I don’t know how CPUs work so I simulated one in code
HN
But How Do It Know? is the breakthrough book that distills Computer Science down to the simple basic principles that all computers have in common,
and presents the big picture step by step in plain English so that anyone can understand this ingenious, yet basically simple invention called a
computer. bol.com 18,99
‘From NAND to Tetris’ courses (and book)
On coursera (19h course)
The site contains all the project materials and software tools necessary for building a general-purpose computer system from the ground up.
The materials are aimed at students, instructors, and self-learners. Everything is free and open-source, as long as you operate in a non-profit, educational setting
More well known (recommended) than But How do It know?
+1 for Nand to Tetris. As someone who came to computing through high level software and a little later than many (I wasn’t dismantling appliances at age 5 like you hear in a lot of people’s origin stories) this was a really empowering ground-up introduction to hardware architecture.One of the few Coursera courses [1] I actually finished and found rewarding, challenging and fun throughout.
http://www.nandgame.com/ (browser game)
The Nand Game is inspired by the amazing course From NAND to Tetris – Building a Modern Computer From First Principles which is highly recommended. This game only covers a small part of the material in the above course, and is mostly intended as a fun exercise.
If you are interested in the fundamentals of computing, the book Code by Charles Petzold is also highly recommended.
Modern Microprocessors – A 90-Minute Guide! (Article Lighterra)
A brief, pulls-no-punches, fast-paced introduction to the main design aspects of modern processor microarchitecture.
High Performance Computer Architecture Udacity (free course)
This class is offered as CS6290 at Georgia Tech where it is a part of the Online Masters Degree (OMS).