Modern Computer Architecture and Organization Second Edition, by Jim Ledin. Published by Packt Publishing.
Most computer users are, at least superficially, familiar with key performance-related attributes of personal computers and smart digital devices, such as processor speed and random-access memory (RAM) size. This chapter explores the performance requirements of computing domains that tend to be less directly visible to users, including real-time systems, digital signal processing, and graphics processing unit (GPU) processing.
We will examine the unique computing features associated with each of these domains and review some examples of modern devices implementing these concepts.
After completing this chapter, you will be able to identify application areas that require real-time computing and you will understand the uses of digital signal processing, with an emphasis on wireless communication. You will also understand the basic architecture of modern GPUs and will be familiar with some modern implementations of components in the computing domains discussed in this chapter.
Th is chapter covers the following topics:
- Real-time computing
- Digital signal processing
- GPU processing
- Examples of specialized architectures