Secondary Cache

What Does Secondary Cache Mean?

A secondary cache is a type of cache memory that is deployed and installed external to the primary or processor cache. It is a fast data storage and access memory that works in addition to the primary cache.

Secondary cache is also known as external cache.

Techopedia Explains Secondary Cache

Secondary cache is mainly used to store and access data and programs that are accessed less frequently than the data stored in primary cache. Although secondary cache has more space than primary cache, it has a slower speed. It generally stores data that is about to be accessed by the processor.

Secondary cache can appear in several forms, including:

Disk Cache: A space reserved on the hard disk to be used as disk cache
Memory Cache: Separate portion or integrated component of random access memory (RAM) that provides faster data access than RAM itself
Standalone Cache: Integrated directly onto the motherboard

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Margaret Rouse

Technology Expert

Margaret is an award-winning technical writer and teacher known for her ability to explain complex technical subjects to a non-technical business audience. Over the past twenty years, her IT definitions have been published by Que in an encyclopedia of technology terms and cited in articles by the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine, and Discovery Magazine. She joined Techopedia in 2011. Margaret's idea of a fun day is helping IT and business professionals learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages.

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