Cache access is optimized through identifying redundant accesses
(read-requests made to identical system memory addresses), and issuing a
single cache data request for each group of redundant accesses. One
embodiment of the invention is a graphics system comprising a system
memory that stores texture data, coupled to a texture cache that is
coupled to one or more texture pipes. Each pipe processes information for
a respective spatial bin. A cache preprocessor receives read-requests for
texels from the texture pipes and generates a control code corresponding
to each read-request, indicating whether the read-request is a redundant
access, and linking redundant accesses to a single cache data request.
The cache preprocessor provides the control codes and the read-requests
to a cache arbiter, which issues the codes and the cache data requests to
the texture cache. A cache data router and replicator receives the
control codes and the texture data from the texture cache, and provides
the appropriate corresponding data to satisfy each request for texels
made by the texture pipes.