What is 6MB L2 cache?

L2 cache: 3MB vs 6MB?

• Hi! I got a dilemma choosing the right processor. On one side, I got a 25W processor with 3MB L2 cache, while on the other side I can choose a 35W processor with 6MB L2 cache. The ...show more

• Answer:

  There is a performance gain to be had from the larger L2 cache size although it's probably not as big as the change in thermal design power. On some tasks which intensively use the same 5 MiB or so you'd notice a huge performance increase from the extra cache and you'd also have increased performance during multi-tasking. Whether you'd notice doing most things though is another matter (those of us who underclock our laptops on battery don't notice much performance degradation from halving the processor speed). The thermal design power difference is pretty significant though.