Concept of Cache Line

cache line - The smallest unit of memory than can be transferred between the main memory and the L1/L2 cache.

Rather than reading a single word or byte from main memory at a time, each cache entry is usually holds a certain number of words, known as a "cache line" or "cache block" and a whole line is read and cached at once. This takes advantage of the principle of locality of reference: if one location is read then nearby locations (particularly following locations) are likely to be read soon afterward. It can also take advantage of page-mode DRAM which allows faster access to consecutive locations.

The cache line is generally fixed in size, typically ranging from 16 to 256 bytes. The effectiveness of the line size depends on the application, and cache circuits may be configurable to a different line size by the system designer. There are also numerous algorithms for dynamically adjusting line size in real time.