Dual-Core Processor, it will perform like a Quad-Core Processor by using Hyper Threading. 

Basically, a Processor has several cores on it that help you perform the tasks. So, the more cores you have, the more tasks you can do. 

However, Intel has introduced a new Technology called Threading, which is also called Hyper Threading Technology.

Now that you understand What is Hyper Threading, let’s understand How it works.

How does Hyper Threading work?

So, with the help of Hyper Threading Technology, we can divide the cores virtually, so that the CPU treats them as extra cores. Intel introduced this technology first, but it is also used by AMD to improve their Processors.

For Instance, the Intel i5 9400F has 6 cores and 6 threads. So, The 6 cores are divided by 6 threads, which makes it act as a 12-core processor. Similarly, the Intel i7 9700K has 8 cores and 8 threads, which makes it perform like a 16-core processor.

Note that Hyper Threading works well for smaller tasks like playing music, watching movies, copying files, etc. So, if you are playing Games, Rendering Graphics, or Editing Videos, the Hyper Threading Technology won’t make much improvement in the performance.

You can also check out our CPU Buying Guide.

Conclusion:

Hyper Threading does improve the Performance of your Processors. For example, an i5 processor with 6 cores and 6 threads can perform better than an i5 processor with 6 cores and no threads. But, it cannot perform better than an i7 processor with 8 cores and no threads. 

I hope you understand What is Hyper Threading and How Does It Work. It will help you choose a better CPU for your Computer.