Visual Studio* provides a parallel project build feature, allowing you to build multiple projects within a solution simultaneously, using separate threads. The Visual Studio* IDE initially sets the number of parallel project builds to equal the number of CPUs. To change this setting, do the following:
Choose Tools> Options> Projects and Solutions.
In the Build and Run property page, change the number in maximum number of parallel project builds and click OK.
For more information on using this feature, see the Microsoft MSDN* documentation.
Parent topic: Using Microsoft* Visual Studio* (Windows* OS)