This book blends traditional teaching approaches with the use of mathematics, together with the use of a hardware description language and a concrete processor as vehicles for hands-on modelling and experimenting with digital logic and processor design. This unique approach encourages readers to derive their own conclusions via experimentation, enabling them to discover for themselves the fundamental and exciting topics of computer architecture. Features: includes a wide-ranging introductory chapter; outlines basic methods for evaluating processors; investigates advanced topics in processor design; presents a detailed description of a development tool-chain; provides a stand-alone tutorial on using SPIM; focuses on aspects of compilers which are closely tied to the processor; examines the concept of efficient programming; concludes every chapter with a set of example problems. This practical, reader-friendly textbook has been written with undergraduates in mind, and is suitable for self-study.

This easy-to-follow textbook offers a practically-driven approach to Computer Architecture in order for readers to gain a deeper understanding of the theory behind the topic.

This comprehensive text uses Verilog (a Hardware Description Language) as a practical vehicle for modelling and experimenting with digital logic, and it is used as a bridge between the low-level, digital logic approach, and high-level systems architecture approach discussed throughout.

Features:

a Includes a wide-ranging introductory chapter, familiarising the reader with both the subject and the booka (TM)s contents

a Provides learning tools such as chapter overviews, summaries, example problems and answers throughout

a Additional material such as example source code and electronic lecture slides are available via a complementary website

This practical reader-friendly text has been written with undergraduates in mind, and is also suitable for self-study.