About Lesson
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- Introduction to Computer Architecture
Computer architecture is the foundation that defines the functionality and design of a computer system. It determines how hardware and software interact, how instructions are executed, and how data is processed and stored. The architecture of a computer system is a complex balance between performance, cost, and efficiency.
Goals of Computer Architecture:
- Performance: Increasing the speed at which the system can execute tasks.
- Cost-Effectiveness: Designing systems that offer the best performance per unit of cost.
- Energy Efficiency: Minimizing power consumption.
- Scalability: Ensuring the system can grow or change with technological advancements.
Computer architecture is often discussed in terms of the Instruction Set Architecture (ISA), which defines the machine code that a processor understands, and the physical architecture that determines how the processor, memory, and input/output devices are interconnected.