This is a graduate class on computer architecture. Students in the class should have completed CMSC 411 or an equivalent undergraduate class on computer architecture.
This class provides a broad introduction to advanced topics in computer architecture. Topics to be covered include memory system design, pipeline structures, vector and scientific processors, multiprocessors, and storage systems. The emphasis in each topic is on fundamental limitations and the tradeoffs involved in designing computer systems, including memory & processing bandwidth, network bandwidth & latency, synchronization, and storage system bandwidth & latency.
Prerequisite: CMSC 411 or instructor's permission
Please select one of the following semesters:
Alternatively, you could read a short parable about how houses would be designed if they were built the way people write programs. Since building computers is like programming, only in hardware, the parable provides a good introduction to what computer architecture is about.
You might also want to check out the following pages relevant to computer architecture: