How to Calculate Cache Miss Rate

Cache Miss Rate & Performance Calculator

Analyze CPU Cache Efficiency and Memory Access Latency

Calculation Results:

Total Memory Accesses:

Cache Miss Rate:

Cache Hit Rate:

Average Memory Access Time (AMAT):

How to Calculate Cache Miss Rate

In computer architecture, the cache miss rate is a critical metric that measures the efficiency of a CPU's cache memory system. It represents the fraction of memory accesses that are not found in the cache and must therefore be fetched from a slower level of memory (like RAM).

The Cache Miss Rate Formula

To calculate the miss rate, you use the following mathematical formula:

Miss Rate = (Total Misses / (Total Hits + Total Misses)) × 100%

Understanding the Components

  • Cache Hit: When the processor finds the requested data in the cache. This is fast.
  • Cache Miss: When the data is not in the cache, requiring a fetch from main memory. This causes latency.
  • Hit Rate: The percentage of accesses that result in a hit (100% – Miss Rate).
  • Average Memory Access Time (AMAT): A performance calculation that factors in hit time and miss penalties.

Realistic Calculation Example

Imagine a processor executing a program that performs 1,000 memory requests. If 920 of those requests are found in the L1 cache and 80 result in misses:

  • Total Accesses: 920 + 80 = 1,000
  • Miss Rate: (80 / 1,000) = 0.08 or 8%
  • Hit Rate: (920 / 1,000) = 0.92 or 92%

If the Hit Time is 1 cycle and the Miss Penalty is 100 cycles, the AMAT would be: 1 + (0.08 × 100) = 9 cycles per access.

function calculateCacheStats() { var hits = parseFloat(document.getElementById('cacheHits').value); var misses = parseFloat(document.getElementById('cacheMisses').value); var hTime = parseFloat(document.getElementById('hitTime').value); var mPenalty = parseFloat(document.getElementById('missPenalty').value); // Validation if (isNaN(hits) || isNaN(misses) || hits < 0 || misses < 0) { alert("Please enter valid positive numbers for hits and misses."); return; } var totalAccesses = hits + misses; if (totalAccesses === 0) { alert("Total accesses cannot be zero."); return; } var missRate = (misses / totalAccesses) * 100; var hitRate = (hits / totalAccesses) * 100; // Display basic results document.getElementById('resTotal').innerText = totalAccesses.toLocaleString(); document.getElementById('resMissRate').innerText = missRate.toFixed(2) + "%"; document.getElementById('resHitRate').innerText = hitRate.toFixed(2) + "%"; // AMAT Calculation if (!isNaN(hTime) && !isNaN(mPenalty)) { var amat = hTime + ((misses / totalAccesses) * mPenalty); document.getElementById('resAMAT').innerText = amat.toFixed(3) + " units"; } else { document.getElementById('resAMAT').innerText = "Insufficient data for AMAT (Provide Hit Time & Penalty)"; } // Show result container document.getElementById('cacheResult').style.display = 'block'; }

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