CPU cache

[ppv]

Sorry guys, i've already googled it, however there's aritcles with 10 pages to be read.. what i want to know is the basics..
a higher l2 cache or cache will be better for gaming?
i mean what does they really do?
with same series of cpu and clock, with a l2 6mb cache and 12mb what will be the difference? (lets say both are dual cores or 1 is dual another is quad)
thanks in advance..

 

[cjl]

Cache is extremely fast memory on the CPU itself that is used for the data needed for the current calculations. The more of it, the better, although more than about 6-8MB seems to be of limited use in current gaming.

 

[Mondoman]

Normal RAM runs *much* slower than the CPU core; thus, you can get in a situation where the core is "starved" of data/instructions, slowing down overall performance. A processor cache is simply a relatively small bit of super-fast RAM that sits between main memory and the CPU core.

Just as your web browser's page cache speeds up web surfing by allowing you to quickly reload a page that you looked at recently by re-reading it from your computer's RAM or hard disk instead of having to wait for multiple network connections and transfers, the processor's cache allows the CPU core to access recently-used instructions/data at or near full core speed. This is especially useful with constructs such as loops or repeated manipulations of the same memory locations. The more cache, the better, but the more expensive the CPU.

For modern CPUs such as Core2, iX and Phenom II series running Windows, reviews have suggested that you'd like at least 2MB cache per core on the CPU (4MB total for a dual-core, 6MB for a triple-core, 8MB for a quad-core), but it depends a lot on the specific software you're running.

 

[jsc]

More is better, up to a point.
(There. Summarized to 6 words.)

 

[4745454b]

You also need to take CPU arch into account however. CPUs with an IMC don't need vast amounts of L2 cache as they can get new data much faster then CPUs that have to go through the FSB. Intel only put 256kB of L2 cache on the i7, AMD doesn't have much more. Intel's older P4 had up to 2MBs of L2 cache, and could barely keep up.