TestOut LabSim A+ Certification Practice Exam

Which feature on Intel chips allows a single processor to run two threads in parallel?

1. Hyper-threading

2. Turbo Boost

3. Multi-core Processing

4. Cache Memory

The correct answer is: Hyper-threading

Hyper-threading is a technology developed by Intel that enables a single physical processor core to behave like two separate logical processors. This allows the operating system to manage and schedule multiple threads for execution simultaneously. By doing so, hyper-threading improves overall CPU utilization and efficiency, as the processor can fill idle cycles by executing instructions from two different threads instead of waiting for one thread to complete. When hyper-threading is enabled, each core can independently handle and process thread workloads, which can significantly enhance performance in multi-threaded applications. This capability is particularly beneficial in tasks such as video encoding, 3D rendering, and running virtual machines, where multiple threads can be executed in parallel, effectively doubling the number of threads that the CPU can manage at a time. In contrast, Turbo Boost is a dynamic performance-scaling feature that allows a processor to run faster than its base clock speed when the workload demands it, but it doesn't increase the number of threads processed simultaneously. Multi-core processing refers to having multiple cores on a chip, which can run multiple processes in parallel but does not specifically allow a single core to handle two threads simultaneously. Cache memory serves as a high-speed storage area that stores frequently accessed data, but it does not directly relate to threading capabilities.