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3. Features of the Von Neumann architecture
| The Von Neumann architecture |
|---|
| There is enough memory available to hold both programs and data. This makes it easy to change task by loading a different program. In modern computers this memory is RAM. |
| There is a Control Unit responsible for handling the movement of instructions and data around the computer. |
| Data and instructions are carried on buses |
| There is an Arithmetic Logic Unit responsible for carrying out calculations and logic comparisons. |
| There is a special type of memory called registers which do specific jobs. The Accumulator is one such register. There are many other types of registers. |
| There is a way of inputting data into the computer and a way to output information. |
This architecture was so powerful, most computers today are built with this idea in mind.
However, there is another architecture called the 'Harvard architecture' which has the idea of keeping data and instructions in separate memory. It is nowhere near as popular as Von Neumann because it has some disadvantages such as cost and complexity.
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