A few questions about integrated graphics

[Chris Pemberton]

I have a good understanding of how some software can be written and 
optimized to perform better in a 64-bit OS.  
(http://www.agner.org/optimize/).  I understand the relationships 
between CPU speed and cache sizes, system bus speed and RAM timings. 

I have a few questions regarding Intel integrated GPUs and graphic 
performance in Linux:

1.  Are there any benefits to using a 64-bit kernel with integrated 
Intel graphics?

2.  Will Intel GPUs benefit much from faster bus speeds and faster ram 
timings; much like the CPU (i.e: is what's good for the CPU also good 
for the GPU?)

3.  Do Intel GPUs have the equivalent of a cache?

4.  Any mesa/intel xorg driver code "optimized" for 64-bit, CPU cache 
size, multiple cores, etc...?

5.  Some software (I think mplayer is one and most certainly ATLAS) 
ignore your compiler settings and create optimized code automagically.  
Anything I can do when compiling xorg/intel/mesa drivers to improve the 
performance? 

Thanks for entertaining my curiosity.  The net is littered with accounts 
of persons spending all their time building/optimizing their 
hardware/software and the only definitive statement they make is that 
the result "felt snappier".  Rather than suffer a placebo effect I 
thought I'd just ask those who my actually know.

Thanks,

Chris