I have an HP Slimline which has a Pentium dual core processor.

If I set the CPU to use to no more than 85%, is that 85% per core or 42.5% per core?

When multiple Seti tasks are running (typically I see 2) is that one per core or do they span cores?

If I want to run 85% per core, do I set it at 170%?

Not sure how to control this or what the numbers mean. This is my first dual core system.

I am not sure how well the system will stand up to running at 100%, or is it 200%?

100% is total system power, so 85% would be from both cores.

Since SETI@Home's applications are not multi-threaded, they are not spread across multiple cores; there is one application spawned per core, and can be limited through your preferences.

I cannot speak to how well your system would handle 100% usage because it depends on how well the cooling ventilation system is designed in that case (slimline cases typically have bad air flow), and it is also dependent on the ambient room temperature of the environment.

Thanks! I appreciate the clarification