Level 3 Cache?

[tifc8lraz]

I just ran cpu-z's latency test on my temporary computer and the results gave me the latency numbers for l1, and l2 cache, although, the prompt said is also had a third level cache. What is this?

EDIT:
I just ran the test again and it reported only two cache levels.

 

[MetalX]

That's because some processors like the older Pentium 4 EE socket 478 processors had L3 cache. It was supposed to improve performance... and it did somewhat because a 3.2 Gallatin (P4 EE) was faster than a 3.8 Prescott with HT.

 

[tifc8lraz]

The computer I'm working on is a Pentium 3 EB Coppermine on a socket 370 mobo, not a Pentium IV though.

EDIT:

I just ran another test, and it says;

3 Cache Levels detected

Level 1 size = 16KB (normal, I know)
Level 2 size = 128KB (normal, I know)
Level 3 size = 256KB (???)

 

[Rick]

The P-IIIEB (133MHz FSB, 256k L2, right?) does not have L3 cache.

 

[tifc8lraz]

That's correct.

 

[MetalX]

Hmmm... sometimes in old motherboards the cache was built into to MoBo so maybe the L3 is on the mobo?

 

[wolfram]

I don't think it has L3 cache on the mobo. That was on some P2's, because they didn't have a integrated L2 cache. They had 512kb of L2, and it was on the mobo.

BTW, CPU-Z detected 3 cache levels on my old Celeron D. It has to be crazy

 

[tifc8lraz]

Cpu-Z has had some inacurate results with the fan power and one temperature sensor.

 

[dmill89]

Hmmm... sometimes in old motherboards the cache was built into to MoBo so maybe the L3 is on the mobo?

Never heard of L3 cache on the motherboard however L2 cache on the motherboard was common with socket 7 (Pentium MMX[75-233mhz],AMD K6[200-550mhz] ) and slot 1 (Pentium II and some early AMD K7 Thunderbirds) because these CPUs had no onbord cache ( actually slot 1 K7 Thunderbirds did have L2 cache on the CPU but sience slot 1 boards were desinged for Pentium IIs which did not the motherboards had external cache anyway).