Computer Organization and Architecture: Designing for Performance (7th Edition) | 
|  | | | Title: | Computer Organization and Architecture: Designing for Performance (7th Edition) | | Author: | William Stallings | | Publisher: | Prentice Hall | | Type: | Book / Hardcover | | Publication Date: | 21 July, 2005 | | ISBN / ISBN-13: | 0131856448 / 9780131856448 | | List Price: | $134.00 | | You Save: | $45.20 | | Amazon Price: | $88.80 | |
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Product Description
With up-to-date coverage of modern architectural approaches, this handbook provides a thorough discussion of the fundamentals of computer organization and architecture, as well as the critical role of performance in driving computer design. Captures the field’s continued innovations and improvements, with input from active practitioners. Reviews the two most prevalent approaches: superscalar, which has come to dominate the microprocessor design field, including the widely used Pentium; and EPIC, seen in the IA-64 architecture of Intel's Itanium. Views systems from both the architectural and organizational perspectives. Includes coverage of critical topics, such as bus organization, computer arithmetic, I/O modules, RISC, memory, and parallel processors. For professionals in computer product marketing or information system configuration and maintenance.
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Customer Reviews:
• If You Don't Already Know It, You Won't Learn It Here 08 December, 2006
This is not a textbook for the beginner. This is probably not even a textbook for an intermediate. At best, this book is only useful as a reference for those people who are already very familiar with the material.
The text and the power point slides available on the website do contain useful information. However, the problems at the end of each chapter are totally indecipherable. They relate only vaguely to the material presented in the chapter. The questions are very specific about information not even hinted at in the text or in the slides.
There are several cases where large flowcharts and connection diagrams are presented with only a general explanation. The parts of the computer currently being examined are named and their general functions are briefly described. The problems then ask very specific questions about the inner workings of computer electronic components. There is absolutely no information given anywhere that in any way relates to solving these problems. The reader is asked to figure it all out on his or her own. There are exactly zero examples.
I would not recommend this book for an undergraduate student under any circumstances. It may be useful for a graduate student in computer engineering or a professional designing computer circuitry.
Otherwise, avoid this book at all costs.
This book is now in its 7th edition. The website notes that four editions, including this one, have been given the "Best Computer Science and Engineering Textbook of the Year" award by the Textbook and Academic Authors Association. The website mentions nothing about what the students thought of it.
- Reviewed by customer ID: A1TME9FXTC7QEX
• Its A Great Book If Youre A Genius 04 November, 2007
I just don't get what the point of textbooks like these is when you're expected to know everything to start with, or you're just supposed to magically understand everything from single sentence explanations that they give you. You just never quite know where the numbers are coming from and all the a - z symbols they start using randomly...so you go finding the meaning of those symbols and lose track of where you were originally. All that along with really useless complicated flowchart style examples render this book completely USELESS, and another $100 down the drain.
- Reviewed by customer ID: A26ANGGWWD74WE
• Only Good As A Sketchy Reference For Those Who Already Know The Material 23 October, 2007
This book only seems to cover very high level concepts. Then, the end of the chapters contain problems (that our professor loves to assign) that only vaguely relate to the material discussed in the chapter. Several problems involve numerical calculations using formulas that you simply have to magically form out of thin air. No examples of how to work these problems are given.
Also, the book's general explanation of concepts is absolutely horrible. They love to "explain" what they are talking about by providing a chart/figure/diagram labeled with numerous acronyms (that are rarely defined very well) that might as well be cave drawings because they describe these complex pictures so vaguely.
I despise this book, and because of it, I despise the related class.
- Reviewed by customer ID: A3HIH1MQXTP33S
• Absolutely Terrible. 30 September, 2007
This book is beyond terrible. I have a B.S. in Computer Engineering, and looked at this book to help a friend out. I've never seen such a poor computer organization book. There are seriously no examples at all. End of chapter problems are impossible to do based on the information presented.
If you are in a Computer Organization course, beg and plead with your professor to choose a book that you will learn from such as the Hennessy and Patterson book:Computer Architecture, Fourth Edition: A Quantitative Approach.
- Reviewed by customer ID: ANQA2TG7IV1DA
• Not A Good Book 25 May, 2007
I followed this book in my undergraduate studies and what I remember very precisely is that I did not like it. William Stallings's way of writing is always dry, i.e., reader does not feel it interesting to read. This is by far the biggest negative aspect of this book. In addition, it is difficult to follow as well.
There are far better options there, the best one is Computer Organization and Design by Patterson and Hennessy.
- Reviewed by customer ID: A13LM63WUF77BL
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