mazmac24 Posted October 13, 2006 Share Posted October 13, 2006 What does cache mean? I see it in hard drives and cpu's. I more mb of cache makes a cpu $100 more so... help please. I need clearification on what it does. You would tell me to google it or something but I looked up the definition and it said storage. But I want to know exactly what it does. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaKo Posted October 13, 2006 Share Posted October 13, 2006 Its special RAM for the CPU only, allows it to store data locally without having to push it all the way to the RAM and back. Makes it generally faster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darren Kitchen Posted October 13, 2006 Share Posted October 13, 2006 Cache is good, but the more cache you get the most cash you spend. When it comes to buying things like CPUs, Hard Drives, Optical Drives, Network Cards, or Video Cards you may see varying cache sizes. Go with what you can afford. That said... I want a 1GB stick of PC3200 with 512MB of cache.... you know... for more goodness ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PoyBoy Posted October 13, 2006 Share Posted October 13, 2006 goodness. ya. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atari6502 Posted October 13, 2006 Share Posted October 13, 2006 If you have a large cache of cash, then cash is no object when it comes to choosing cache. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cooper Posted October 14, 2006 Share Posted October 14, 2006 Cache is temporary storage that is faster to access than the real storage beyond it. The theory is that it's pretty likely that something you used recently will be needed by you again soon. So rather than burying that data somewhere in the slow RAM, they keep it around in the cache so that next time you need that value it can be accessed a lot quicker. In the case of the CPU, it's got L1, L2 and possibly L3 cache which is used to store parts of the program that have been and/or will soon be executed. The L1 cache is the smallest and fastest type. The L2 is bigger and a little slower, and the L3 is potentially huge (megabytes) but the slowest of the three. All three however operate an order of magnitude faster than the system RAM that would otherwise be used for this storage. Harddisks have cache too. The cheapest drives are still stuck with 2 MB whereas the big, fast ones have 16 MB. This memory isn't particularly quick, but again, compared to the harddisk that lies beyond it it's an order of magnitude faster. In the harddisk case, they can just use run-of-the-mill memory chips for their cache implementations, so adding more is relatively cheap here. In the case of the CPU, that cache memory has to run _frighteningly_ fast. As a result, it's mighty expensive to incorporate on the chip so they try to use not so much of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Panarchy Posted October 14, 2006 Share Posted October 14, 2006 What does cache mean? I see it in hard drives and cpu's. I more mb of cache makes a cpu $100 more so... help please. I need clearification on what it does. You would tell me to google it or something but I looked up the definition and it said storage. But I want to know exactly what it does. Thanks Also I made this mistake too, don't pronounce it carc pronounce it like this: cach·es or cash-ay! Just thought you would like the tip, Panarchy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cooper Posted October 14, 2006 Share Posted October 14, 2006 If you want to be laughed at, by all means follow Panarchy's advice. In 'cash' the 'a' is almost pronounced like an 'e'. The 'a' in 'cache' is pronounced like the 'a' in 'ahhh'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mazmac24 Posted October 14, 2006 Author Share Posted October 14, 2006 Well, i don't know if to go for the AMD Athlon 64 X2 4800+ / 2MB Cache / 2000MHz FSB / Socket 939 / Dual-Core / Processor with Fan for 300$ or AMD Athlon 64 X2 4600+ / 1MB Cache / 2000MHz FSB / Socket 939 / Dual-Core / Processor with Fan for 250$. Or does anybody have any better suggestion? My cpu fried on my old computer and I'mbuying a whole new motherboard and cpu. A want a dual core becuase i'm a gamer and i need power hogage. (is that even a word?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaKo Posted October 14, 2006 Share Posted October 14, 2006 Go intel Core Duo 2 if your buying new kit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moonlit Posted October 14, 2006 Share Posted October 14, 2006 I say go for the 4800+ out of those two if you can stretch the extra $50... I wouldn't restrict myself to AMD these days though ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jalada Posted October 14, 2006 Share Posted October 14, 2006 Definitely go for the 2MB Cache AMDs. But as VaKo says, you might want to go Intel right now, as they outperform AMD. Check out http://tomshardware.co.uk/cpu/charts.html. Always handy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nico Posted October 14, 2006 Share Posted October 14, 2006 Arfff...Shame on me..I didn't built my computer yet from scratch..I wait to get a more stable situation so for instance, I'm a laptop user which is really easier for me as I moved a lot these last years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darren Kitchen Posted October 14, 2006 Share Posted October 14, 2006 Coming from an AMD fanboy at heart, I'll honestly say if you're looking to build a badass rig, give Intel a look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mazmac24 Posted October 15, 2006 Author Share Posted October 15, 2006 Ok, Intel. But what about those bus speeds that amd is higher on? Moat amd's have 2000mghz and intels have ~800mhz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PoyBoy Posted October 15, 2006 Share Posted October 15, 2006 Buy whatever proc is the best, In a few years, AMD will be back on the top, just like they were till now, and intel was the best before them. Its one never ending loop. DO In a few years, AMD will be back on the top, just like they were till now and intel was the best before them. LOOP This is pBasic syntax. pBasic is a few pinecones short a fir tree. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaKo Posted October 15, 2006 Share Posted October 15, 2006 Nah, either india or china will make something for a fraction of the cost thats a billion times more powerful. Then they'll stamp it out of plastic for $2 a go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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