Computer Architecture Basics

Welcome to ECS 154B: Computer Architecture!

This first module briefly introduces the class, motivates computer architecture with some recent security vulnerabilities, discusses the current state of technology in this field, and discusses how to evaluate computer systems.

Note: the quiz due dates are flexible this first week. There will be no late penalties for quizzes in the first week.

• Class Introduction
• What is this class? VIDEO
• Class organization VIDEO
  • Quiz Just testing you
  • Lectures
  • Quizzes
  • Discussion
  • Project
  • Tests
  • Books
• Computer Architecture and Security
• Why talk about these vulnerabilities
• A brief overview of Meltdown
• A little deeper on Meltdown
• What about Spectre?
• Take away and something to think about
  • Required readings
• QUIZ Security and architecture
• Extra reading
• Current Computing Technology
• Turing Lecture
• Computing technology past to present
• Moore’s Law and Dennard scaling
• Energy and Power of CMOS Devices
• QUIZ CMOS Energy, Power, and Moore’s Law
• Computer System Performance
• What determines the “value” of a system?
  • Physics is an underlying barrier
• Explaining Computer System Performance
• Comparing Systems with Speedup
• QUIZ Performance and Evaluation

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