CPU/GPU How to set # of threads to use

[TI Master]

Is there a way to configure the number of threads DVDFab will use? I was doing some conversions and noticed that it only seemed to spawn 12 threads, and since I am using hyperthreading, all 12 were on the same processor. (I was able to see one CPU get really warm, and the other stayed cool and idle). As I have a second hexcore processor, if there were a way to distribute the threads across the 2 processors I would assume I would get faster performance. Alternately, if I told it to use 24 threads, I would assume I'd get the same benefit.

[signals]

What is your CPU/OS? DVDFab uses all 8 threads and 4 cores of my i7-Q820 equally (within a few percent). It did the same on my older Core 2 Duo.

I am moving your thread to General Questions.

[TI Master]

I am running Windows 7 x64, I have two CPU's, Intel Xeon X5680's. I'm a bit curious if DVDFab has a ceiling on the # of threads or something along those lines. Would also be happy to test any future version that might address this issue

[DharmaBummed69]

I apologize for jumping in here. How exactly can you tell how many threads DVDFab is using? Just out of curiousty.

[90312]

Open the task manager and click the performance tab. It will tell you a lot of things about your system and the process.

[DharmaBummed69]

Cool. Thanks for the reply.

[90312]

Be advised that the threads show in task manager may not be what they are talking about? In fact I'm pretty sure it's not.

[DharmaBummed69]

Noted. Thank you anyway.

[TI Master]

It sort of is, if I open task manager and pull up the performance tab, I get 24 graphs, half of which stay completely idle, while the first half of them show up to 100% activity during conversion. The total CPU utilization stays at around 50% max. Pulling up CPU-Z and other utilities, I can determine that CPU#0 is getting all the threads and heating up, while CPU #1 gets none of them and stays cool and idle.

I think my next experiment will be to run two instances of DVDFAB and see if the second one gets shifted to the second CPU.

[TI Master]

well scratch that, they don't seem to play nice running at the same time

[90312]

That’s what I wasn’t sure of, if the virtual processor would open a CPU usage history graph or not. I don’t have HT capability. I’ve been reading up on HT’s comeback of late and your processor is dynamically scalable, it adjusts itself to the workload. Maybe two instances will bump that other CPU?

[TI Master]

Ok, based on further testing. It appears that I get limited to 12 encoding threads plus an additional 6 threads, probably decoders, that use a lot less CPU. I still get nowhere near full CPU utilization, even when both the source and destination files are on fast, separate, RAID arrays.

[TI Master]

I would add to this that the encoding threads that are spawned are running at 100% CPU Core. But I still have all these other cores sitting there idle. So my original question still stands, is there a way to increase the number of cores/threads being used to max out my CPUs?

[StormJumper]

I would add to this that the encoding threads that are spawned are running at 100% CPU Core. But I still have all these other cores sitting there idle. So my original question still stands, is there a way to increase the number of cores/threads being used to max out my CPUs?

to use all the cores in your CPU on startup, after the OS takes over from the BIOS. the default is 1

Go to Start Menu-> Search-> Type "msconfig"-> Boot-> Advanced options-> Check the number of Processors box, and select 2, 3 or 4, depending on if your running a dual, tri or quad core CPU.
click OK-> Apply. Restart and you done

[TI Master]

Ok, but how do I get DVDFab to use more cores?

I have other multicore software (some of them benchmark ones) that max all 24 virtual cores when running. I have 12 physical cores plus hyperthreading. Windows already sees all of them and utilizes all of them.