For sophomore/senior-level courses in Computer Organization and Architecture. This best-selling modern introduction to computer hardware and architecture provides a structured approach to computer architecture, presenting a computer as a series of layers, each built upon the ones below and each understandable as a separate entity. The book is written in a style and level of detail that covers all the major areas, but is still accessible to a broad range of students. It is specifically written for undergraduate students rather than adapted from a graduate-level text.