Memory Performance: Does L3 Cache make a difference?

We tested the Athlon II X4 620 against a Deneb cored Phenom II X4 set to 2.6GHz for a clock to clock comparison in order to ascertain the importance of the L3 cache on any memory performance. Has AMD tied the memory controller into the large cache in either single or multithreaded memory access?

Lavalys Everest

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The improvement in memory controller out does any likely addition the L3 cache might have on memory bandwidth, as read and write performance are superior for the Athlon II X4 overall.

SiSoft Sandra

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Sisoft Sandra's multithreaded memory bandwidth does seem to play into the hands of the L3 cache enabled Phenom II though, as it offers slightly more bandwidth at a very slight increase in latency. Horses for courses really.