Author: Tom Kerrigan
Date: 01:33:07 08/20/04
Now that AMD is selling two processors that are identical other than L2 cache size (Sempron has 256k, Athlon 64 has 512k) we have proof of Crafty's working set size: Sempron: 1,080,020 NPS Athlon 64: 1,080,230 NPS http://www.anandtech.com/linux/showdoc.aspx?i=2170&p=3 This should prove once and for all that Crafty's working set is < 256k and therefore that size of L2 cache has no effect on its performance (as long as it's >= 256k) and that main memory speed likely plays a trivial role performance-wise. I bring this up because of all of the long debates that have occurred in the past about the value of L2 cache, the speed of memory, and the working set size of chess programs. I have no doubt that Crafty uses a bunch of memory, but obviously not with enough temporal locality for it to matter one iota. -Tom
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