7. Multi-level Caches
The chapter discusses multi-level cache architectures, focusing on the role of primary and secondary caches in enhancing CPU performance. It explains the concepts of cache hits, misses, and penalties, along with the effective cycles per instruction (CPI). Furthermore, it presents examples showcasing the calculations involved in cache operations and design considerations, emphasizing the impact of cache organization on performance.
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What we have learnt
- Multi-level caches help reduce memory access time and improve CPU efficiency.
- Primary caches are designed to minimize access time, while secondary caches focus on reducing miss rates.
- Cache misses can significantly affect performance, necessitating effective cache design and programming techniques.
Key Concepts
- -- Cache Hierarchy
- The arrangement of multiple cache levels (L1, L2, etc.) that store data closer to the CPU to minimize access times.
- -- Miss Penalty
- The additional time (in clock cycles) required to access data from main memory when it is not found in the cache.
- -- Effective CPI
- Cycles per instruction taking into account cache hits and misses, calculated to measure the performance impact of cache systems.
- -- SetAssociative Cache
- A cache structure that allows multiple cache lines to store data for a specific address index, balancing between fully associative and direct-mapped caches.
- -- Compiler Optimizations
- Techniques used by compilers to rearrange code and improve cache utilization, thereby enhancing application performance.
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