Cache

2 articles

Tech 16 Sep 2026 6 min read

CPU Store Buffers Decouple Retirement from Cache Writes

A processor does not need every store instruction to finish its cache update before later instructions make progress. Modern cores commonly place completed stores into a store buffer, allowing the instruction to retire while the memory subsystem handles the write afterward. This separation improves throughput because cache ownership, coherence traffic, and other memory activity can take longer than the execution pipeline can afford to wait. The buffer acts as a queue between architectural execution and the cache hierarchy.

CPU Memory

Tech 16 Sep 2026 6 min read

CPU Cache Associativity Limits Where Lines Can Reside

Processor caches keep recently used memory close to execution cores, but cache capacity alone does not determine which data can remain resident. Most general-purpose CPU caches divide storage into sets and give each set a fixed number of slots, commonly called ways. A memory block maps to a particular set. It can occupy any way inside that set, but it cannot move into an unrelated set merely because that other set has free space. This placement rule makes hardware lookup practical and fast, while creating a distinct source of misses when too many active blocks compete for the same set.

CPU Cache