An implementation of
secondary cache
memory that allows it to be directly accessed by the
CPU.
Backside cache is used by Apple Computers, Inc. in their
PowerPC G3 processor. Previous PowerPC processors used the
system bus to access both secondary cache and
main memory.
In the PowerPC G3 a dedicated bus handles only
CPU/cache
transactions. This bus can operate faster than the system bus
thus improving the overall performance of the processor.
The term apparently derives from the relocation of the
secondary cache from the
motherboard to the processor card
itself, i.e. on the backside of the processor card.