HP Vectra XU 6/XXX HP Vectra XU 6/xxx, Guide to Optimizing performance - Page 59

2 Technical Reference The Intel Pentium Pro Processor Integrated Cache Memory Cache memories are used by processors to accelerate access times for frequently used data and instructions. A cache is located between the processor and main memory, and stores copies of the last data read or written by the processor. If the same data is requested again by the processor, it will be supplied from the cache at significantly reduced access time. Pentium Pro processor Processor core Cache memories Main memory Cache memory has a much smaller capacity than main memory and stores not only data, but also the memory addresses that correspond to the data. When the processor reads or writes data in memory, the address for that data is compared with the addresses stored in the cache. If a match is found, the cache registers a cache hit and the data will be read or written directly from or to the cache. If a match is not found, a cache miss occurs and the cycle will be passed to main memory with no time penalty. English 53