In the computer world, cache is a place where stuff is processed or reserved separately from other processes. A web browser cache is a store of images from web pages, kept so they don't have to be downloaded each time a visitor returns to a page. A disk cache is an area of the hard drive reserved to process data. The computer often uses it when it runs out of main memory.
Memory cache is kind of memory made of high-speed static RAM or SRAM instead of the slower and cheaper dynamic RAM or DRAM, which most of us usually just refer to as RAM or random access memory.
Static RAM holds information in memory as long as the power is on. It doesn’t have to be constantly refreshed, like standard Dynamic RAM (DRAM). Static RAM is faster than DRAM but it's more expensive and takes up more space. Whereas, dynamic RAM is the most common type of system memory, it requires refreshing every few milliseconds. Memory caching happens because many programs use the same data over and over again.
Cache is where microprocessors keep instructions that are reused. By keeping frequently used information in SRAM, the computer avoids accessing the slower main memory (DRAM).
When you hear people refer to a computer's cache, it usually means they are referring to Level 2, or L2 Cache. It is cache memory that is outside the processor chip.
Some memory caches are built into the architecture of microprocessor chips. The 486 chip, for example, contains 8K of memory cache, and the Pentium has a much higher space for cache. Those internal caches are often called Level 1 or L1 caches.
The Celeron chip is a cheaper chip because it has 128K of L2 cache built into the chip. The Pentium 3 and Pentium 4 cache is far larger in size and is external to the chip itself. Imaging the gigantic size of L2 cache associated with Quad-Core Xeon processor is 2 X 6 MB.
Data is transmitted from the processor chip into main memory through the L2 cache. This stops a data bottleneck. L2 cache that's 256K in size can handle the cache functionality for up to 64MB of DRAM. 512K of L2 cache handles caching for up to 128MB of RAM.
Memory cache is kind of memory made of high-speed static RAM or SRAM instead of the slower and cheaper dynamic RAM or DRAM, which most of us usually just refer to as RAM or random access memory.
Static RAM holds information in memory as long as the power is on. It doesn’t have to be constantly refreshed, like standard Dynamic RAM (DRAM). Static RAM is faster than DRAM but it's more expensive and takes up more space. Whereas, dynamic RAM is the most common type of system memory, it requires refreshing every few milliseconds. Memory caching happens because many programs use the same data over and over again.
Cache is where microprocessors keep instructions that are reused. By keeping frequently used information in SRAM, the computer avoids accessing the slower main memory (DRAM).
When you hear people refer to a computer's cache, it usually means they are referring to Level 2, or L2 Cache. It is cache memory that is outside the processor chip.
Some memory caches are built into the architecture of microprocessor chips. The 486 chip, for example, contains 8K of memory cache, and the Pentium has a much higher space for cache. Those internal caches are often called Level 1 or L1 caches.
The Celeron chip is a cheaper chip because it has 128K of L2 cache built into the chip. The Pentium 3 and Pentium 4 cache is far larger in size and is external to the chip itself. Imaging the gigantic size of L2 cache associated with Quad-Core Xeon processor is 2 X 6 MB.
Data is transmitted from the processor chip into main memory through the L2 cache. This stops a data bottleneck. L2 cache that's 256K in size can handle the cache functionality for up to 64MB of DRAM. 512K of L2 cache handles caching for up to 128MB of RAM.