First question: Absolutely but they don't and it's easier to troubleshoot with fewer variables.

Second question: I can look at the data when available and determine myself but I also wanted to compare
with your expectations when using a simpler mask.

Computers are binary, everything works better in powers of 2.

I think you're overcomplicating things. Defaults exist for a reason, you shouldn't change them
without a very good reason and knowing what you're doing. You stilll haven't given me a reason
and I have questions that you know what you're doing considering you're using an alternating
bit affinity mask with an Intel CPU. That's not meant to be an insult, it's just that I fail to see any
logical reason for what you are doing or why.

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There's another downside to specifying a custom cpu affinity. Whe using  the default
each thread is affined to a precise cpu, the one matching the thread number.
With a custom affinity mask it's more complicated so the thread is afffined to the "mask"
which means any of the allowable cpus.

I don't feel like doing the additional coding to do one to one matching of each thread
to a unique allowable cpu.

Affinity should only be needed if there is a good reason to run fewer threads and if the CPU
is an AMD. That's small set.

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