*BSD News Article 74299


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From: Ken Bigelow <kbigelow@www.play-hookey.com>
Newsgroups: comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc,comp.os.linux.hardware
Subject: Re: Does cache memory size 512K over 256K matter?
Date: Sat, 20 Jul 1996 17:35:48 -0700
Organization: Erols Internet Services
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Dan Cromer wrote:
> 
> Hello,
>      Our organization ordered a machine with 512K 2nd-level cache.  Our
> supplier, S.A.G. Electronics, substituted the Tyan motherboard we ordered
> with an Intel Triton II motherboard, with 256K cache.  Will the smaller
> 2nd-level cache have a significant impact when running FreeBSD or Linux
> with 64MB RAM?
> 
> Dan

I doubt if size will make too much difference, but speed very definitely 
will. I hope you're running no more than 15 ns chips (12 would be better 
with high-speed motherboards). I've had major problems with 20 ns cache 
chips until I slowed down the cache read cycle. FreeBSD seems to be more 
efficient than DOS or Windoze, so it tries to access the cache before the 
data is necessarily stable.   :-(
-- 

Ken

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