4. Direct-mapped Caches: Misses, Writes and Performance
This chapter discusses memory hierarchy and the role of cache memory in optimizing performance in computer systems. It highlights the differences between various memory types, emphasizing the speed, cost, and access times associated with SRAM, DRAM, and magnetic disks. Additionally, it describes the principle of locality of reference and how it helps in organizing memory efficiently, culminating in an explanation of cache memory's design and operation.
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What we have learnt
- Memory technologies vary by access time and cost, necessitating a balance in their design.
- The principle of locality of reference allows for effective memory hierarchy by predicting data access patterns.
- Cache memory serves as a critical intermediary that enhances performance by reducing access times to frequently used data.
Key Concepts
- -- Memory Hierarchy
- A structured arrangement of different types of memory, from fast and expensive (like cache) to slow and cheap (like magnetic disks), aimed at balancing performance and cost.
- -- Locality of Reference
- A principle stating that programs tend to access a relatively small portion of memory locations repeatedly, which can be temporal or spatial in nature.
- -- Cache Memory
- A small, fast type of volatile memory located between the CPU and main memory that stores frequently accessed data to speed up processing.
- -- Cache Hit/Miss
- A cache hit occurs when the CPU accesses data in the cache, while a cache miss occurs when the data is not found in the cache, necessitating fetching from slower memory.
- -- Miss Penalty
- The additional time required to replace a cache block in the event of a cache miss.
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