L1...the forgotten cache

[PizzatheHut06]

Everyone always talks about the L2 cache size of a CPU, which is something like where the CPU stores what it is about to execute, or something like that right? Anyway, what is the L1 cache and what does it do? I've never heard anyone mention it before.

 

[Blind_Arrow]

lemme clear you with simple but effective example.

consider yourself getting a book from library, as whe u return the book, say the librarian has got a small shelf right beneath/beside his main desk, where hottest titles are placed (say 10 books). the librarian has very quick access to it. as if you'll ask for a book, librarian will first see this shelf, (this is L1 cache),

and an other slightly bigger book shelf holding 50 books is beside that small shelf, after looking into that small shelf, librarian will go to that bigger book shelf, (that is L2 cache), and if didnt found there, he'll go to main shelves, which you can further catagorize as RAM and Hard Drive etc.

Understand?

 

[PizzatheHut06]

Blind_Arrow, thank you for the help. That was a great illustration and that helped a lot. Also, thank you for replying on my other topic as well.

 

[Blind_Arrow]

No Prob Buddy, this is far most eh finest example I have to quote whenever I had to explain L1 and L2 cache's in laymans terms.

 

[Nubius]

yeah bravo, damn good analogy indeed

 

[Blind_Arrow]

just to add something, that was the reason that in earlier days, AMD were faster than Intels, as Intel came with 32KB cache's and AMD were coming with 128KB L1's, means more capacity to store instructions. hence faster.