Patent ID: 8131953

Claim:
A method comprising: receiving a first store; thereafter, placing the first store in a first entry in a store queue for a memory, wherein the first store includes a memory address; comparing the memory address for the first store with only memory addresses for a set of entries in the store queue that have a recent store bit set, wherein the recent store bit indicates that a store is a most recent entry for a particular memory address and wherein the set of entries in the store queue that have the recent store bit set are a youngest store of each memory address included in all entries in the store queue; determining that the memory address for the first store matches a matching memory address for a second store in the set of entries in the store queue that have the recent store bit set; and thereafter, setting a hazard bit and a first recent store bit in the first entry, clearing a second recent store bit in a second entry in the store queue for the second store to form only one entry in the store queue for the memory address that has the recent store bit set, and including a pointer in the first entry that points to the second entry, wherein the second store is a last store that needs to retire before the first store retires.