4 ms·

What? Why is this, isn't memory indexed for direct access?

• ori_b 15y ago
  We're talking about cache, where the addresses of blocks in cache do not have a 1:1 mapping with addresses in memory. Read the section on associativity: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CPU_cache http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CPU_cache
  • sparky 15y ago
    You get to choose your associativity, you could build a direct-mapped 1GB L1 cache if you wanted. More fundamentally, a memory's access time grows with its capacity because the average and worst-case distances from a bitcell to the read/write port are longer.
    • rbanffy 15y ago
      If you pack enough memory in the same package and connect it to the CPU through a bus that's fast enough, on-chip memory that used to be used for caches can get promoted to main memory and off-chip RAM becomes a fast cache for your SSDs and a way to synchronize context between different chip stacks. Put the GPU and VRAM on the stack and all you need is a couple HDMI ports going out of the chip.
      • keeperofdakeys 15y ago
        Cache is already about as fast as you can get without significant compromises in size. L1 cache runs at speeds fast enough that increasing the size (and average seek time), or increasing the distance the signal has to travel, will decrease access times significantly. So it doesn't become about how 'fast' the bus is, or how much memory you can pack on.
        • rbanffy 15y ago
          Putting a good chunk of memory between the processor and the external memory bus would allow interconnection through a much faster bus than the external one, reducing the penalty of a cache miss.
          • sliverstorm 15y ago
            The two of you are arguing about different things. You are arguing the point of increasing cache to reduce misses. The other guy is arguing that increasing cache size will degrade cache performance as a unit. These are distinct arguments.
    • rbanffy 15y ago
      If you pack enough memory in the same package and connect it to the CPU through a bus that's fast enough, on-chip memory that used to be used for caches can get promoted to main memory and off-chip RAM becomes a fast cache for your SSDs and a way to synchronize context between different chip stacks. Put the GPU and VRAM on the stack and all you need is a couple HDMI ports going out of the chip.