Gaming with Hyperthreading

[Sudo Chocolate]

I do not fully understand hyper threading but I have been thinking of it as a single core allowing itself to do two processes and making it appear as two available (please correct me if I am wrong).

Basically I wondering how this would affect gaming performance in a game that can only utilize, let's say, four cores. If I have (again, example) an i7 with four cores and hyper threading, the game would only use four of the eight cores(threads). Right? So wouldn't it be more efficient to use no hyper threading? As I said, I am no expert and just curious.

[Comessy]

Linus made a video about this

 

 

Anyway most games do not use hyperthreading, that is why an i5 performs nearly as good as an i7

[TheSLSAMG]

Hyperthreading can and does affect gaming performance. This is the reason why Intel Core i3s are close to Intel Core i5s for some games. However, if you go from an i5 to an i7/Xeon, you arrive upon diminishing returns since most games today cannot take proper advantage of more than four cores or threads.

[Nexxus]

I used to thnk HT was 100% irrelivent in games. but if you have a dual core I THINK that it can absolutely benefit you.since its not uncommong for games to support 4 cores. Anything over though is unlikely to help you I seen a whole 1 extra fps in arma 3 with HT without it on my 4770k

[TheSLSAMG]

Linus made a video about this

 

 

Anyway most games do not use hyperthreading, that is why an i5 performs nearly as good as an i7

But if games don't use Hyper-Threading, then why do Intel Core i3s perform almost as well as Core i5s in some games?

[Comessy]

But if games don't use Hyper-Threading, then why do Intel Core i3s perform almost as well as Core i5s in some games?

 Maybe it does use hyperthreading on the i3s but not the i7s because most games use 4 cores?

[Delusional Phil]

But if games don't use Hyper-Threading, then why do Intel Core i3s perform almost as well as Core i5s in some games?

Noob answer from me : Because DX 12 isn't out yet and therefore the I5 is technically using 2 cores , the same as the I3 ( With the same clock speed to the I5 ) 

[fredrodregus]

if you have a four core, without hyperthreading, then one of the core has to take care of windows and background stuff, so you don't get a full four cores if you have hyperthreading on say an i7, then four cores can take care of the game, while the other virtual ones are enough to take care of windows most of the time, so you get an extra core most of the time.

[Aniallation]

But if games don't use Hyper-Threading, then why do Intel Core i3s perform almost as well as Core i5s in some games?

Games do use hyper-threading. It's just that most games don't use more then 4 threads.

[TheSLSAMG]

Games do use hyper-threading. It's just that most games don't use more then 4 threads.

I know, I was just questioning his logic.

[Opcode]

Windows identifies Hyper-Threads as logical cores. So even tho your CPU may have 4 cores and 8 threads Windows ultimately thinks you're running a 8 core CPU. From there the task scheduler can allocate software threads to each of them eight "cores". Games make use of Hyper-Threading because they too see the Hyper-Threads in the same context that Windows does. Although you usually don't see any major benefits of Hyper-Threading in games because the game logic isn't typically that heavily threaded.

[Enderman]

If I have (again, example) an i7 with four cores and hyper threading, the game would only use four of the eight cores(threads). Right? So wouldn't it be more efficient to use no hyper threading?

exactly, BUT if you have other programs running at the same time, hyperthreading will make a difference because they will have their own threads, instead of sharing a thread with your game