Patent ID: 7360020

Claim:
A method for operating a cache memory, the method comprising: receiving a first request for first data from a requestor, wherein the first request has an associated first cache tag; determining that the first data is not present in the cache memory by performing a tag lookup on the first cache tag; providing a memory read-request for the first data to system memory after said determining that the first data is not present in the cache memory; the system memory providing the first data directly to the requestor in response to the memory read-request; and writing the first data into the cache memory after the system memory providing the first data directly to the requestor; receiving a second request for second data, wherein the second request has an associated second cache tag; and determining that the second data is present in the cache memory by performing a tag lookup on the second cache tag; wherein the second request is received after the first request; and wherein at least a portion of said determining that the second data is present in the cache memory is performed prior to the system memory providing the first data directly to the requestor.