131 Week 1 - Computer Architecture

An electronic device for storing and processing data, typically in binary form, according to instructions given to it in a variable program.

First computer. It was a fully programmable mechanical computer Built by Charles Babbage 19th Cent. Made up of the mill (calculating unit), the store, the reader, and the printer. Data inputted through punch cards.

First programmable, electronic, general-purpose digital computer. Programmed via switches and cables. Able to solve a large class of numerical problems through reprogramming.

First electronic stored program. Successfully ran its first program on the 21st June 1948.

First practical stored-program computer in regular use. Used punch cards to load programs. Ran its first programs in 1949.

First personal computer Led to an era of cheap commodity based computation

Set of rules and methods that describe the functionality, organization, and implementation of computer systems.

A type of architecture that includes: Memory that stores data and instructions. A control unit that contains an instruction register and program counter. A processing unit that contains an arithmetic logic unit (ALU) and processor registers. Input and output mechanisms

Central Processing Unit Contains Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU), Control Unit (CU), Cache

Instruction and data memories stored separately - cannot modify instruction memory at run time Parallel access to instructions and data - can be faster Not suited to self-modifying code

Separates instruction and data cache internally Single unified main memory still visible to users/programmers Looks like Von Neumann from users/programs view

Clock rate, Millions of instructions per second (MIPS), floating point operations per second (FLOPS)

Transistor density affects how computer speed, the more transistors per square inch, the higher the speed. More recently it has been getting harder to make components smaller than they already are.

The speed and capability of computers can be expected to double every two years, as a result of increases in the number of transistors a microchip can contain.

Heat build-up from transistors can cause reductions in performance. Cooling needs to be able to match the amount of heat produced to stop overheating.