Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!mcsun!ukc!acorn!astevens
From: astevens@acorn.co.uk (Ashley Stevens)
Newsgroups: comp.arch
Subject: Re: intro text suggestions
Message-ID: <3887@acorn.co.uk>
Date: 30 Oct 90 19:03:22 GMT
References: <1990Oct29.225043.2425@cs.columbia.edu>
Sender: news@acorn.co.uk
Distribution: comp
Organization: Acorn Computers Ltd, Cambridge, England
Lines: 67

In article <1990Oct29.225043.2425@cs.columbia.edu> wolberg@cs.columbia.edu (George Wolberg) writes:

>I'm looking for a good textbook that provides a thorough, comprehensive,
>and up-to-date introductory treatment of computer architecture. The book
>is intended for use by undergraduates. Any and all suggestions are welcomed.
>Comments about the primary strengths and weaknesses of the texts would be
>especially appreciated.


I recommend 'Computer Architecture: A Quantitive Approach' by John Hennessy
and David Patterson. Its published by :
Morgan Kaufmann Publishers Inc.
P.O Box 50490, 
Palo Alto, 
CA 94303. 

(ISBN 1-55860-069-8).

(I have nothing to do with Morgan Kaufmann or the writers).

This is an excellent book, and I would guess it was about suitable for
second or final-year undergraduate use.

The book emphasises quantitive measurement of various architectures, as
hinted at in the title. Thus, benchmarking, using real applications, is
heavily emphasised. Naturally, considering the authors, the benefits of the
class of processors generically referred to as 'RISC' are highlighted.

The book costs M-#25 Sterling here in England (hard-back).

Chapter titles are:

1. Fundamentals of Computer Design                    

2. Performance and Cost

3. Instruction Set Design: Alternatives and Principles

4. Instruction Set Examples and Measurements of Use

5. Basic Processor Implementation Strategies

6. Pipelining

7. Vector Processors

8. Memory-Heirarchy Design

9. Input/Output

10. Future Directions

Appendix A: Computer Arithmetic

Appendix B: Complete Instruction Set Tables

Appendix C: Detailed Instruction Set Measurements

Appendix D: Time Versus Frequency Measurements

Appendix E: Survey of RISC Architectures


--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ashley Stevens               (disclaimer: I speak for myself etc) 
astevens@acorn.co.uk 
Acorn Computers, 645 Newmarket Rd, Cambridge, UK. Tel.(0223) 214411