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Chapter 1 - Computer Abstractions and Technology

This is the first chapter of the book. I divided my thoughts and summary into four sections:

  • Foundations & The Eight Great Ideas
    Covers the motivation behind studying computer architecture, the shift from uniprocessor to multicore systems, and introduces eight timeless design principles that shape computing systems—such as abstraction, pipelining, parallelism, and memory hierarchy.

  • Inside the Machine – Abstraction Layers & Technologies
    Explores the different levels below your program and explains the core technologies used to build modern processors and memory systems.

  • Performance, Power & the “Sea Change”
    Discusses how to evaluate computer performance using CPI, instruction count, and clock rate, introduces Amdahl’s Law, examines power constraints like the Power Wall, and explains why parallelism has become central in modern architecture.

  • Real-World Examples & Wrap-Up
    Applies concepts from earlier sections to benchmark analysis (e.g., Intel Core i7), outlines common fallacies and pitfalls, and introduces the five classic components of a computer as a framework for the rest of the book.

There is also history and exercise sections in the chapter. I might be updating in the future in my free time.

Part 4: Real-World Examples & Wrap-Up
500 words·3 mins
calas computer_architecture risc-v theory
Benchmarking the Intel Core I7 # SPEC CPU Benchmark # If you had 2 computers, how would you know one of them performed better than the other?
Part 3: Performance, Power & the “Sea Change”
1960 words·10 mins
calas computer_architecture theory risc-v
Performance # When you are choosing a computer, how should you choose?
Part 2: Inside the Machine – Abstraction Layers & Technologies
1161 words·6 mins
calas computer_architecture risc-v theory
Below Your Program # For computers to run complex applications, there needs to be some sort of translation.
Part 1: Foundations & “Eight Great Ideas”
839 words·4 mins
computer_architecture calas theory risc-v
Preface # The preface starts with a motivation to read this book - professionals of every computing specialty should understand both hardware and software.