NotebookForums.com › Forums › General Notebook Discussions › Notebook Forums - General › Can someone tell me exactly what the cache does?
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Can someone tell me exactly what the cache does?

post #1 of 7
5/5/05 at 2:40pm
Thread Starter 
I thought I knew but I was talking to someone I know about it and he starts telling me different.

So exactly what is it, and what does it do? Cause what I know is probably completely wrong...or I just lack confidence in myself.

EDIT> That is...the cache in a Pentium M 2.0 with 2mb of cache.

What determines the speed of the cpu compared to pentium 4's?
Reply
Reply
post #2 of 7
5/5/05 at 2:50pm
the cache memory is like the RAM memory but with variables used more constantly by the processor... its thousands and thousands times faster then the current DDR2 even DDR3.. but it's freaking expensive... now with the new spintrons (something like that) technology which uses electric magnectic field for memory.. the little suckers spin one direction is 1 the other is 0 they heat a lot less is faster than current transistors-based memory... i don't know the actual technical engeneering on cache memory.. but its wayyyyy beter than RAM memory
Reply
Reply
post #3 of 7
5/5/05 at 3:19pm
Cache is a fast expensive bus boy between you and the chef.
Reply
Reply
post #4 of 7
5/5/05 at 4:01pm
Think of a library. If you go in there and want a book you will go to the guy at the desk and ask for... ...lets say a Noddy book.
He then will go into the back and get it for you. You take it and go home and read the book. You bring it back. Now the guy at the desk will go behind and put the book back. Thats like having NO cache.

With a cache mem he will put the book in a backpack as you bring it back, so the next time someone will want a Noddy book he won't go behind and get it he will first look in his backpack to see if its in there. Of course it is there so this person will be able to get the Noddy book real fast.

The catch is that the bigger the cache is it will also take longer to look through it and if the requested book is not there he will have wasted time in searching the backpack first only after that he will go behind and get the requested book.

I guess thats about it, in easy terms...
_
Reply
Reply
post #5 of 7
5/5/05 at 5:08pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cimberia
Think of a library. If you go in there and want a book you will go to the guy at the desk and ask for... ...lets say a Noddy book.
He then will go into the back and get it for you. You take it and go home and read the book. You bring it back. Now the guy at the desk will go behind and put the book back. Thats like having NO cache.

With a cache mem he will put the book in a backpack as you bring it back, so the next time someone will want a Noddy book he won't go behind and get it he will first look in his backpack to see if its in there. Of course it is there so this person will be able to get the Noddy book real fast.

The catch is that the bigger the cache is it will also take longer to look through it and if the requested book is not there he will have wasted time in searching the backpack first only after that he will go behind and get the requested book.

I guess thats about it, in easy terms...
_

Thats a damn fine explanation if ever I've read one.
Reply
Reply
post #6 of 7
5/5/05 at 7:14pm
Thread Starter 
but that doesn't explain the difference between a pentium m and a pentium 4.

is a pentium m 2.0 the same or better than a pentium 4 2.5?
Reply
Reply
post #7 of 7
5/5/05 at 7:31pm
The difference between a Pentium M and P4 is not cache. The difference is in the architecture of the actual processor. Basically the PM can do more work in one clock cycle than a P4 and that's why a lower clocked PM will be faster than a similarly clocked P4.
Reply
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Notebook Forums - General
NotebookForums.com › Forums › General Notebook Discussions › Notebook Forums - General › Can someone tell me exactly what the cache does?