Patent ID: 6933945

Claim:
A method for operating a cache memory, the method comprising: receiving a first request for first data, 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 request for the first data to system memory after said determining that the first data is not present in the cache memory; receiving a second request for second data, wherein the second request has an associated second cache tag; determining if the second data is present in the cache memory by performing a tag lookup on the second cache tag; and receiving the first data from the system memory; wherein at least a portion of said determining if the second data is present in the cache memory is performed prior to or concurrently with said recieving the first data from the system memory; and providing the second data from the cache memory if the second data is present in the cache memory is performed prior to or concurrently with said receiving the first data from the system memory as a result of determining that the first data was not present in the texture cache memory.