L2 Cache question..

Ok complete noob question here..... I am currently set at 256k L2 Cache, uhm how do I bump it up to 512k? I gotta feeling that question is gonna make me look awfully dumb... Please help tho =)

NOob

sorry for the 2x post, was trying to reply and somehow reposted again. Ok after some searching I have found 2 ways 2 increase L2 Cache settings, soldering and this http://myhome.netsgo.com/wesleycrushr/WDSoft/products.html

Seems as tho its only supports Asus K7V, anyone know a program that supports AZZA boards or maybe just a generic one. And also I am about to upgrade my BIOS, is this kinda program gonna fug that up?

NOob

L2 cache is very small and intricate, and I don't think it's possible to solder it onto your chip (socket chips). If you could, I think every one would be doing it as more L2 cache is better.
The only way I've seen to increase L2 cache with Intel Chips is buy an intel chip that has more L2 cache.
I think it would be the same way with AMD. The link you gave is talking about Slot A Athlons (note the mention of the chips PCB), which you may be able to solder the cache on, but I'm not sure how handy at the old soldering iron you'd need to be.

The artilce that I looked at on the link you provided talked about increasing the speed of the L2 cache, not increasing its memory size. But to what your original question asked, like strokeside asked, yeah its very difficult if not impossible to perform this kind of microsurgery unless you have the proper tools and training.

Ah so the cpu determines your L2 cache size? I thought it was the mainboard that determined it, no worries then as I will be upgrading from my AMD T-Bird 1GHZ to an AMD XP 1800+ in the next week.

NOob

Thats OK. When I first got started with OCing, I didnt know much about anything either. You will learn as you go along and hopefully, you will beable to teach others.

No the CPU doesnt determine it. On Socket-based processors the cache is physically inside the CPU Core. I beleive its impossible to upgrade, because even if you did, you would have to tell the CPU to access it also. Also, the T-Bird 1ghz and the Athlon XP 1800+ both have a 256kb L2, anyways.

I thought I read somewhere that the AMD XP's had 384 L2 Cache?

Atlhons and XP's have 384 KB of TOTAL cache L1 and L2. Intel's has a measily 64KB of L1 cache where as Xp's and Athlons have 128KB. Both of them have 256KB of L2.

128KB of L1 Cache
+ 256KB of L2 Cache
___________________
384KB of L# Cache

rivercom9 said:

Thats OK. When I first got started with OCing, I didnt know much about anything either. You will learn as you go along and hopefully, you will beable to teach others.

Click to expand...

I still don't know a dang thing...Lucky for me there are 15,000 members willing to help a dumb guy like me


PS Neo, Intel Northwoods have 512 L2 cache(but I didn't know this, rivercom9 told me )

Correct, Sam. Right now im on my new Northwood (LSN 1.8A). All northwoods have a 512kb L2 Cache. The only other CPU's i know of with this size cache are the P3 and P4 xeons (im not sure about the P2 xeons)

Socket 7 boards and the like had L2 cache built onto the mobo. When intel went the slot route, they decided to include the cache on the board with the processor, to standardize the size and quality of the cache. Processors now ran so fast, that the off-die cache chips could no-longer keep up. The ended up running at a fraction of the core speed. AMD and Intel sped up the cache by building it into the processor die, and letting it run at the full processor speed. Changing the L2 cache sizes on these processors after they are manufactured is, as far as I know, impossible.

Hope this helps,

-Dan

486 boards had a seperate slot for an l2 cache. Just a litle info.

L2 Stuff

Memory Module 1: 512 MB SDRAM PC-133
Memory Module 2: 64 MB SDRAM PC-133

WCPUID display:
L1: 64 Kb
L2: 256 Kb

How many ns in L2 with this kind of memory

I have a couple of socket 7 boards with slots for the cache too...

Kango: your RAM does not affect your L2 cache size or speed. Judging by your cache sizes, it looks like you have a p3 system. The L2 cache is most likely built into the die of your cpu and runs at the full clock speed of your cpu. It is, I believe, SRAM, an entirely different type than DRAM, SDRAM, etc. It is much faster. I don't think that they give this kind of memory ns ratings, tho I'm not sure. DOes that answer your question?

-Dan

AntmanMike said:

Correct, Sam. Right now im on my new Northwood (LSN 1.8A). All northwoods have a 512kb L2 Cache. The only other CPU's i know of with this size cache are the P3 and P4 xeons (im not sure about the P2 xeons)

Click to expand...

Some of the P-II's have 512KB Cache.... for example....the computer I am on right now is a P-II@350Mhz with 512KB Cache.

Got this from the Intel Web site...

"Product Highlights


Available in speeds from 233 MHz up to 450 MHz.
Utilizes Intel’s 0.25 micron manufacturing process for increased processor core frequencies and reduced power consumption.
Includes MMX media enhancement technology.
The Pentium(r) II processor at 450 MHz delivers 32% more integer performance (as measured by SPECint95), 30% more multimedia performance (as measured by Norton Media Benchmark), and 35% more floating point performance (as measured by SPECfp95) than the 333 MHz Pentium(r) II processor.
Dual Independent Bus (DIB) architecture increases bandwidth and performance over single-bus processors.
450, 400, and 350 MHz versions improve system bandwidth and performance by increasing the system bus speed from 66 MHz to 100 MHz. The Intel® 440BX AGP set enables the 100 MHz system bus to increase peak processor data transfers to the rest of the system by 50%.
Single Edge Contact (SEC) cartridge packaging technology delivers high-performance processing and bus technology to mainstream systems.
32K (16K/16K) non-blocking, level-one cache provides fast access to heavily used data.
512K unified, non-blocking, level-two cache.
450, 400, and 350 MHz versions support memory cacheability for up to 4GB of addressable memory space.
Enables scalable systems to be expanded to two processors and 64GB of physical memory.
Includes data integrity and reliability features such as Error Correction Code (ECC), Fault Analysis, Recovery, and Functional Redundancy Checking for both system and L2 cache buses. "

P2(ALL) - 512 L2 cache running at 1/2 the core speed
P3(Katmai) - 512 L2 cache running at 1/2 the core speed
P3(Coppermine) - 256 L2 cache running @ core speed
P3(Tualatin) - 256 512 L2 cache running @ core speed
P4(Willamette) -256 L2 cahce running @ core speed
P4(Northwood) -512 L2 cache running @ core speed

Celeron(Covington) - 0 L2, is a P2 Deschutes core with no cache
Celeron(Mendocino) - 128 L2 @ core speed
Celeron(Coppermine) - 128 L2 @ core speed
Celeron(Tualatin) - 256 L2 @ core speed

WCPUA2

Actually I'm running AMD Athon [email protected]
When I try to o/c higher I get BSOD saying something about the memory. So my L2 cache is running at the full clock speed of my cpu then is it help when I use WCPUA2 by H-Oda to reduce my memory divisor to 1/3 S6, 1/3 S4 or 2/5 S6, 2/5 S4 ???

Kango memory dividers were only for the SLOT A Athlons.
You have a Socket A Athlon (Tbird) and your cache runs at full speed....
You can not set a divider for it.

What kind of error? VxD? Registry? Could be your DRAM and not your L2 cahce.