Looking for a good book on microprocessor internals

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+4 Q:

Looking for a good book on microprocessor internals

I'm looking for a good book on how modern microprocessors are designed and work as I would like to increase my understanding of what makes them tick. Something that covers pipelines, superscalar architectures, caches etc. A book that is suitable for a programmer with several years of experience and has done and understands assembly programming and machine language, so basically not "CPUs for Dummies" or anything such.

What books do people who design today's processors read for instance?

+10 A:

This is a good entry level text:

http://www.amazon.com/Computer-Architecture-Quantitative-Approach-Kaufmann/dp/1558605967

Also known to CPU architects as "Hennessy and Patterson" (the authors of the original).

BobbyShaftoe 2009-01-26 15:59:18

Looks really good, thanks!

David Holm 2009-01-26 16:03:48

I learnt from this - was going to put exactly the same thing :)

ShuggyCoUk 2009-01-26 16:04:06

This is _the_ reference for design of modern CPU architecture. I don't think it's "suitable for a programmer with several years of experience and has done and understands assembly programming and machine language" - it's going to be a hard read for you, but if you push through it you'll get it.

Adam Davis 2009-01-26 17:05:27

I used this is in an advanced processor design course. It's pretty good. :) David Patterson also has some of his course lectures on the Berkeley Webcast.

BobbyShaftoe 2009-01-26 23:04:29

My friends always laugh at me when they see that book in my bookshelves... I think they're more or less right, it's too basic.

fortran 2010-03-19 17:52:38

@fortran, that's pretty weird. They laugh at you because you have a book on your shelf that is used in graduate computer architecture classes, because it is "too basic?" I bet they have great luck getting dates!

BobbyShaftoe 2010-03-20 04:27:12

@BobbyShaftoe Yes, it was in the bibliography for our computer architecture classes, but it only covered the matter in a very simplistic way... It wasn't any challenging to read, so I think I kind of wasted about 40€ purchasing it. I should have got the one that I've linked in my answer instead (Advanced Computer Architecture, by Kwai Hwang).

fortran 2010-03-22 11:27:31

+2 A:

The only book I've read on the subject is Computer Organization and Architecture. It's a difficult read in some areas (any book on the subject likely is), but I believe it covers everything that you're looking for.

Matt Flowers 2009-01-26 16:05:31

That's the book we used in school (an earlier edition though), and I agree on both points. It's difficult but thorough.

Bill the Lizard 2010-03-19 19:16:44

Very comprehensive book but probably a little outdated now. Good bedtime reading!

mdm 2010-03-22 11:54:51

+4 A:

Ryan Cox 2009-01-26 16:48:52

The Hennessey and Patterson book is used heavily also.

jim 2009-01-26 17:01:36

one and only one best book which a found on microprocessor is MICROPROCESSOR AND INTERFACING BY VANEET SINGH AND GURMEET SINGH BY SATYA PARKASHAN

raja 2010-03-19 18:00:19

+1 A:

Stokes Inside the Machine is a good basic-level text that should be accessible to anyone with a bit of computing knowledge. Hennesey & Patterson's Computer Architecture is indeed the bible of this field, as noted by other respondents. I'll also recommend Computer Systems: A Programmer's Perspective by Bryant and O'Hallaron. It approaches the material from the point of view of writing software to make the most effective use of available hardware.

Novelocrat 2010-03-19 18:56:12

If I remember well, this was a good one. Maybe a little bit dated (1992), but very dense and it covers advanced topics.

fortran 2010-03-22 11:25:27

ansaurus

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Looking for a good book on microprocessor internals

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