CSE 240 -- Principles in Computer Architecture

Lecture Slides

Homework Assignments

Announcements

• midterm solutions available
• Final Tuesday at 11:30 in Peterson 103
• Review Friday at 4 in 4301
• HW #5 solutions available.
• HW #6 solutions available.

Basic Course Information:

• Instructor: Dean Tullsen
• AP&M 4250
• tullsen@cs
• 534-6181
• office hours: M 3-4, F 10-11
• Meeting times and place:
• Peterson Hall 103
• lecture: Tu Th 11:30-12:50
• Course textbook
• Hennessy & Patterson, "Computer Architecture: A Quantitative Approach", Second Edition, Morgan Kaufmann
• Other recommended reading
• CPU Info Center
• everything you'd ever want to know about available commercial CPUs
• WWW Computer Architecture Home Page
• a comprehensive guide to research and general information on computer architecture available on the web.
• Assignments will be of two types:
• traditional homeworks, e.g., problems from the book, typically with 1-week notice.
• small projects, typically involving simulation and analysis tools
• Once it is set up, the class mailing list will be used for announcements, etc. All students will be held responsible for announcements and information that go out over the class mailing list. Make sure you are on it. If you are not getting email by the second week of class, send mail to me.

Course Outline:

I. Introduction

II. Computer System Performance

III. Instruction Set Architecture

IV. Pipelining

V. Instruction-Level Parallelism

VI. The Memory/Cache Hierarchy

VII. Parallel Machines

Grading Information:

• The grade for 240 will be based on homeworks, one midterm, and a final, as follows:
• homeworks and projects: 20%
• midterm: 30%
• final: 50%
• subjective influences like class participation will have an impact in the margins.
• The final will be inclusive of all course material.
• Late assignments are not encouraged. Late assignments will receive partial credit -- they may or may not be graded. I will make every effort to return assignments to you in a timely manner -- limiting your ability to turn things in late is, unfortunately, critical to that goal.
• You have the right of appeal for grading on all tests; however, an appeal (except for scoring errors) covers the entire test, and may result in an unfavorable judgment on another problem. You have one week from the time the midterms are returned to make appeals, including addition errors on your score. Check it over carefully when you get it.
• There is no appeal on homeworks, except for addition errors. No single problem will have a significant impact on your grade.

Integrity:

• I hope cheating isn't an issue for a graduate class. If it is, severe consequences will result.

If you have comments or suggestions, email me at tullsen@cs.ucsd.edu