Question Is there such thing as a Cache Memory stick?

[Wallascene]

Hello,
I am in an online computer hardware course. We have weekly discussion threads and one individual has claimed that cache memory is becoming it's own entity separate from CPU's. He claims that they are starting to sell cache memory sticks that you can put into your desktop and they are the 'future'. I have searched far and wide, but can't wrap my head around what he is talking about. I have found a website that sells these so called cache memory sticks. https://www.memory4less.com/hp-server-memory-645106-001 Aren't these just standard RAM sticks?
Thanks for the help.

 

[R_1]

you can get that cheaper
https://www.impactcomputers.com/645106-001.html
however that is for a RAID controller. and looks to be a standard ECC RAM stick , first gen DDR and the rarity is why its expensive
intel has optane memory caches and they are/were just SSD's with an M.2 slot and software that let you cache SSD and HDD to them.
I have an SSD R/W caching my spinning drives and 2GB of RAM as a R/W cache for my main SSD. ( using primocache)
in that sense I am using my memory stick as a cache for slower storage, but for a CPU?
reminds me of the pentium 2/3 days when the CPU was affixed to a slotted card that held more cache for the CPU.

 

[Wallascene]

you can get that cheaper
https://www.impactcomputers.com/645106-001.html
however that is for a RAID controller. and looks to be a standard ECC RAM stick , first gen DDR and the rarity is why its expensive
intel has optane memory caches and they are/were just SSD's with an M.2 slot and software that let you cache SSD and HDD to them.
I have an SSD R/W caching my spinning drives and 2GB of RAM as a R/W cache for my main SSD. ( using primocache)
in that sense I am using my memory stick as a cache for slower storage, but for a CPU?
reminds me of the pentium 2/3 days when the CPU was affixed to a slotted card that held more cache for the CPU.

Thank you for the reply, much appreciated! I found this on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/XPG-SX8200-G...&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B07K1HMMJC&th=1
Kind of wild! You can even plug it in via USB.

 

[USAFRet]

Kind of wild! You can even plug it in via USB.

And completely kill the performance of an NVMe drive, by pushing it through the USB interface.
That is not a 'cache drive', that is a typical M.2 NVMe drive.

 

[Wallascene]

And completely kill the performance of an NVMe drive, by pushing it through the USB interface.
That is not a 'cache drive', that is a typical M.2 NVMe drive.

Ahh that makes sense! Thanks for the info! I'm going to have to ask for clarification from my classmate because so far I can't figure out what he's talking about.

 

[USAFRet]

Ahh that makes sense! Thanks for the info! I'm going to have to ask for clarification from my classmate because so far I can't figure out what he's talking about.

It sounds like he doesn't either.

 

[notea]

I remember windows 7 had a feature called readyboost where you can use a pendrive and use it as a cache drive which stores data on your most used apps and also for speedier booting of windows, but there is no separate cache memory as your friend says, intel optane memory is what comes to mind but they are not memory sticks, rather an m.2 nvme ssd that works similarly to the mentioned readyboost but at a much higher data transfer rate as it uses the PCIe bus interface, this is meant to help normal hard drives to operate and access data faster by using optane to store the data and can be quickly accessed the next time it is needed. maybe this is what your friend is referring to.
READ: intel optane memory
Amazon : intel optane 16GB

 

[paulace007]

Hello,
I am in an online computer hardware course. We have weekly discussion threads and one individual has claimed that cache memory is becoming it's own entity separate from CPU's. He claims that they are starting to sell cache memory sticks that you can put into your desktop and they are the 'future'. I have searched far and wide, but can't wrap my head around what he is talking about. I have found a website that sells these so called cache memory sticks. https://www.memory4less.com/hp-server-memory-645106-001 Aren't these just standard RAM sticks?
Thanks for the help.

Well at the risk of sounding old (lol) I started building PC's in the 90's (been programming and hardware dabbling since 1982) and there was a period where I used to have to install 'write back cache' or as I've found out whilst researching this subject for posterity, it was called COAST (cache on a stick). From the best of my recollection it was on Intel motherboards and was installed as a physical module in the same way that memory was (and is) installed. It was a single slot however and was supposed to speed up the machine. In fact, it's been that long that I can't remember if it was needed or not, but my gut feeling is that it was. How ironic then that this 'rumour' would come back around 20 to 25 years later!