⚡ DATA DRAIN
Level 1 · 3 Types
Processing Power
100%
Packets Processed
0 / 50
Goal: 50
Overheat Strikes
3 = Crash
Time Remaining
60s
⚡ Cache (Instant) — 3 slots
💾 RAM (3s delay) — 10 slots
📦 Incoming Packets ▼
💡 Core Lesson: Memory hierarchy is a physical bottleneck — caching is a strategy of predicting what's needed next, not just storing everything.

🧑‍🏫 Discussion

Why do computers have multiple memory levels?
Cache is small but blazing fast (like having a notepad on your desk). RAM is larger but slower (like a filing cabinet). Your CPU checks cache first — if the data's there ("cache hit"), great! If not ("cache miss"), it must wait for RAM. How does caching affect your phone's speed? Apps you use often stay in cache, so they open instantly. Apps you haven't used in a while get evicted and take longer to load.

🎴 Activity

Simulate an LRU Cache with Playing Cards: Deal 10 cards face down (RAM). Pick 3 to flip face up (Cache). When you need a card, check if it's face up (cache hit = fast!). If not, flip a face-up card down and flip the needed card up (cache miss = eviction). The least recently used card gets evicted — just like a real CPU cache!