Tech Link (Technology): X-bit's Investigation: Data Transfer Rate between the Cores in Dual-Core Processors

If you would like to get down and dirty with the operation of CPU, XBitLabs has something up for you to wet your feet and indulge if you wish too. Honestly, I haven't gotten reading past the first paragraph. Still too busy, but I'll amend this posting as soon as I get a good read of the article. So for now, why not go ahead and check out.

How Processors Communicate in Multiprocessor Systems

To better understand what this review is all about, you should be aware of the problems arising in communication between processors of a multiprocessor system.

The processors are working with data that are read from system memory to be modified and then written back. Data are cached in the CPU for faster processing, but more than one processor may request the same data in a multiprocessor system. This is not a problem if both the processors are just reading data, because they are both provided the most recent valid copy from system RAM. But if one of the processors modifies the data, the data are first changed in the cache memory and it is only after a while that they are written into system RAM. So, there is a potential conflict when one processor is trying to read data that have been modified and are currently stored in another processor’s cache.

Source:XBitLabs