Improving the performance of scientific code is something that is often considered to be some combination of difficult, mysterious, and time consuming, but it doesn’t have to be. Performance tuning and optimization tools can greatly aid in the evaluation and understanding of the performance of scientific code. In this talk we will first introduce the performance features of computer architectures. We will then discuss how to profile an application, find the hotspots and potentially address the performance bottlenecks in the code. Powerful profiling tools, such as Intel VTune and Advisor, will be introduced as well as demonstrated in practical applications. A hands-on example will allow attendees to gain some familiarity using Advisor in a simple, yet realistic setting.