Understanding the Machine, the first volume in the landmark Write Great Code Series by Randall Hyde, explains the underlying mechanics of how a computer works.

Like the highly regarded first edition, this second edition of Understanding the Machine covers machine organization and computer science topics like the CPU, machine architecture, memory and cache organization, I/O and peripheral devices, and how the decoding and execution of machine instructions affects software performance. This edition has been updated to cover 64-bit machines, newer peripheral devices, larger memory systems, large-scale SSDs, and newer CPUs like those used in personal computers and tablets.