How will the L2 cache effect the performance of a computer?

Question

I'm looking to buy a new laptop, and in the specs I keep coming across a "L2 cache". The standard on pentium processers at my price range is 1 or 2 MB, yet on AMD's it is 128 or 256KB exclusive. what does this mean for the performance of my laptop?

Answer 1

These days you will be lucky if anything makes a difference of more than a couple of percent ... in the old days when main memory was running at 100 MHz or less, cache sizes counted for a lot ... these days of GHz FSB's means cache hardly matters ....

I suggest you focus on what you intend to use the Laptop for - do you want large Hard disk ? Lots of memory ? or is Battery performance or expandability/base station cost/availability more important ?

Answer 2

is it single core?? i would hope so for the amd to only have 128 or 256. L2 cache is a little like ram but built into the cpu it is there for quick reference information for the cpu. you usually want a smaller L1 cache like 32 or 64 mb. then a larger l2 cache like 512 or 1mb. the smaller the faster but the larger the more you can store. i wouldnt pick a computer over it but for the L2 cache i would consider more to be better.

Answer 3

Historically L2 cache was external to the processor. More and more it's being incorporated on chip so a 256K on chip L2 cache is almost equivalent to a 2MB external L2 cache.