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Von Neumann architecture
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. |
Most computers today are built with this idea in mind.
There are other architectures with which to build a computer but they are not part of this syllabus. If you are curious look up the Harvard computer architecture.