Computer Architecture: A Quantitative Approach by John L. Hennessy (Author), David Goldberg
Publisher: Morgan Kaufmann Pub; (January 1996) | ISBN:1558603298 | 760 pages | Language: English | pdf | 3.4MB
An excellent successor to Hennessy and Patterson’s Computer Organization and Design, this book presents computer architecture and design as something quantitative that can be studied in the context of real running systems rather than in an abstract format. The concepts are again grounded in real machine architectures and many of the examples are contemporary architectures, such as PowerPC chips and Intel 80×86. Computer Architecture follows the same outline as its predecessor, but covers information in more depth, moving rapidly from introductory discussions to issues just shy of computer design research. The format again includes an excellent mix of exercises and historical background. This book is recommended for people with some experience in digital design–or people who have read and understood the authors’ first text.
Dr. Dobb’s Journal
Read the entire review, including a chapter-by-chapter analysis of this book.
Once in a great while, a landmark computer-science book is published. Computer Architecture: A Quantitative Approach, Second Edition, is such a book. In an era of fluff computer books that are, quite properly, remaindered within weeks of publication, this book will stand the test of time, becoming lovingly dog-eared in the hands of anyone who designs computers or has concerns about the performance of computer programs.
Hennessy and Patterson are well-known researchers in the field of computation. Hennessy started the MIPS project at Stanford and is one of the cofounders of MIPS Computer Systems. Patterson led the design of the RISC-1 computer project and the RAID storage project at Berkeley.
Computer Architecture offers two significant benefits to readers of DDJ. First, it provides answers to those nagging questions such as: “Why don’t those idiot chip designers just add more {registers}{cache}?” Second, once you have read it, you are in a fine position to win bets with other armchair computer designers on almost any hardware-related topic.
Seriously, the book will give you the ability to understand the fundamental issues that influence the design of modern computer systems. Moreover, it will provide you with the analytical methods you need to quantify real-world design choices…
Computer Architecture: A Quantitative Approach is insightful, thought-provoking, and meticulously edited. It may appear to be expensive, but the per-page cost is low and the per-insight cost is even lower. The exercises at the end of each chapter of the text are relevant and will further increase the reader’s understanding of computer architecture. I highly recommend this book. A well-edited gold mine of ideas, it will serve its readers well. I consider it required reading for all professional programmers and for those who are seriously involved with the design and performance of computer systems old and new. — Robert Benecky, Dr. Dobb’s Journal