What's with activity monitor and its inability to grasp percentages?

[lilcosco08]

So currently iMovie is using 131% of my CPU.

My Mac is really pushing it to the limit

 

[Intell]

If you have used MRoogle to search, you'd have found that this has been covered many times before.

 

[sammich]

1 core = 100% max

2 cores = 200% max

iMac i7 have a max of 800%

Top end Mac Pro has a max of 2400%.

Enjoy.

 

[simsaladimbamba]

Yeah, my 12 core Mac Pro goes up to 11999% when doing something in Facebook too, when in MySpace it goes up to 23456%.

It has to do with you having a Mac with two or more cores and one core being symbolised as 100%, ergo 5 cores can be up to 500%, if the application takes advantage of it.

And yes, MRoogle.

 

[lilcosco08]

If you have used MRoogle to search, you'd have found that this has been covered many times before.

It's..
It's a joke...

 

[JamesGorman]

Does hyper threading count? Would my macbook pro than have a 400% maximum?

 

[axu539]

Does hyper threading count? Would my macbook pro than have a 400% maximum?

Yep. You have 4 virtual cores to work with.

 

[mark28]

I think Apple should change it. A 400% cpu usage doesn't make sense. If you got 4 cores and they are all working to the max, it should report 100%, not 400%.

 

[JamesGorman]

Yep. You have 4 virtual cores to work with.

Cool, I thought this anyway, but just wanted to confirm!!
Thanks