Use of L3 cache when compiling?


Recommended Posts

I compile applications often, and they usually take 1-2 hours. I'm planning to upgrade my dual core rig to a quad core one, but I'd like to pull back on cost.

The latest Athlon X4 620 interests me, because I can make use of all 4 cores to compile the app, and it seems to come in cheaply at US$100. Does not having an L3 cache (the Athlon X4s) affect my compile time significantly? i.e. Is it worth paying total 2-3 times more for a Core i5 750 or a Phenom X4 945 instead of Athlon X4 620?

I'm largely budget-conscious but doesn't mind paying more if it's worth it (Core i7s and its associated platform costs are largely out of range though). Also, I tend leave this computer 24/7 so power may be a factor too. I plan to have 8-16 Gb of DDR3 RAM to maximize the potential of the rig during compilation... Nope I don't play games often.

Link to comment
https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/830194-use-of-l3-cache-when-compiling/
Share on other sites

I just have to ask what exactly are you compiling that takes 1-2 hours? or is it multiple applications that overall take that long?

guess it depends on what you're compiling i know the hard drive can play an important role in compile speed (i tried compiling on a flash memory stick with 10MB read/write surprisingly took a very long time considering the content)

if its processor bound then i guess a core 2 duo/quad would be a nice upgrade path

could you post the rest of your system specs?

cheers

This seems better for an extra $70 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16819103471

L3 cache, 3ghz vs 2.6ghz on the newer, more slightly efficient architecture plus it's a black edition, so you can probably get some extra mhz if you're into overclocking.

I don't overclock, and I'm on a SATA II 1Tb Seagate 7200.11 drive (which I'll swap out for an SSD when prices drop further).

Rest of my specs? Mobo depends on processor (non-gaming), probably 8-16 Gb ram, the hard drive described above, DVD burner, probably onboard graphics.

Oh, and I compile Mozilla applications, e.g. Firefox / Thunderbird. Each take ~1 hour on my dualcore rig. Athlon X2 5600+, 4Gb DDR2 RAM, that Seagate drive above. WinXP. (I compile in about half that time on Ubuntu though I not often on Linux)

I could be wrong, but wouldn't it also be better for you to have a larger L2 cache instead of an L3 cache? As L2 should be closer to the CPU and faster for it to access.

  Quote
L2 and L3 don't make much difference. L2 pools data for cores and L3 pools data feed between L2 basically. latency of them would be minimal when compiling i'm sure.

So having an L3 cache would help? (yes, I would think that higher clockspeed would help, though increasing the number of cores would help more)

What about Core i7? Will having multithreading on top of the 4 cores prove even better?

That link was a bonus for me RAID O I wanted to find out the price of the i5 processors.

I have just read a 4 page review of the i5 series from APC magazine (check there web review) and it suggests that the chipset that's needed can run a new i7 series that has come out, so after say 2yrs you can just replace the cpu and carry on...

However the price for technology is over rated and yes to achieve your goal with the i5 series you need a new m/board P55 chipset and DDR3 ram and an expensive graphics card.

Think about this sum

Intel Core i5 750 Qaud Core Processor $200

Intel DP55KG Extreme M/Board $250

low voltage +2200 6gig DDR 3 ram say 300-400

9800 GT or GTX graphics card say 250-300

9800gt or gtx $300? mm what currency is this in?

as for memory no need to get 2200 ^_^

i've had nothing but bad luck with 2000+ memory and in the end if you get 6 dimms its pointless to have that kind of bandwidth as it can't all be utilized (4 dimms in the case of i5..actually anyone know the maximum bandwidth limit supported by the i5?)

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • Fresh leak suggests OnePlus Pad Lite in the works, key specs revealed by Sagar Naresh Bhavsar OnePlus recently unveiled the mid-range OnePlus 13s and the OnePlus Pad 3 Android tablet in India (the tablet is also coming to the U.S.). Now, it appears that the company is working on another tablet, this time, a budget model called the OnePlus Pad Lite. Supposedly, it will be the successor to the OnePlus Pad Go, which launched in the U.K., India, and European countries. According to the leaked images, OnePlus Pad Lite follows the same design elements as earlier OnePlus tablets. The tablet is shown to have a circular camera at the center of the rear panel, with the logo sitting in the middle. The USB-C port and speaker grills are located on the right side frame of the tablet. The alleged OnePlus Pad Lite measures 254.9 x 166.5 x 7.4mm and weighs 539 grams, which is slightly taller, wider, and thinner, but weighs less compared to the OnePlus Pad Go. The tablet, courtesy of 91Mobiles and OnLeaks, is displayed in blue, which could be the only color option. One image shows the tablet with a cover that doubles as a kickstand, but may be sold separately. Gallery: OnePlus Pad Lite Based on the leaked specs, the OnePlus Pad Lite could feature an 11-inch LCD 1920x1080 resolution 90Hz display. It could be powered by the MediaTek Helio G100 processor and paired with the Mali G57 GPU. The tablet may come with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of onboard storage, with more storage and RAM options available at launch. Reportedly, the OnePlus Pad Lite could feature a 5MP primary camera and a 5MP selfie camera. Under the hood, it could be juiced by a 9,340 mAh battery. On the software side, OnePlus Pad Lite may come with OxygenOS 15.0.1 based on Android 15 out of the box. There is no clarity on which market OnePlus plans to launch the OnePlus Pad Lite in. However, the report suggests that it could be priced under ₹20,000 (roughly $231). Images by 91mobiles x OnLeaks
    • Zen Browser 1.13b by Razvan Serea Zen Browser is a privacy-focused, open-source web browser built on Mozilla Firefox, offering users a secure and customizable browsing experience. It emphasizes privacy by blocking trackers, ads, and ensuring your data isn't collected. With Zen Mods, users can enhance their browser experience with various customization options, including features like split views and vertical tabs. The browser is designed for efficiency, providing fast browsing speeds and a lightweight interface. Zen Browser prioritizes user control over the browsing experience, offering a minimal yet powerful alternative to traditional web browsers while keeping your online activity private. Zen Browser’s DRM limitation Zen Browser currently lacks support for DRM-protected content, meaning streaming services like Netflix and HBO Max are inaccessible. This is due to the absence of a Widevine license, which requires significant costs and is financially unfeasible for the developer. Additionally, applying for this license would require Zen to be part of a larger company, similar to Mozilla or Brave. Therefore, DRM-protected media won't be supported in Zen Browser for the foreseeable future. Zen Browser offers features that improve user experience, privacy, and customization: Privacy-Focused: Blocks trackers and minimizes data collection. Automatic Updates: Keeps the browser updated with security patches. Zen Mods: Customizable themes and layouts. Workspaces: Organize tabs into different workspaces. Compact Mode: Maximizes screen space by minimizing UI elements. Zen Glance: Quick website previews. Split Views: View multiple tabs in the same window. Sidebar: Access bookmarks and tools quickly. Vertical Tabs: Manage tabs vertically. Container Tabs: Separate browsing sessions. Fast Profile Switcher: Switch between profiles easily. Tab Folders: Organize tabs into folders. Customizable UI: Personalize browser interface. Security Features: Inherits Firefox’s robust security. Fast Performance: Lightweight and optimized for speed. Zen Mods Customization: Deep customization with mods. Quick Access: Easy access to favorite websites. Open Source: Built on Mozilla Firefox with community collaboration. Community-Driven: Active development and feedback from users. GitHub Repository: Contribute and review the source code. Zen Browser 1.13b changes: New Features There's a new way to manage spaces, which brings a more intuitive and user-friendly experience Updated to firefox 139.0.4 Added support for Google safebrowsing for better security Collapsed toolbarr gets a slight UI redesign Fixes Fixed issues related to glance and split view Fixed performance issues and high GPU usage for some users Other small fixes and improvements Breaking Changes Customizable UI buttons at the bottom has been reset to a new default state Download: Zen Browser | 73.6 MB (Open Source) Download: Zen Browser ARM64 | Other Operating Systems View: Zen Browser Home Page | Screenshots 1 | 2 | Reddit Get alerted to all of our Software updates on Twitter at @NeowinSoftware
    • TBF, it has had PST support for quite a while now. But I still want them to add the ability to drag & drop between accounts / PSTs.
    • LibreOffice closes in on Microsoft Office, leaves Windows 7/8 behind in 25.8 Beta 1 by David Uzondu The Document Foundation has released LibreOffice 25.8 Beta 1 for public testing on Linux, macOS, and Windows. This is the second pre-release for the 25.8 cycle and the foundation says that the final, stable version of LibreOffice 25.8 is expected to land at the end of August 2025. Starting off with Writer, LibreOffice's Word, the developers have finally addressed some long-standing annoyances, including a new command to easily insert a paragraph break right before a table. This beta also introduces a useful privacy feature in its Auto-Redact tool, letting you strip all images from a document with a single option. To use it, go to Tools and select the Auto-Redact option: The application has improved its ability to handle different languages for punctuation, preventing mix-ups in multilingual documents. Other notable improvements have also been made. A new hyphenation rule lets you choose to prevent a word from splitting at the end of a page, moving the whole line to the next page instead. Microsoft Word has had this feature for years now. The Navigator now displays a handy tooltip with word and character counts for headings and their sub-outlines. Scrolling behavior when selecting text has been improved, making it less erratic. A new command with a keyboard shortcut was added for converting fields into plain text. Calc gets a lot of new functions that bring it closer to its competitors like Excel, including TEXTSPLIT, VSTACK, and WRAPROWS. Impress now properly supports embedded fonts in PPTX files, which should reduce headaches when sharing presentations with PowerPoint users. Alongside these additions, the project is also cleaning house; support for Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 has been completely dropped. There are also smaller UI tweaks across the suite, like allowing a single click to enter rotation mode for objects in Writer and Calc. macOS users get better integration, with proper support for native full screen mode and new window management features from the Sequoia update. In terms of performance, the team has optimized everything from loading huge DOC files and XLSX spreadsheets with tons of conditional formatting to simply switching between sheets in Calc. These improvements should be noticeable, especially when working with complex documents. A new application-wide "Viewer mode" has also been implemented, which opens all files in a read-only state for quick, safe viewing. On a related note, The Document Foundation has joined efforts by the likes of KDE to encourage Windows 10 users to switch to Linux. Also, you might have heard that Denmark, in a bid to lessen its reliance on Microsoft, has decided to make a full switch to LibreOffice, with plans to begin phasing out Office 365 in certain ministries as early as next month. If you're interested in this release, you can read the full release notes and download the binaries for your platform: Windows, macOS (Intel | Apple Silicon), or Linux (DEB | RPM). You can also get the latest stable version from our software stories page.
  • Recent Achievements

    • Week One Done
      julien02 earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • One Year In
      Drewidian1 earned a badge
      One Year In
    • Explorer
      Case_f went up a rank
      Explorer
    • Conversation Starter
      Jamie Smith earned a badge
      Conversation Starter
    • First Post
      NeoToad777 earned a badge
      First Post
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      544
    2. 2
      ATLien_0
      227
    3. 3
      +FloatingFatMan
      160
    4. 4
      Michael Scrip
      113
    5. 5
      +Edouard
      104
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!