diff --git a/large_image/config.py b/large_image/config.py
index 199788857..c866f21d8 100644
--- a/large_image/config.py
+++ b/large_image/config.py
@@ -160,7 +160,7 @@ def cpu_count(logical: bool = True) -> int:
     try:
         import psutil
 
-        count = min(count, psutil.cpu_count(logical))
+        count = min(count, psutil.cpu_count(logical) or count)
     except ImportError:
         pass
     return max(1, count)