Computer organisation

Computer organisation (microarchitecture) is sub-field of computer architecture that consists of the structures inside the architecture’s specifications, specifically operational units and interconnections (like datapaths, control paths, memory, buses). It’s also focused on how the components are arranged and interact, and the decisions about the communications between components.

Organisation versus architecture

What’s the difference? Architecture is focused on the design of the internals of a computer system at a high-level, but organisation is focused on the implementation of that design at a low-level.

Key concepts

• Instruction set architecture
  • RISC
    • ARM
    • RISC-V
  • CISC
    • x86
  • Endianness
  • Assembly
• Processor
  • Datapath
  • Control path
  • Interrupt
• Memory
  • Stack
  • Heap memory
  • FIFO
• Bus
• Pipeline
• Common digital circuits
  • Register
  • Multiplexer
  • Arithmetic logic unit
• Parallel port

Resources

• Computer Organization and Design, by David Patterson and John Hennessy
• Logic and Computer Design Fundamentals, by M. Morris Kano and Charles Kime

See also

• ECE243 — Computer Organization