Abstract: A method and apparatus for performing vector quantization in a video coder. The method includes obtaining a video frame and segmenting it into coding blocks of predetermined size. A predetermined number of the coding blocks is transferred to a first cache memory. A predetermined portion of a codebook is transferred into a first section of a second cache memory which is capable of being rotated or having addresses associated with bytes in the second cache memory interchanged or offset by a specified amount. Concurrently with computing the vector quantization for the first portion of the codebook with respect to the coding blocks in the first cache memory, a second section of the codebook is transferred into a second section of the second cache memory. The number of coding blocks transferred to the first cache memory is selected so that transferral of the second section of the codebook is completed at the same time as or prior to completion of the computation of the vector quantization.