A directly mapped cache is distinguished from an associative cache by its inability to arbitrarily couple data elements.

The ability to freely associate data items is the primary characteristic that distinguishes a fully associative cache from a directly mapped cache. This ability is the major distinction between the two types of caches.

. Cache Write Policies In a cache system using a write-back policy, if a cache block is modified and marked as "dirty" but not yet updated in the main memory, and that block is selected for replacement, what action should be taken to ensure data integrity?

Caching data may improve performance by taking use of "spatial locality" and "temporal locality." Caches employ these two occurrences in many ways.

A true associative cache differs from a directly mapped cache in that it allows users to arbitrarily associate data elements.

Compare an associative cache to a directly mapped one.

Cache Mapping a. A computer system has a main memory with 128 blocks and a cache with 32 blocks. If it uses direct mapping, how many main memory blocks can be mapped to a single cache block? b. In a set-associative cache with 64 blocks and divided into 4 sets, determine the associativity of each set. c. For a fully associative cache with 256 blocks, how many sets are there?

A fully associative cache is different from a directly mapped cache in that it allows users to arbitrarily associate data items. Isn't this capability the main differentiator between the two cache types?