Modern CPUs typically feature multiple __________ to enhance performance.

Modern CPUs are designed with multiple cores to enhance performance. Each core in a CPU can be thought of as an independent processor, capable of executing tasks simultaneously. This parallel processing allows the CPU to handle multiple operations at once, significantly improving performance, especially in multi-threaded applications where tasks can be divided among the available cores.

Having multiple cores is particularly beneficial for modern software, which is often designed to take advantage of concurrent processing. For instance, applications that involve heavy computation, such as video editing or 3D rendering, can distribute their workload across multiple cores, reducing processing time and enhancing overall efficiency. This makes multi-core CPUs ideal for multitasking environments, where users may be running several applications simultaneously.

While threads, registers, and buses are vital components of a CPU's architecture, they do not enhance performance in the same direct manner as multiple cores. Threads refer to the virtualized sequences of instructions that a CPU can manage, registers are small storage locations within the CPU for quick data access, and buses are pathways for data transfer. However, the presence of multiple cores is a key factor that enables greater performance scaling as computing demands increase.