How long does it take each thread timeslice in Windows XP?

Question

I am trying to find out how long does it take each thread timeslice (quantum) in Windows but the only information that I found out is about the clock ticks being from 15 to

Answer 1

This KB article has some information on Windows 2000 Server editions:

Currently in Windows, 3 quantums are equal to either 10 milliseconds (single processor) or 15 milliseconds (multiple-processor Pentium). This depends on the hardware abstraction layer (HAL) selected for your computer. Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) HALs may have a different value. Time slices that are fixed at 36 quantums are currently used when background services are selected (as you might choose in a typical server installation).

So on a multi-processor Pentium, a quantum would be 5 ms and a time slice as long as 180 ms. That seems quite large to me, though...

Answer 2

Time slices not only vary between operating systems, but between processors as well. i can't think of a way to find out for certain (as micro-benchmarking will not work due to the OS being in the way regarding time slice allocations).