What is L2 cache. Can any one explain in layman's term?

Answer 1

a cache is a place where stuff is processed. L2 cache is a small amount of high speed memory that is located close to and sometimes on the processor. It is used by the central processing unit of a computer to reduce the average time to access memory.

Answer 2

L1 cache is often found directly on a processor chip and consequently, it is the fastest and closest to the processing unit. As a consequence, it is relatively small in capacity and a portion of which may be reserved for the actual code/instructions that are being executed.

L2 is the next level of cache but it is not on the processor chip. It is faster than regular memory and closer. Therefore, the processing unit can obtain the contents more quickly than going to memory. Frequently used data or secondary portions of the actual code might be found in L2.

Some processors, especially the higher end IBM RISC processors utilize an L3 cache as well,often as much as 32 MB. Refer to the specs for the IBM Power 5 or 5+ for details.

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Answer 3

Well, firstly you have to realize that processors deal with data, and this data could be located in the cache (L1 or L2), in the memory, or on the hard drive (or some other media like CD). Processors can only perform operations in the cache memory, so if it's somewhere else, it has to move it to cache memory. L1 cache is the primary working set of values. If the processor needs something, and it's not in L1 cache, it checks L2 cache. If it's not there, it checks memory, and if it's not in memory it's probably paged so it has to check the hard drive. L1 cache is the fastest memory in you PC, L2 is right behind it. After that is memory and hard drive.

Answer 4

Your PC's RAM typically runs ten times slower that the actual CPU. For this reason they put a very tiny amount of memory into the CPU itself, right in the middle of the circuitry. This is level 1 cache. Then inside the CPU chip just beside the CPU circuitry they put a slightly larger amount or memory, typically in modern chips this is around 1-2 MB. This is level 2 cache. Cache memory is used to "cache" frequently used instructions. Cache memory runs at the full speed of the CPU, much faster than normal RAM.

It is very expensive to produce though, so this is why there is not more of it in the system.

Answer 5

In a computer, there's different kinds of memory, based on its proximity to the processor core. L1 cache is the closest to the processor, then L2 is next, then there's the regular memory, and the hard drive.

Think about it like when you try to remember something. There's the memories in your head (like L1 cache, real quick to access and close), notes you have written for a speech (like L2 cache, not inside the processing core, but super close for quick access), books you take with you to class (larger amounts of reference information that takes longer to access, like the regular memory in a pc) and finally that library of books back home (like the hard drive, huge amounts of information, but takes the longest to access).

One thing also about cache, memory and hard drives is that when the computer loses power, L1, L2 and RAM lose all information in them, while anything on the hard drive is retained. Also, generally speaking, L1 is the smallest, L2 is bigger than L1, RAM is even larger and the hard drive is largest of all. This isn't always the case, but 99/100 times, it is.

Answer 6

Cache is what teh CPU use to hold data thats used most frequencly, bigger the cache. more it jolds, and PC will be faster as it can now fetch the data from the cache rather that hitting memory or hard drive.
Levels are how close the are to the heart of the CPU,