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    Need help understanding something

    Discussion in 'VAIO / Sony' started by vaio_fs760/w, Aug 12, 2007.

  1. vaio_fs760/w

    vaio_fs760/w Notebook Enthusiast

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    I know that this is going to sound stupid but I really don't understand what a cache is. could someone please explain.
     
    vaio_fs760/w, Aug 12, 2007
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  2. DTX

    DTX Notebook Evangelist

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    I assume you mean cache on CPU. If so...

    Think of cache as being a faster type of memory access area for the computer. Its very small in size, and expensive, but is very fast. So instructions that are being executed by the CPU can be stored temporarily in that area until it could be used again. RAM, the common chips you buy to install in your notebook/pc is also another type of memory access area. In this case, RAM can have large storage sizes, inexpensive, but is very slow compared to cache.

    In general, cache is just a temporary storage area.

    This was what I read last semester, so it might be wrong.
     
    DTX, Aug 12, 2007
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  3. vaio_fs760/w

    vaio_fs760/w Notebook Enthusiast

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    thank you and yes I meant CPU, sorry about not being very specific.
     
    vaio_fs760/w, Aug 12, 2007
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