Cache Memory

[Zed]

http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/confused.gif what exactly is cache memory? i mean...the one that shows on the startup screen. what does it do? i've heard that it affects your processor performance, such having a low cache mem for a high speed processor will lower its speed running.

[ixl]

Hi Zed,
Cache memory is very high speed memory that is used to buffer between a slow device and a fast one, to cut down on how much the fast device has to sit around waiting for the slow one. For example, your browser's cache holds recently-accessed web pages to save your fast PC from having to spend as much time using the very slow modem.
Similarly, system cache sits between the CPU and the system memory, and improves performance by reducing the number of system memory accesses. For a more thorough explanation, see this page (http://www.pcguide.com/ref/mbsys/cache).

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Charles M. Kozierok ( ixlubb@PCGuide.com )
Webslave, The PC Guide (http://www.PCGuide.com)
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