jcdew
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Cache
What is Cache and is it important?
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Yes it is important.
jcdew
I think that if you were more interested in hardware cahce, feel free to reject my answer and let jrhelgeson answer instead. jrhelgeson seems to know a great deal about it.
I think that if you were more interested in hardware cahce, feel free to reject my answer and let jrhelgeson answer instead. jrhelgeson seems to know a great deal about it.
I must say that you gave a good answer yourself, being that he gave no specifics for the question.
There is another type of cache, spelled cash. Represented by the $ symbol, but we all know what that means.
There is another type of cache, spelled cash. Represented by the $ symbol, but we all know what that means.
and yes, $ cash is important.
The purpose of having *any* type of cache is to speed up performance (including $cash). :o)
It is a -temporary storage facility- used to store information where it can be easily accessed. Much like having a toolbelt, and a toolbox. L1 cache is like the tool in your hand, it is right there ready for use. L2 cache is tools in the tool belt, not currently in use, but will be at a moments notice. Memory cache is like having the toolbox sitting just a few inches from reach, just takes a few seconds longer to grab what you need than if it were in your tool belt. Then to carry this analogy one step further, The hard drive would be like a tool chest out in the truck, quite time consuming to run clear out there and grab every little tool you'd need. Therefore-
1) Your toolbox (ram memory) needs to be large enough to carry all of the tools (programs) you need loaded on a regular basis.
--Too much memory *can* be just as bad as not having enough because then windows will need to manage and lug that thing around everywhere.
2) The tool belt (L2 Cache) needs to be large enough to effectively keep the cpu from having to run back and forth from the Ram memory and the hard drive, but again, you too large of a cache, and the effect is counter productive.
3) L1 cache is so small because just like us, we only have 2 hands, we can only do so much at once. Trying to hold to many things at once is completely counter productive.
this is an analogy I came up with while i was typing it. and if i do not say so my self, I think it's pretty good.
It is a -temporary storage facility- used to store information where it can be easily accessed. Much like having a toolbelt, and a toolbox. L1 cache is like the tool in your hand, it is right there ready for use. L2 cache is tools in the tool belt, not currently in use, but will be at a moments notice. Memory cache is like having the toolbox sitting just a few inches from reach, just takes a few seconds longer to grab what you need than if it were in your tool belt. Then to carry this analogy one step further, The hard drive would be like a tool chest out in the truck, quite time consuming to run clear out there and grab every little tool you'd need. Therefore-
1) Your toolbox (ram memory) needs to be large enough to carry all of the tools (programs) you need loaded on a regular basis.
--Too much memory *can* be just as bad as not having enough because then windows will need to manage and lug that thing around everywhere.
2) The tool belt (L2 Cache) needs to be large enough to effectively keep the cpu from having to run back and forth from the Ram memory and the hard drive, but again, you too large of a cache, and the effect is counter productive.
3) L1 cache is so small because just like us, we only have 2 hands, we can only do so much at once. Trying to hold to many things at once is completely counter productive.
this is an analogy I came up with while i was typing it. and if i do not say so my self, I think it's pretty good.
I agree. You explain a rather abstract concept, for someone unfamiliar with hardware, with a good analogy that really makes sense. Very nice. Maybe you should write a book that explains hardware to the average user? :)
Basically me old chin chilla. Lets put it this way - You go to work every morning. On the first day you use a map to get to work. For the rest of the time you dont need to waste time looking at a map cos you remember the route! You have used some brain cache!!!! same thing on a pc. i.e every file has a location the cache remembers the file name and its location (if accessed often) so it dosnt have to bother the File Allocation Table and waste time (Hard disk cache!).
Does this help?...
P.S Brain cache only works if you havent been out on the razzle the night before (otherwise you may get a GPF).
Does this help?...
P.S Brain cache only works if you havent been out on the razzle the night before (otherwise you may get a GPF).
sico,
Does that mean that homing pigeons have cache memory?
:o)
Does that mean that homing pigeons have cache memory?
:o)
Pigeions have about 220meg cache and 10k physical... and what sounds like a device conflict on the sound card.
Disk cache (like smartdrive) is memory space allocated to store information read from the hard drive as a temporary storage space before the cpu needs to process it.