- Explain the concept of cache hit time in CPU cache performance evaluation.
- Cache hit time measures the time taken to access data from the cache upon a cache hit, including index calculation, tag comparison, and data retrieval.
- Discuss the benefits and drawbacks of using a write-through cache policy.
- Write-through cache policy ensures immediate consistency between cache and memory but may increase memory traffic and access latency.
- What is cache prefetching, and how does it improve cache performance?
- Cache prefetching anticipates future memory accesses and fetches data into the cache before it is needed, reducing cache miss penalties and improving overall memory access latency.
- Explain the concept of cache associativity and its impact on cache performance.
- Cache associativity determines how cache lines are mapped to cache sets and affects cache hit rate and access latency.
- Discuss the differences between a write-through and a write-back cache policy.
- In a write-through cache policy, data is written to both cache and memory upon write operations, ensuring immediate consistency but potentially increasing memory traffic. In a write-back cache policy, data is written to memory only upon cache line eviction, reducing traffic but risking stale data.
- What is cache coherence, and why is it crucial in multiprocessor systems?
- Cache coherence ensures that all processors have consistent views of shared data, preventing conflicts and ensuring correct program execution in parallel computing environments.
- Explain the concept of temporal locality in memory access patterns.
- Temporal locality refers to the tendency of programs to access the same memory locations repeatedly over a short period, which can be exploited to improve cache performance.
- What is the role of cache prefetching in CPU cache management?
- Cache prefetching anticipates future memory accesses by fetching and caching data into the cache before it is needed, reducing cache miss penalties and improving memory access latency.
- Discuss the differences between static RAM (SRAM) and dynamic RAM (DRAM).
- SRAM uses flip-flops to store data, providing fast access times but higher power consumption. DRAM uses capacitors, offering higher density but slower access times and requiring periodic refreshing.
- What are the benefits of using a write-back cache policy?
- A write-back cache policy can reduce memory traffic by delaying writes until cache lines are evicted, improving overall cache performance.
- Explain the concept of cache hit rate in CPU cache performance evaluation.
- Cache hit rate measures the percentage of memory accesses that result in cache hits, indicating how effectively the cache is utilized.
- Discuss the impact of cache line size on cache performance.
- Larger cache line sizes can reduce the frequency of cache misses but may increase cache pollution and access latency.
- What is the significance of cache associativity in CPU cache design?
- Cache associativity determines how cache lines are mapped to cache sets and affects cache hit rate and access latency.
- Explain the purpose of cache coherence protocols in multiprocessor systems.
- Cache coherence protocols maintain data consistency across caches in a multiprocessor system, ensuring correct program execution in parallel computing environments.
- Discuss the differences between static RAM (SRAM) and dynamic RAM (DRAM).
- SRAM is faster and does not require refreshing, making it suitable for cache memory. DRAM is denser and more cost-effective but slower and requires periodic refreshing.
- What role does the Memory Management Unit (MMU) play in virtual memory systems?
- The MMU translates virtual addresses to physical addresses, enabling memory protection, virtual memory, and efficient use of system resources.
- Explain the concept of cache hit time in CPU cache performance evaluation.
- Cache hit time measures the time taken to access data from the cache upon a cache hit, including index calculation, tag comparison, and data retrieval.
- Discuss the benefits and drawbacks of using a write-through cache policy.
- Write-through cache policy ensures immediate consistency between cache and memory but may increase memory traffic and access latency.
- What is cache prefetching, and how does it improve cache performance?
- Cache prefetching anticipates future memory accesses and fetches data into the cache before it is needed, reducing cache miss penalties and improving overall memory access latency.
- Explain the concept of cache associativity and its impact on cache performance.
- Cache associativity determines how cache lines are mapped to cache sets and affects cache hit rate and access latency.
- Discuss the differences between a write-through and a write-back cache policy.
- In a write-through cache policy, data is written to both cache and memory upon write operations, ensuring immediate consistency but potentially increasing memory traffic. In a write-back cache policy, data is written to memory only upon cache line eviction, reducing traffic but risking stale data
