KEY BENEFIT: Learn the fundamentals of processor and computer design from the newest edition of this award winning text. KEY TOPICS: Introduction; Computer Evolution and Performance; A Top-Level View of Computer Function and Interconnection; Cache Memory; Internal Memory Technology; External Memory; I/O; Operating System Support; Computer Arithmetic; Instruction Sets: Characteristics and Functions; Instruction Sets: Addressing Modes and Formats; CPU Structure and Function; RISCs; Instruction-Level Parallelism and Superscalar Processors; Control Unit Operation; Microprogrammed Control; Parallel Processing; Multicore Architecture. Online Chapters: Number Systems; Digital Logic; Assembly Language, Assemblers, and Compilers; The IA-64 Architecture. MARKET: Ideal for professionals in computer science, computer engineering, and electrical engineering.

This book is about the structure and function of computers. Its purpose is to present, as clearly and completely as possible, the nature and characteristics of modern-day computer systems.

This task is challenging for several reasons. First, there is a tremendous variety of products that can rightly claim the name of computer, from single-chip microprocessors costing a few dollars to supercomputers costing tens of millions of dollars. Variety is exhibited not only in cost, but also in size, performance, and application. Second, the rapid pace of change that has always characterized computer technology continues with no letup. These changes cover all aspects of computer technology, from the underlying integrated circuit technology used to construct computer components, to the increasing use of parallel organization concepts in combining those components.