Cache performance for multimedia applications

ABSTRACT

The caching behavior of multimedia applications has been described as having high instruction reference locality within small loops, very large working sets, and poor data cache performance due to non-locality of data references. Despite this, there is no published research deriving or measuring these qualities. Utilizing the previously developed Berkeley Multimedia Workload, we present the results of execution driven cache simulations with the goal of aiding future media processing architecture design. Our analysis examines the differences between multimedia and traditional applications in cache behavior. We find that multimedia applications actually exhibit lower instruction miss ratios and comparable data miss ratios when contrasted with other widely studied workloads. In addition, we find that longer data cache line sizes than are currently used would benefit multimedia processing.

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INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  C. Computer Systems Organization
  C.4 PERFORMANCE OF SYSTEMS
      Subjects: Design studies

Additional Classification:
  B. Hardware
  B.3 MEMORY STRUCTURES
      B.3.2 Design Styles
          Subjects: Cache memories

  C. Computer Systems Organization
  C.4 PERFORMANCE OF SYSTEMS
      Subjects: Performance attributes

  I. Computing Methodologies

General Terms:
Design, Measurement, Performance

Keywords:
CPU caches, cache, mulitmedia, simulation, trace driven simulation