What does the number of cores in a laptop affect?

Modern laptop models have 2 or more cores, however, many PC users still do not know what it is and what it is needed for. On the World Wide Web, it is easy to find a huge amount of information about the principles of computer operation.

Unfortunately, professional vocabulary is often found in such articles, and the narrative style itself is difficult to understand for an ordinary user without qualifications in the field of computer technology. Therefore, let’s try to explain in simple terms why a computer needs cores and how many of them are needed.

What does the number of laptop cores mean and what do they affect?

Many buyers follow the principle “the more the merrier”, however, in this case this is not entirely correct. You should choose a laptop based on the tasks you plan to perform on it. In simple terms, one core is capable of performing one task without compromising speed and performance. Thus, a 4-core computer can simultaneously perform four actions, including downloading files, watching videos and listening to music, working in video, photo and text editors and much more.
However, there is another characteristic to consider, which is called clock speed. Its value is divided equally between all cores. It follows that the more clock speeds one has, the faster and more efficiently it performs its task.For this reason, it is not always beneficial to chase a large number when each of them has a minimum clock speed.

Reference! If you do not need to use a large number of programs simultaneously, then you should give your preference to 2 or 4 core processors, where each of them has a higher clock frequency.

There are two types of cores in a laptop: physical and logical. The manufacturer divides physical ones into two or more logical ones, which work worse. Therefore, you should not assume that a 16-core processor works 4 times better than its 4-core brother. Thus, it is worth choosing a laptop wisely, carefully studying all the technical characteristics of the device.