R12: Cache vs Buffer - same thing?

[spockman]

Hi,
I am in the process of configuring my newly downloaded R12 version of dBPowerAMP. In the Options window, under CD-ROM>Technincal, my drive is shown as having "Buffer Size: 2MB"
In the "Secure Settings" window, when I have performed the "Detect" of the "Drive Read Cache", the result is 670KB.
Should these figures match? (or, is cache the same as buffer?)

Thanks for your help.
Spockman.

BTW: My drive is a LITEON SHM-165P6S and is USB connected. I understand that the drive cache detection under USB may not be 100% reliable.

[LtData]

Re: R12: Cache vs Buffer - same thing?

Note that the 2MB is referred to as a "buffer" not cache. Here's what wikipedia says:

The difference between buffers and cache

The terms are not mutually exclusive, and the functions are frequently combined, but there is a difference in intent. A buffer is a temporary storage location where a large block of data is assembled or disassembled. This may be necessary for interacting with a storage device that requires large blocks of data, or when data must be delivered in a different order than that in which it is produced, or merely desirable when small blocks are inefficient. The benefit is present even if the buffered data is written to the buffer once and read from the buffer once.

A cache, on the other hand, hopes that the data will be read from the cache more often than it is written there. Its purpose is to eliminate accesses to the underlying storage, rather than make them more efficient.