Computer Architecture and Organization

This NPTEL course from IIT Kharagpur, with 64 lectures, approaches computer architecture from the viewpoint of the instruction set. It traces how computer systems evolved, explains the basic operation of a computer, and then moves into the instruction formats and addressing modes a programmer meets.

Architecture and hands-on work

The course introduces the MIPS32 instruction set and runs programming examples in it, using the SPIM simulator so the ideas can be tried on a machine. The contrast between CISC and RISC designs is drawn out alongside the instruction set material.

Performance thinking

• Measuring CPU performance and choosing benchmarks.
• Summarizing performance results fairly.
• Amdahl's law, which sets limits on what speeding up one part of a system can deliver.

Learners who want the performance section can start there, since it stands apart from the instruction set lectures.