What is a key advantage of having multiple cores in a processor?

Having multiple cores in a processor significantly improves multitasking performance. This is because each core can handle a separate task or thread simultaneously. In a multi-core processor, the workload can be divided among the cores, enabling parallel processing of applications. For instance, while one core is executing instructions for a word processor, another core can be running a web browser or downloading files in the background. This ability allows users to seamlessly run multiple applications at once without experiencing significant slowdowns, thereby enhancing overall system efficiency and responsiveness.

While other options may have some relevance to processor performance, they do not specifically capture the main benefit of having multiple cores. For example, reducing electrical consumption is more related to advancements in manufacturing technologies rather than the number of cores itself. Similarly, enhancing single-thread execution typically pertains to single-core optimizations, and increasing the size of cache memory is not inherently a function of core count, but rather a design choice that can exist independently of how many cores a processor has.