Computer Architecture

Course Introduction
Our Focus

• Our focus will be internal working

• Microprocessor
• ALU
• Registers
• Internal Bus
• Control Unit
• I/O devices
 Computer Terminology

• Intel Core i5-7300HQ 3.3GHz

• 2400MHz 8G DDR4
• Cache L1 4x32 KB, Cache L2 4x256KB, Cache
L3 6MB
• 1TB SATA 3Gb/s Hard disk 5400rpm
• 128 GB SATA 6 Gb/s SSD

Dell Laptop 7577

WHAT DOES THIS ALL MEAN??

 Computer Terminology

• Intel Core i5-7300HQ 3.3GHz

• 2400MHz 8G DDR4
• Cache L1 4x32 KB, Cache L2 4x256KB, Cache
L3 6MB
• 1TB
This SATA
is the 3Gb/s Hardthe
microprocessor, disk 5400rpm
brain of the computer. It
• 128 GB executes program
SATA 6 Gb/s SSDinstructions.

Dell Laptop 7577

WHAT DOES THIS ALL MEAN??

Computer Terminology

• Intel Core i5-7300HQ 3.3GHz

• 2400MHz 8G DDR4
• Cache L1 4x32 KB, Cache L2 4x256KB, Cache
L3 6MB
• 1TB SATA 3Gb/s Hard disk 5400rpm
• 128 GB
ThisSATA
is system volatile
6 Gb/s SSD memory (RAM)
The system has 3 levels of cache memory, L1 > L2 > L3
(Keep in mind the size of memory is very small)
WHAT DOES THIS ALL MEAN??
Computer Terminology

• Intel Core i5-7300HQ 3.3GHz

• 2400MHz 8G DDR4
• 1TB SATA 3Gb/s Hard disk 5400rpm
• 128 GB SATA 6 Gb/s SSD
This is system storage (hard disk)

1TB of magnetic hard disk storage with rotation speed of

5400 rpm and data transfer rate of 3 Giga bit per second

128 GB of electronic storage with data transfer rate of 6

Giga bit per second

(SATA: Serial Advance Technology Attachment)

 Historical Development
• Before learning about architecture today we need to understand its
development

• Each development phase has contributed to our progress

• Each technology evolution has enabled for faster or optimization of

architecture
 Historical Development
• Generation Zero of Modern Computing (1642-1945)
• Pre-computer Era
• An Abacus (ab-ah-cus) was used
• Also known as counting frame
• Made with a bamboo frames and beads
• Can find them in daycare centers today
• After the decimal numbering system replaced the Roman numbering
system, a number of people invented devices to make decimal
calculations faster and more accurate
• Calculating Clock - Wilhelm Schickard (1592 - 1635).
• Mechanical calculator - Blaise Pascal (1623 - 1662).
• More advanced calculator - Charles Babbage (1791 - 1871)
• Punched card tabulating machines - Herman Hollerith (1860 - 1929).
 Historical Development

• 1st Generation of Modern Computing

(1940s-1950s)
• During mid-1940s
• The 2nd World War needed strategic type
calculations performed and this lead to the
1st generation of computers
• Vacuum tubes
• Magnetic storage
• Filled entire room
 Historical Development

• The First Generation: Vacuum Tube Computers (1945 -

1953)

• Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer

(ENIAC)
• John Mauchly and J. Presper Eckert
• University of Pennsylvania, 1946

The ENIAC was the first general-purpose computer.

 Historical Development
• 2nd Generation of Modern Computing (1950s-1960s)
• AT&T Bell Labs’ invention of the transistor occurred
• Made the computer smaller, faster and more reliable
• Software industry was born during this era (Fortran,
Cobol)
• Compiler invented
• Punch cards
 Historical Development

• 3rd Generation of Modern Computing (1960s-1980s)

• Transistors were made smaller to fit on a chip –
semiconductor chips (integrated circuit introduced)
• Mouse and keyboard introduced
• Operating Systems were developed – could run multiple
programs at the same time
• Microprogramming, parallelism, pipelining
• Cache and virtual memory
 Historical Development
•4th Generation of Modern Computing (1980s to ???)

•Chips continued to get smaller and smaller (and faster and faster)

•For 3rd-Gen-Era, many transistors on a single chip to form an IC – for 4th-Gen-Era,

many ICs on a single chip – Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI)

•Microprocessor was introduced

•Home Computer was introduced during this era

 Historical Development
•5th Generation of Modern Computing (Future)

•Make use of AI and voice recognition - devices that respond to natural languages input
and are capable of learning and self-organization.

•Quantum computers (based on quantum mechanics and physics

versus transistors/digital)

•Nanotechnology – processing done at an atomic and molecular level

 Performance Judgement
• Microprocessor speed (hardware)
• Reduce processor size
• Increase in-chip memory
• Keep the processor busy

• Microprocessor speed (software)

• Branch Prediction
• Data flow Analysis
• Speculative Execution
 Performance Judgement
• Performance Balance
• Speed vs power

• Data transfer speed is limited

• As Architects You Can

• Include Cache/buffer
• Increase the bandwidth
• Use wider bus paths
 Microprocessor
Stores information
Dictates the type of about instruction
operation to be
performed
Performs arithmetic
& logical operations

Synchronizes all
operations
Buses allow for flow
of data &
Microprocessor instructions
storage (data &
instructions)
 8086 and Pentium Architecture

Intel 8086 Architecture Intel Pentium Architecture

 8086 and Pentium Architecture

Takes request from

Processor to
memory

Advance
Programmable
Interrupt Controller
 Reading Assignments

• Textbook: Computer Organization & Architecture

• Chapter 2:
• Evolution of the Intel x86 Architecture
• Performance Assessment