Core parking is a feature that has been part of the Windows OS since 2008, and it’s been a hot subject for a few years now.
However, many users still don’t fully comprehend what it does and how it affects their systems.
Many users, especially gamers, who are looking for a performance boost on their PCs have been questioning if unparking the CPU cores can help them achieve that.
Is it likely to increase the FPS and stabilize their computers to have fewer fps drops and shutters?
This article will tell you everything you need to know about core parking, how to unpark cores, and if it has any advantages.
What Does Unparking Cores Do?
Unparking cores modifies a few power management settings, so the OS never parks cores, and all the cores will be 100% in use all the time.
It seems logical to assume that unparking cores will result in better responsiveness and better performance.
However, some people have reported different results from unparking their CPU cores.
Some reported a 20% increase in the FPS rate, and some didn’t see any significant changes.
Whether or not it has a good effect on your system depends on multiple factors: Windows version, CPU generation, and the apps and games you’re using.
Unparking CPU cores will result in a boost in system performance if you’re using older Windows versions, like Windows 7.
That’s because the older versions weren’t smart enough to handle core parking flawlessly.
You’re likely to experience a massive increase in fps if you unpark cores with Windows 7 or older.
However, Windows 10 is an advanced OS capable of knowing when to park and unpark CPU cores.
As a result, unparking cores won’t have a noticeable effect on system responsiveness and FPS.
It may help you decrease lags in games, though.
Lags and stutters happen in the time Windows unparks cores to solve the issues, and manually unparking them will save you that time.
The same goes for old CPUs.
Unparking cores will affect the performance more if your CPU isn’t new and responsive.
As for apps and games, many of them rely on the CPU more than the others.
Moreover, many of them are poorly optimized and tuned, which negatively interfaces with Windows, resulting in a badly constructed parking/unparking process.
That’s why you may experience a considerable increase in FPS with some games and no visible change with the others.
Since there are multiple determining factors, you’ll have to try unparking cores for yourself and monitor their effects.
It’s a good idea to benchmark some games before and after unparking to see the results.
After all, you’ve got nothing to lose!
What Are The Drawbacks Of Unparking CPU Cores?
As mentioned before, parked cores draw little to no power.
Unparking CPU cores will result in all your CPU cores working simultaneously and non-stop.
The first drawback that you should expect is higher power consumption.
As a result of long working times, you can also experience higher CPU temperatures.
Overheating can result in FPS drops and eventually damage to the components if not fixed on time.
Moreover, running the CPU continuously while it’s overheating will shorten its lifespan to a great extent.
Is It Safe To Unpark CPU Cores? Should I Do It?
There’s nothing wrong with all CPU cores working together.
After all, they’re designed that way.
However, it matters how you use them and how much you push them.
For instance, if you use your PC for long hours at a time, or if you’ve already experienced overheating issues while idle, unparking CPU cores might not be safe.
However, if power consumption isn’t an issue for you, and if your CPU has a capable CPU cooler unit, then unparking the cores couldn’t hurt!
What Is Core Parking?
Let’s go through the history of CPUs and explain the revolution that eventually led to the core parking function.
Consumer CPUs had low power sleep states for a very long while.
The low power states controlled the whole CPU and ordered it to pause execution along with other PC components from time to time.
This so-called “power-saving method” wasn’t efficient at all.
Fast forward to when multi-core CPUs were introduced, a new power-saving method was developed.
The low power states didn’t stop the whole CPU from working anymore.
Instead, they paused each core’s execution collectively.
Although this power management method was a significant improvement, the cores marked as idle were still drawing power.
A while later, a better power-saving mechanism known as core parking was developed.
Core parking lets the Operating System put a core into sleep mode or completely shut it off to no longer perform any tasks.
The cores will end up drawing little to no power.
Whenever necessary, the OS will wake the previously parked cores up and fully load them.
The scheduler and the Processor Power Management (PPM) engine work together to adjust the number of unparked cores available for running threads.
How To Check If Any CPU Cores Are Parked
Before you start to unpark your CPU cores, let’s first check if any of them are parked:
- Right-click on the Windows logo and choose Task Manager.
- Select the CPU tab and then click on the Open Resource Monitor link.
- Now, you’ll see your CPU cores on the right side, and if any of them are parked, you’ll see “Parked” written next to or under the core number.
- You can also use the Unpark CPU app to check the number of parked CPU cores:
- Download, install, and launch the app.
- Click on the Check Status button.
- After some time, it’ll show you the parking status of your cores.
How To Unpark CPU Cores
Now, if you’d like to unpark your cores, you can do it either through Windows or using third-party tools.
Note: If you’re a laptop user, remove the laptop battery and use it with the power cable connected to the outlet when unparking cores.
1. Using The Windows Registry Editor
- Hit the Windows+R key on the keyboard to open up the Run box.
- Type “Regedit” in the box and hit Enter.
- Once you get the Windows Registry Editor open, select the Edit tab and then click on Find.
- Copy and paste this text “0cc5b647-c1df-4637-891a-dec35c318583” into the search box.
- Check the box next to Match whole string only and then select Find Next.
- You’ll arrive at a new page where you only need to edit the Value Max and Value Min options.
- Double-click the Value Max and change the value in the Value data box to “0.”
- Do the same for Value Min and change its value to “0.”
- Reboot your system.
2. Using The CPU Unparking Tool
The Unpark CPU is one of the apps made for unparking your CPU cores by doing the registry edit for you automatically.
- Download the CPU Unparking Tool program, extract it, and install the UnparkCPU.exe file.
- Once the app opens, click on the Check Status button.
- Once you see all your parked CPU cores, click on the Unpark All button, and you’re done.
- Reboot your system and launch the app again to check if all the CPU cores are unparked now.
3. Using Quick CPU
Quick CPU is another handy app developed by CoderBag for unparking your CPU cores easily.
Before you start, be aware that the application requires .NET Framework 4.6.1 software.
If you haven’t installed this software on your system yet, download it from the Microsoft website.
- Download and extract the .zip file and install the .exe file.
- Once you open the app, you’ll see a window with all your CPU cores, showing their status and whether or not they’re parked.
- You’ll see the System power plan option under the Power Data tab. Choose the power plan for which you need the CPU cores to be unparked.
- At the bottom of the page, there should be a Core parking option with a slider.
- To unpark all cores, move the slider to 100% and then click Apply.
- Reboot your computer and launch the app to recheck the status and make sure all cores are unparked.
You can uninstall the Quick CPU app now if you want to.
How To Park CPU Cores
If you want to undo the unparking and park the CPU cores again, you’ll have to go through the same steps using the Quick CPU app.
- Launch the app, choose the right power plan, and move the slider between 10% and 30%. This way, at least one or two CPU cores will always be active and never get parked, preventing stability issues on light tasks.
- Click on Apply, and you’re done.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How Do You Enable Or Disable CPU Cores?
To enable or disable some CPU cores, type “msconfig” in the Windows search box and open the System Configuration app.
Head to the Boot tab and click on Advanced Options.
Check the box next to the Number of processors option and choose the number of cores you want to use.
This way, you can enable or disable some of the CPU cores.
2. Does Disabling CPU Cores Save Power?
Yes, disabling CPU cores will save power because cores draw a substantial amount of power.
When the system goes to power saving mode, Windows will disable as many cores as possible to save power.
3. How Many CPU Cores Do You Need to Have Enabled?
For average PC users, two to four working cores are enough.
They can surf the web, work on documents, watch movies, and listen to music without problems.
However, gamers, video editors, data analysts, programmers, and similar users will need at least six cores to be enabled simultaneously.
NEXT:Internal Hard Drive Keeps Disconnecting (Causes, Fixes)
