Hardware

How many CPU cores do you need in 2025 for running powerful apps?

  • How many CPU cores do you need for running powerful computer applications?
  • Is this the most important factor, or has something else come into play that is significantly more important?
  • We’ve asked experts to weigh in, so read on to find out what type of CPU you have to choose depending on the workloads you will be running.
multi core cpu

CPUs are no longer the most important or the most expensive component in a modern PC. That role is slowly taken by the GPU, but that doesn’t mean a CPU is not important. Far from that, as GPUs are very capable of running specific tasks, CPUs are great when it comes to general computing scenarios.

So I was wondering how many CPU cores you really need today to run light, medium, or heavy workloads. But before I give you my two cents, I’ve asked a few experts to weigh in and tell us what they think from their perspective. And by the way, if you need to know how many CPU cores you need to gaming, make sure to read the other article.

Here’s what they had to say:

Core count matters for multi-threaded applications

When running powerful computer applications (like 3D rendering, video editing, data simulations, or HPC tasks) CPU core count is certainly important, but it’s not the most critical factor in isolation. The number of cores you need depends on the type of application you’re running.

For most modern multi-threaded applications (like CAD software, simulations, and video rendering), having 8 to 16 cores is a good baseline, especially for professional tasks. These applications can take advantage of multiple cores and allow for faster processing times. Video rendering and scientific simulations can scale well with more cores. 32 or more cores would be ideal for tasks that are extremely parallelizable, like large-scale data processing or machine learning training.

But, core count isn’t the only thing to consider. Clock speed plays a huge role in tasks that are not as parallelized, like certain types of single-threaded applications or workflows that depend heavily on sequential processing. So, having a CPU with a high clock speed can make a significant difference in performance.

Other important factors include:

  • RAM: Applications that deal with large datasets, such as photo editing, video editing, and simulations, need a lot of memory. A minimum of 16GB to 32GB is often required, but some professional tasks may need 64GB or more.
  • GPU: For tasks like machine learning, 3D rendering, and video editing, the GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) can often be more important than the CPU, as many modern applications offload computationally intense tasks to the GPU.
  • Storage: Fast storage, like SSD or NVMe, can dramatically improve application performance by reducing load times and increasing data throughput, especially when working with large files.

So, I’d say, core count is important for parallelized workloads, but factors like clock speed, GPU performance, RAM, and storage speed are often just as—if not more—critical for overall performance, depending on the application.

Matthew Lam, Full-Stack Developer, Penfriend

RAM upgrades boost performance more than cores when memory is limited

As a CEO of the digital agency, I learned that more CPU cores don’t always mean better performance. When we upgraded our servers from 8 to 16 cores but kept the same RAM, we saw only a 10% improvement. But when we doubled our RAM instead, performance jumped 45%.

Modern apps are memory-hungry. A 6-core CPU with plenty of RAM will outperform a 12-core CPU with minimal RAM. We saved $50K by focusing on RAM upgrades instead of CPU cores. My pro tip is to start with 16GB RAM before adding CPU cores.

Khunshan Ahmad, CEO & Founder, EvolveDash

6 to 8 cores for general tasks

When it comes to running powerful applications, the number of CPU cores you need depends on what you’re doing. For general tasks, like web browsing or word processing, 6 to 8 cores should be enough. But when you’re working with more demanding tasks, like video editing, 3D rendering, or gaming, you’ll need at least 8 cores. These tasks benefit from multiple cores because they can handle more threads at once, improving performance and multitasking capabilities. So naturally, the more cores the faster you will complete tasks which scale well with more cores.

However, core count isn’t the only factor that impacts performance. Clock speed, RAM, and your GPU also play major roles, especially for tasks like gaming or content creation. It’s important to consider a balanced setup. For example, if you’re into gaming or professional video editing, a CPU with 8 cores will give you solid performance. But if you’re doing high-end work like scientific simulations or running virtual machines, you may want a CPU with 16 or more cores.

Simon Brisk, Founder & SEO Strategist, Click Intelligence

GPU upgrades improve video editing performance

When it comes to running powerful computer applications, the number of CPU cores is definitely important, but it’s not the whole story. I learned this lesson a few years ago when I was working on a video editing project that required heavy rendering. At first, I thought upgrading to a CPU with more cores would solve all my performance issues. I went from a 4-core processor to an 8-core, expecting a huge difference.

While the 8-core CPU did help with multitasking, the real game-changer turned out to be upgrading my GPU. Video editing software, for example, relies more heavily on GPU power than on the CPU, especially when rendering videos. Once I swapped out my mid-tier GPU for a more powerful one, my rendering speeds and overall performance saw a massive improvement.

So, while having a good number of CPU cores (at least 6 or 8 for most applications) is helpful, the type of work you’re doing matters more. For tasks like video editing, gaming, or 3D modeling, a powerful GPU often plays a more significant role in performance than the CPU cores alone. It’s about finding the right balance between CPU, GPU, and RAM.

Takarudana Mapendembe, Founder, Best Calculators

My take: 8-core CPU as a minimum, 16-core for enthusiast needs

I’m currently running on an 8-core AMD CPU which is hyperthreaded, so I get 16 threads. It’s good enough for what I do: browsing, photo editing, a little bit of gaming, but if I were to run demanding 3D apps I would need a very powerful GPU and a CPU that’s at least 12-cores, preferably 16-cores.

I think gaming can still be done on a 6-core CPU, but some AAA titles demand 8-cores at a minimum, so if you want to be safe on the long term get an 8-core CPU.

Enthusiasts will of course want to aim much higher, that is why I recommend 16-cores. Professional tasks benefit the most, and for a business it’s a no-brainer that reducing rendering times will lower costs, so buying more expensive hardware is definitely an investment that pays off really fast.

But now let us turn the attention on to you: what type of CPU are you using and for what kind of tasks? I’m curious to hear about your particular computing situation.

Avatar for Ionuț-Alexandru Popa
I'm a writer and Editor-in-Chief at BinaryFork. I am passionate about technology, science, space exploration, and movies. I started writing about tech more than 20 years ago, after graduating in Computer Science.
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