Whether modifying level two caching can be accelerated for Windows XP

Among the many XP optimization techniques, it is popular to say that Windows XP requires the user to manually turn on the CPU's level two cache to maximize the CPU's efficiency. This argument is widely circulated, and it is the view of "Windows Optimizer Master", one of the most used Windows system optimization software, that has the option of optimizing CPU level two caching in its optimization settings bar.

Let's take a look at how this so-called optimization technique is going to tell us.

"The CPU level two cache is not turned on in the Windows XP system by default. To improve system performance, we can open it by modifying the registry, or by using software such as Windows Optimizer master.

Run the Registry Editor, expand the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management Branch, and double-click the in the right window. Secondleveldatacace, and then fill in the pop-up window with the two-level cache capacity of the CPU used by the current computer.

The Celeron processor's level two cache is 128KB, and its value should be set to 80 (16, below). Pⅱ, Pⅲ, P4 are 512KB two cache, should be set to 200;pⅲe (EB), P4 Willamette only 256KB level two cache, should be set to 100;AMD Duron only 64KB two cache, should be set to 40;k6-3 with 256KB two level cache Athlon has 512KB two cache, Athlon XP has 256KB level two cache, Athlon XP (Barton Core) has 512KB two level cache.

You can also set the CPU level two cache correctly by using Windows Optimizer: Start Windows Optimizer master, select System performance Optimization, and in File system optimization, the top is the set item on the CPU level two cache. After you drag the slider to the appropriate location, save the settings and restart the computer. 】

Is that really the case?

We found the following in Microsoft's Knowledge Base: "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management" The value of the Secondleveldatacache key in the Windows XP system is only from the hardware abstraction layer (Hardware abstraction Layer Reads the Secondleveldatacache key data when the CPU Level two cache (L2) fails. And the meaning of the Secondleveldatacache key value =0 is that the two cache is 256KB.

In a knowledge Base article we also found the words "do not change the Secondleveldatacache entry". It is pointed out in the article that some third-party data claim that modifying the value of the Secondleveldatacache key can improve the system performance is incorrect. The value of the secondary cache is detected by the operating system and is completely unaffected by the Secondleveldatacache value.

From the Microsoft Knowledge Base article, we can see that the so-called Windows XP system requires users to manually open the level two cache is wrong to say. The Windows XP system reads the CPU's level two cache value based on the hardware abstraction layer. The Secondleveldatacache value is read only when the read fails, and Secondleveldatacache's default value of 0 means that the level two cache is 256KB, rather than closing. So the CPU two-level slow exists at any time is open, users do not need to modify their own.