Cache is the memory incorporated in the hard disk that stores fre¬quently-accessed data. This saves use of the read/write head, thus extending its life, besides, obviously, improving performance.

A 2 MB cache is common in most hard drives, with the highest being 16 MB in the latest, large-eapacity drives. The maximum transfer speeds of the interface that is mentioned in the drive specifica¬tions refers to the time it takes for the cache to send the data.