TestOut LabSim A+ Certification Practice Exam

Which two statements are true regarding processor cache?

1. L1 is usually unique to each processor core

2. L2 is accessible to all cores

3. L3 is shared among all cores

4. All cores share L1 cache

The correct answer is: L1 is usually unique to each processor core

L1 cache is indeed usually unique to each processor core. Each core in a multi-core processor architecture typically has its own dedicated L1 cache, which allows for faster access to frequently used instructions and data. This close proximity enables efficient caching that benefits processing speeds, as each core can quickly access its own cache without needing to interfere with data used by other cores. In contrast, L2 and L3 caches operate differently. L2 cache may be dedicated to specific cores or shared across a smaller set of cores, but it's typically slower than L1 cache. L3 cache, on the other hand, is generally designed to be shared among all cores in a processor, allowing for larger capacity and improved efficiency when multiple cores need to access the same data. L1 cache, being private to each core, avoids the latency issues associated with access to shared caches.