High Performance Computing (RISC Architectures, Optimization & Benchmarks) [ILLUSTRATED] (Paperback)

by Charles Severance (Author), Kevin Dowd (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
In the late '90s, workstations and PCs have become a lot more interesting for "armchair" architects. If you'd like to know how the hardware on your desk works, this second edition of High Performance Computing is a good place to start. You'll learn what the newest buzzwords really mean, how caching and other memory design features affect performance, and where the newest "post-RISC" architectures are headed. If you're a software developer, you probably know that getting the most out of a modern workstation or PC can be tricky. Paying closer attention to memory reference patterns and loop structure can have a huge payoff. High Performance Computing discusses how modern workstations get their performance and how you can write code that makes optimal use of your hardware. If you're involved with purchasing or evaluating workstations, this book will help you make intelligent comparisons. You'll learn how to interpret the commonly quoted industry benchmarks, what vendors do to show their machines in the best possible light, and how to run your own benchmarks. Whether you're using the latest Pentium PC or a highly specialized multiprocessor, you'll find High Performance Computing an indispensable guide.

About the Author
Kevin Dowd is the president of Atlantic Computing Technology Corporation, located in Newington, Connecticut. He is the author of Getting Connected: The Internet at 56K and Up, also published by O'Reilly and Associates. Charles Severance is the director for computing services for the College of Engineering at Michigan State University, where he is also a professor in the Computer Science Department, teaching classes on high performance computing, computer architecture, and the Internet. His current research is in the area of Internet delivery of educational material. He has been active in IEEE standards for many years, and he edits a monthly column in the magazine IEEE Computer on computer standards. Charles is the co-host of a Television show called "Nothin but Net," and was previously the co-host of Television show called "Internet:TCI."

Product Details

• Paperback: 460 pages
• Publisher: O'Reilly; 2 edition (July 2, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 156592312X
• ISBN-13: 978-1565923126
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #181,973 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars very clear explanation of otherwise hard to grip concepts., July 30, 1999

By	[e-mail] (Boston, USA) - See all my reviews

Materials covered in certain chapters are equivalent to a one semester class at MIT.. though in less detail, the lucid explanation of the fundamental concepts are impressive.. this book is a very good start for someone who has never touched the subject of Parallel Computing before.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Knowledge of software+hardware makes a complete programmer, April 23, 1999

By A Customer

This book provides great insight into the _performance_ of hardware. How can one be a good programmer without knowing how it is that data gets to memory, how data flows through the CPU and what it is in the hardware that makes ones code fast or slow? It amazes me that most of the developers that I work with are ignorant or could not care less about the effects of cache misses, what superscalar/superpipelined really means, and how a "improper" stride through their array can make the performance of their code deplorable. This book makes for a great read and is guaranteed to make a programmer a better programmer.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book on modern computing power, September 25, 2001

By	mlpkr "mlpkr" (CA) - See all my reviews

Explains very nicely and precisely the HW fundamentals of the multiprocessors, memory, RISC, insights in software and optimization concepts like register stacks and nested loops. Very much useful for not to get confused by the buzzwords in the super computer industry. Good book for both the engineers and managers of hardware companies. It is simple and non intrusive read. If you are new engineer in processor design or compiler architecture jobs, this book gives lot of insight and learning needed for your job. However this book is not a bible on computer architecture like Hennessy's books.