How Do CPUs Use Multiple Cores?

A common piece of advice for PC gamers is that you don't need tons of cores - but why are games often unable to take advantage of CPUs with many cores in the first place?

[xorkatoss]

Linus 2016: Getting anything over 4 cores is overkill.
Linus 2019: 64 CORES 128 THREADS!

[landrew]

Time to update since 128+ cores is a thing now. Thanks AMD

[TheMasonX]

As a game developer (specifically a programmer), I'll definitely confirm that designing an algorithm or workload to efficiently take advantage of parallel processing is far more difficult than traditional serial processing. In addition to designing around parts being split up into separately processable chunks, there's also a lot more technical hurdles when actually implementing it like making things thread safe, preventing race conditions (so the order they finish doesn't potentially break things). It's awesome in theory, and great when you can do it, but it's a lot harder in reality, especially with current setups that are often ill-equipped to deal with this.

[albertovicinanza]

"Forty cores, well maybe not that one"
One year later AMD launches a 32 core CPU.

[rithvikgogineni]

2016 Linus: 40 core not possible
2021 Linus: 64 core isn't bad

[ManoloDubidubi]

"40 cores... maybe not the last one" -> Lisa Su: Hold my tea.

[UnrealPandaRE]

“getting anything above a 4core is overkill“
-me with a boxed 12 core 3900x in hand
Uhhhh about that.

[dstrix]

Honestly linus, I already know 99% of what you go over in these videos, but I still watch them whenever they show up in my "recommended videos" section, half because sometimes they're the best way to share a link and explain something complicated to a friend, and half because I just enjoy your explanations for unexplainable reasons (mostly, I'm a dork)... keep it up man, much respect, love the empire you've been building and I'm looking forward to seeing how far you can take it!

[allipse]

"40 Cores... Maybe not the last one"
2020: Hahaha

[StefanVeenstra]

So I misheard, I try paralyzing the CPU and now it's crippled to the core.

[eclipse.._..]

Linus:40 cores not that one
3 years later:there is a 64 core cpu

[Austin-His_Lordship]

Linus 2016: getting anything over 4 cores is overkill
Linus 2022 (yesterday): after this build we will have 512 cores.

[Ali]

Watching this in 2019 makes me laugh! XD 4:08

[shahidilhan]

hertz and processor speed as fast as possible

[spencercrowder]

LTT commenters on techquickie vids in 2020:
"things different now"

[SangoProductions]

I love how he says "paralyzed" instead of "parallelized"

[AMaleAlicorn]

Actually at 40 cores now, AMD stealing linus' ideas confirmed.

[Catishcat]

40 cores? Pfft, you did 44 cores 88 threads...

[Macusercom]

1:48 Linus seems to get ill as his face turns blue xD

[Twisted]

4 cores is enough he says... Ha! I’ll be getting a 16c/32t his summer with Ryzen.