Hi. 1) I'm looking for a good socket 754 AMD proc. Anyone got suggestions on where to get? Struggling to find them anywhere. 2) I found an AMD Mobile 3700 on ebay but does the 'mobile' bit on it mean anything? Like it being for lap tops?? 3) Whats all this about L1 Cache and L2 Cache? Cheers y'all!
I think the catch is something to do with comunicating to the memory, well thats what i thought anyway, i would like to know exatly though. Skt 754 is really obsolete now, so your best bet is going to be EbaY. Yea, your right about the mobile meaning its for Laptops, proberbly uses a different sockets and maybe a different FSB Speed too.
1.)AMD only supports mobile Athlon 64's, even if they're Socket 754, on the mobile platform. Motherboard companies are unable to give any guarantee of these working in your motherboard and are not able to provide BIOSes giving proper support. The two cores to look out for are ClawHammer and Newcastle. Newcastle's are cooler than the ClawHammers. This isn't to say it won't work, but understand that AMD, much less any motherboard manufacturer, is not going to provide any means to get it working properly if you have trouble. I'd hold on for a desktop chip, unless the mobile is really, really cheap. 2.)Cache is made up of SRAM--Static RAM, which does not need to be refreshed. RAM that you install in your RAM slots is DRAM--Dynamic RAM, which needs to be refreshed. SRAM also can operate at much higher frequencies than DRAM's can. Combine these two attributes and you have a case for a more expensive memory. 1GB of SRAM would be astronomical and make PC's out of reach for most people. An excellent analogy I heard was this: comparing the levels of cache in your CPU to the food you eat. Registers are right there, and would be comparable to food in your mouth, ready for the stomach (CPU) to go to work. L1 (Level 1) cache would be the food in your hand. L2 (Level 2) would be the food on the plate. To extend this further, your main memory, DRAM is the food in the cupboard, and the hard drive can be thought of as the grocery store.
SRAM uses flip-flop style transistors, therefore they don't need to be refreshed like DRAM. They can also operate at speeds at the same speed of the processor, and so 1mb of SRAM is extremely expensive compared to 1mb of DRAM.
I *think* it was in Maximum PC special DIY edition around 1999 or 2000. One of the best analogies I've heard.
lol - Cheers folks. Big B, you sure do have a way of breaking it down. It works though. Thanks. Y'all.
