A new instruction set by the original creator of MIPS aims to reinvent the ultra-low power, high-efficiency processor -- and to do so with an architecture that's fundamentally open and available to ...

Prompted by the chipmaker's announcement of the SSE5 instruction-set extensions, Glaskowsky analyzes the ultimate outcome to this old controversy. Peter N. Glaskowsky is a computer architect in ...

The ARM-based M series is a RISC design rather than Intel's x86 CISC architecture. RISC circuits use less complex instructions, run cooler and thus save battery, which is why an ARM chip is used in ...

The two primary chip architectures are based on the complexity of the machine instructions. See CISC and RISC. THIS DEFINITION IS FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY. All other reproduction requires permission.

For any Ars Technica readers who've been with us since 1998 and who fondly recall the "RISC vs. CISC" wars of yesteryear, I've got great news: the battle is back on. Here's a look at the new state of ...

I was wondering if anyone could give their thoughts on the books <I>Computer Organization and Design</I> by David Patterson and John Hennessy and <I>Computer Architecture</I> by John ...