This course is designed to cover the fundamental concepts on how computers perform at machine and assembly language level. We look at the design of an instruction set architecture and figure out what makes a Reduced Instruction Set Computer (RISC) differ from a Complex Instruction Set Computer (CISC). The students will learn basic design principles by understanding the components in a computer and the performance of a computer system. This course provides the required background for students who are interested in designing computer systems, doing serious development of operating system kernels and device drivers, and making better applications of computer systems.