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IT Support & Hardware · Intermediate

CPU Cache

Small, very fast memory on the CPU that holds frequently used data and instructions to reduce RAM access.

Definition

CPU cache is organized in levels: L1 is smallest and fastest per core, L2 is larger per core, and L3 is a larger cache shared among cores. Cache hits avoid the much slower trip to system RAM. Larger caches especially benefit gaming and database workloads.

Example

AMD X3D processors stack extra L3 cache (3D V-Cache) on the CPU die.

Exam tip

Cache is SRAM inside the processor; system RAM is DRAM on separate modules.

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