memory caches - (a memory cache, or CPU cache) a memory bank that bridges main memory and the CPU. It is faster than main memory and allows instructions to be excecuted and data to be read at higher speed. Instructions and data are transferred to the cache in blocks, using some kind of look-ahead algorithm. The more sequential the instructions in the routine being accessed, and the more sequential the order of the data being read, the more chance the next desired item will still be in the cache, and the greater improvement in performance. A level 1 (L1) cache is a memory bank built into or packaged within the chip. A level 2 cache (L2) is a group of memory chips on the motherboard. Increasing a Level 2 cache may speed up some applications and amount to nothing on others. Both types are used together. In PCs, the cache is made up of static RAM (SRAM) chips, while dynamic RAM (DRAM) chips are used for main memory.