Course Content and Objectives

A functional analysis of computer hardware and software systems including a comparative study of past, present, and proposed architectures as well as comptuer performance analysis and optimization.

Textbooks

Computer Architecture: A Quantitative Approach by John L. Hennessy & David A. Patterson. Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, 1990, third addition, 2002.

Prerequisites: CPTR143, CPTR255

Class Requirements and Grading

Final Grade Distribution

100 - 93 A 

92 - 90 A- 

89 - 87 B+ 

86 - 83 B 

82 - 80 B- 

79 - 75 C+ 

74 - 70 C 

69 - 65 C- 

64 - 50 D

80% attendance is required to receive a successful audit

Class Work - Weights Final Grade Distribution

                 1.Regular - Tests		 80% 
                   Homework		          10% 
                   Class Participation           10%

Exams

A test will be given at the end of each chapter.

Course Topics

Fundamentals of Computer Design.

Performance and Cost.

Instruction Set Design: Alternatives and Principles.

Instruction Set Examples and Measurements of Use.

Basic Processor Implementation Techniques.

Pipelining.

Vector Processors.

Memory-Hierarchy Design.

Input/Output.

Future Directions.

Course Level

This class is taught for the graduate level student taking a Computer Science or Software Engineering Masters degree.