Summary

And in Conclusion$\dots$

AMAT (Average Memory Access Time)

Recall that AMAT stands for Average Memory Access Time. This is a way to measure the performance of a cache system. The formula for AMAT is:

$\text{AMAT} = (\text{Hit Time}) + (\text{Miss Rate}) * (\text{Miss Penalty})$

Textbook Readings

P&H 5.1-5.4, 5.8, 5.9, 5.13

Additional References

• Cache Flowchart

Amazing Illustrations by Ketrina (Yim) Thompson: CS Illustrated Cache Handouts

• Cache Basics
• Cache Associativity
• Cache Misses

Exercises

Solution

True. The cache is smaller and faster than memory.