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Figure 5.3
Parameters affecting processor performance.
Physical word: unit of transfer between CPU-cache.
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Typical word sizes:
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4 bytes - minimum.
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8 bytes - most cases.
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16 bytes - maximum.
Line size (sometimes called block or page size):
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Usually the basic unit of transfer between cache and memory. Usually consists of n physical words transferred from main memory as physical words (this is the usual bus size) from n memory modules in n cycles.
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Figure 5.4
Line and physical word.

 
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