Performance of Multilevel Caches


Question — A processor is with a base CPI of 1.0, assuming all references hit in the primary cache, and a clock rate of 4 GHz. Assume a main memory access time of 100 ns, including all the miss handling. Suppose the miss rate per instruction at the primary cache is 2%. If add a secondary cache that has a 5 ns access time for either a hit or a miss and is large enough to reduce the miss rate to main memory to 0.5%, how much faster will the processor be?  



      “Perhaps the logical conclusion of everyone looking the same    
      is everyone thinking the same.”    
      ― Scott Westerfeld, Uglies