What Is a Computer Organization?

The Virginia Tech Department of Computer Science maintains that computer organization refers to the level of abstraction, above the logic level, but below the operating system level. The major components at this level are subsystems, or functional units, which correspond to particular hardware pieces.

Computer organization deals with the hardware components of a computer system, which include I/O devices, the central processing unit, storage and primary memory devices. Notably, many people find it difficult distinguishing computer organization from computer architecture, because they are significantly related to each other. Essentially, computer architecture refers to engineering considerations that are useful in coming up with a desirable computer design.