Cache On A STick
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COAST, an acronym for Cache On A STick, is a packaging standard for modules containing SRAM used as an L2 cache in a computer. COAST modules look like somewhat oversided SIMM modules. COAST modules were somewhat popular in the early 1990s, but as of 2004, most cache is build-in to either the CPU or the motherboard.
The standard was originally defined by Motorola to be between 4.33 and 4.36 inches (110 and 111 mm) wide, and between 1.12 and 1.16 inches (28 and 29 mm) high. It could be found in many Apple Macintosh in the early-to-mid-90s, but disappeared as the Mac moved to the PowerPC platform.
Intel also used the COAST standard for their Pentium systems, combining it with a CPU and referring to it as Slot 1, further specifying the size to 4.35 inches (110 mm) wide and 1.14 inches (29 mm) high. COAST was used only for a short time before newer generations of Pentium designs moved to a socket-based connector with the cache internal to the CPU.