CS 450Computer Architecture
- Units
- 0.50
- Faculty
- Mathematics
- Subject
- Computer Science
When it runs
- F24
- W25
- S25
- F25
- W26
- S26
- F26
- W27
- S27
Ran in 3 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: scheduled, 2 lecture sections. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.
The course is intended to provide the student with an appreciation of modern computer design and its relation to system architecture, compiler technology, and operating system functionality. The course places an emphasis on design based on the measurement of performance and its dependency on parallelism, efficiency, latency, and resource utilization.
Prerequisites
- Complete all of the following
- Must have completed at least 1 of the following:
- Must have completed at least 1 of the following:
- Enrolled in H-BBA & BCS Double Degree, H-Computer Science (BCS), H-Computer Science (BMath), JH-Computer Science (BCS), H-Computer Science (BMath), H-Computing & Financial Management, H-Data Science (BCS), or H-Software Engineering
Antirequisites
Leads to
No course lists it as a requisite.
Winter 2027 sections
| Section | Class | Enrolled | Meets |
|---|---|---|---|
| LEC 001 | 5615 | 0 / 65 | TTh 11:30–12:50 |
| LEC 701 | 2197 | 46 / 9999 | Online or by arrangement |
Resources
Around the web
Found by uwloo’s link finder, which checks that each page names CS 450.
- CS 450/650: Computer Architecture Course website · student.cs.uwaterloo.ca Remove
- CS450 | Anthony Zhang Course notes · anthony-zhang.me · posted on r/uwaterloo Jul 2020 Remove
Reviewed on UW Flow
75% liked it100% easy67% useful
From 8 ratings on UW Flow. Read them all on UW Flow.
Discussed on r/uwaterloo
50 posts and comments in 44 threads mention CS 450, February 2012 to December 2024. Quoted word for word, newest first; each reply sits under the post and the comment that started its branch. Search r/uwaterloo for newer posts.
Fall 2024
distributed systems vs computer architecture 3 points, 2 comments
u/mauhge: “Has anyone taken cs450 before? How does it compare to cs454? Not sure which one to take (have to pick one)”
Fall 2023
CS452 during the winter term 1 point, 0 comments
u/JerryJquey: “… Thus I am thinking about taking it with CS450 and another easy elective course during the upcoming winter term. I got a high-80s for my CS350, but I haven't find any friend that would like to take CS452 with me. …”
Winter 2023
cs450 vs cs346 (comp architecture vs app dev) 2 points, 2 comments
u/whenjob: “pleaseee someone help me decide, which on would you personally take? I have to decide tomorrow, and have NO idea which one to drop, 450 seems interesting in terms of content + niche skillset but kinda iffy on the prof 346 is def v v well organized but im mostly just gonna be …”
u/CoachExtension9823: “… Cs 450 is an easier sister course to ece 429 and is an extension of cs 350. If you of the philosophy that UW is a diploma farm take 346 as you would have done the side project anyway. …”
Fall 2022
ece 224 with bill bishop 1 point, 3 comments
u/whenjob: “… ive seen a lot of good stuff about prof bill bishop would it be a good idea to take this and skip either cs450 (comp architecture) or cs 454(distributed systems)? is 224 worth taking? …”
cs 450 vs cs 454 6 points, 0 comments
u/uw-chad: “Ie computer architecture vs distributed systems any recommendations on which on to take? Based on the value of things learnt, course organization etc? …”
cs 450 vs cs 454 1 point, 0 comments
cs 450 5 points, 0 comments
u/whenjob: “how was the course run this term? whats the difficulty like? do you still build your own preocessor?”
taking Digital Hardware Specialization 1 point, 5 comments
“I'm currently 3A CS. Kinda interested in those low-level stuff. I'm wondering if it is too late to take the Digital Hardware Specialization (considering all the courses that are required). …”
u/2kofawsome: “Too late, you need to apply in 1A to have it fit https://cs.uwaterloo.ca/current/programs/dighard/”
u/diodex: “… and if you are a self studier, there's plenty of textbooks to read (CS 450 is also a pretty good course in my experience)”
Spring 2022
How often do you use content from your advanced CS courses at your SWE job? 4 points, 8 comments
“Just trying to gauge how much it would hurt me to not be able to take most of the upper year CS courses (ex. CS 240, 341, 466) as a math student looking for software jobs. …”
u/LOLWHATOMGBBQ: “Use cs761, co471, stat231 and cs450 regularly at work. Did not take distributed systems but concepts from it are also useful. I'm also in a very niche role, but I imagine for most software you don't need most of this.”
Winter 2022
Cs450 difficulty and work load? 6 points, 0 comments
[deleted]: “For those of you who took it online with Patrick Huang in the previous semesters, how much work and how difficult was it?”
Any Online CS Courses?? 7 points, 11 comments
“Context: I'm an intl student and this is my last term. I'm not in Canada and don't even have a place to live in Waterloo. …”
[deleted]: [deleted]
u/confused-85737573: “How’s the grade breakdown for cs450”
Anyone taking CS 450 this term? 4 points, 0 comments
u/sr1canskhsia: “Totally skipped the lecture today. Does anyone know what the prof talked about during today's Zoom lecture? Also is the course outline posted anywhere? There's literally zero information about this course besides the Zoom link on Learn.”
Check it elsewhere for Fall 2026
- Undergraduate Calendar, 2026–27The official entry
- Requirements for Fall 2026Waterloo’s requisite checker
- Schedule of Classes, Fall 2026Instructors, rooms, live seats
- Quest Class SearchWhere you enrol
- Course outlinesSyllabi from past terms (UW login)
- UW FlowStudent ratings and reviews
- WClassesPast sections back to 2004, and who taught them