CS203
Computer Architecture
From logic gates to a working processor: boolean hardware, the datapath, and the instruction set that software targets.
9 modules · 36 lessons · Practice after every lesson
Syllabus
Module 1
Digital Design Foundations
- Boolean Functions and Gate-Level Design
- Combinational Logic Minimization
- Arithmetic Circuits
- Sequential Elements and Timing
Module 2
Finite-State Machines and Datapaths
- Finite-State Controllers
- Registers and Register Transfers
- Multiplexed Datapaths
- Control Signals and Micro-Operations
Module 3
Instruction Set Architecture
- The ISA as a Hardware–Software Contract
- Instruction Formats and Encoding
- Addressing Modes
- Arithmetic, Memory, and Control Instructions
Module 4
Assembly and Calling Conventions
- Assembly Programming Model
- Procedure Calls and Stack Frames
- Register Conventions
- Data Layout and Alignment
Module 5
Single-Cycle and Multi-Cycle Processors
- Building a Single-Cycle Datapath
- Control-Unit Design
- Critical Paths and Clock Period
- Multi-Cycle Execution and Microcode
Module 6
Pipelining
- Pipeline Stages and Throughput
- Structural and Data Hazards
- Forwarding and Stalling
- Control Hazards and Branch Prediction
Module 7
Memory Hierarchy
- Locality and Cache Organization
- Direct-Mapped and Associative Caches
- Cache Replacement and Write Policies
- Average Memory Access Time
Module 8
Virtual Memory and I/O Hardware
- Address Translation and Page Tables
- Translation Lookaside Buffers
- Protection and Memory-Mapped I/O
- Interrupts, Exceptions, and Devices
Module 9
Parallel and Modern Architectures
- Instruction-Level Parallelism
- Multicore and Shared Memory
- SIMD and Vector Processing
- GPUs, Accelerators, and Energy Efficiency
Start Computer Architecture.
No setup, nothing to install. Try the first lessons before you sign up.