Computer Organization

• Computer Organization refers to the level of abstraction above the digital logic level, but below the operating system level.

Click on the image to test your understanding of this hierarchy of abstraction in systems organization.
• At this level, the major components are functional units or subsystems that correspond to specific pieces of hardware built from the lower level building blocks described in the previous module.
• A closely related term, computer architecture, emphasizes the engineering decisions and tradeoffs that must be made in order to produce a "good" design. The computer architect answers questions like...
• How many registers should there be?
• What machine instructions should there be?
• How should the cache be organized?
• What hardware support should there be for virtual memory?

Courses in computer organization at Virginia Tech include:

• CS4504: Computer Organization

A Tutorial on "How Computers Are Made" Written by: Tuan "Solace" Nguyen.

CS1104 Main Page
Last Updated 10/23/2000
© J.A.N. Lee & L. Heath, 2000.