This book has a lot of information, especially with the appendices on CD and in the back of the book. If you are new to Architecture, I wouldn't recommend it. Get a simpler book...maybe by the same authors, just the "prerequisite" for this one.

The paperback version of the book makes it cheaper than the previous edition in hard cover, so that's always a plus. There were also several new chapters and appendix sections for modern trends in the field. That said, using a used copy of the 3rd edition in a class that calls for the 4th edition doesn't work very well, since so much new material has been added.

although i haven't used the book very much, the delivery is prompt and condition is good

This is the latest edition of the updated classic by the people who invented RISC. Clear and up to date, it take you from a virtual beginner to a situation where you can follow understand current comp arch research ( and if you are a masochist, the discussions on the comp.arch newsgroup ! :-) )


Run, do not walk to your local library to reserve that copy !
Or if you are feeling generous, treat yourself and buy this great book.

A great book for the advanced student. Perfect both for specific reference on technical details and for an understanding of high-level ideas. Parts on the analysis of the Pentium 4 and other modern processors, with details on implementation, mainly within the appendices in the included CD-ROM.

For the student, the book by itself is not a sufficient resource, and it must be coupled with a course in computer architecture.

Computer architecture has seen vast changes in the last 20 years, and fortunately, H&P somehow manage to do a new edition about every 5 years, often enough to stay current. When the First Edition appeared, it quickly became *the* standard textbook on the topic, to be replaced in that role by each successive edition.

Computer architectures complexify over time, and so do books. The Third Edition was about 1100 pages long. The Fourth has been shrunk back to something more manageable by moving subsidiary details to a CD included with the book.

This edition is well worth having, even if one already has the earlier ones. In particular, the additional material on multiprocessors is especially welcome, given that it has become much more difficult to speed up uniprocessors.

Most people who work in or near computer systems architecture know these books, but I have often recommended them to others, such as technology journalists, venture capitalists, and financial analysts, i.e., people who are rarely computer archtiects, but need to understand computer technology and its trends. Many such have been surprised to find the book was useful to them.

H&P write very clearly, and each chapter outlines its key concepts for a topic, then works down to detailed analyses, and then comes back up to summarize. hence, I've often recommended to people:

1) Read the first few sections of each chapter.

2) In each remaining section per chapter, read until the going gets heavy, then skip to the next section. In some cases, this will happen after reading the first paragraph, but don't worry, the writing will return to a higher level.

3) Read "Concluding Remarks" and any "Fallacies and Pitfalls" or Historical Perspectives" sections at the end of a chapter.

Anyway, I expect this Edition will be just as indispensable as the earlier ones.