Efficiency of shared and dedicated L2 cache in dual-core processors

Posted on Saturday, October 28 2006 @ 13:21 CEST by Thomas De Maesschalck
Digit Life analyzed the performance of shared and dedicated L2 cache memory in dual-core processors from AMD and Intel.
Here is the idea: we create two threads, each of them being "tied" to its core by default (to avoid turning these threads over from core to core by an operating system). Each of the threads allocates its own memory space of a specified size and can perform the following operations: reading, writing, reading with software prefetch (a user can vary the prefetch distance), and non-temporal store. The total data size to be read and written is specified by a user separately for each thread. The program can start and stop each thread any time, as well as start and stop both threads at once simultaneously. Results of the test are output on the fly – instant (averaged by a second) and average (averaged by the entire test duration) bandwidth (MB/s)..
Check it out over here.


About the Author

Thomas De Maesschalck

Thomas has been messing with computer since early childhood and firmly believes the Internet is the best thing since sliced bread. Enjoys playing with new tech, is fascinated by science, and passionate about financial markets. When not behind a computer, he can be found with running shoes on or lifting heavy weights in the weight room.



Loading Comments