[1.1.1] | 4: Von Neumann Architecture

Question 1

What does Von Neumann architecture consist of?

Answer 1

• Memory (RAM) holding data and programs.

• A single CU.

• A single ALU.

• Registers for fast data access.

• Buses for the transfer of data.

Question 2

What are the 3 key problems with Von Neumann Architecture?

Answer 2

• Bottlenecking. (Solved via cache memory.)

• Shared memory space. Poorly written programs could overwrite data from other programs.

• The rate at which data is fetched is very different but they share one bus.

Question 3

What alterations are present the Harvard Architecture?

Answer 3

• Memory is split into 2 parts: 1 for data and another for programs.

• Each is accessed via a different bus so the CPU can fetch data and programs at the same time.

• However, hardware is more expensive and 2 blocks of memory are harder to manage.

Question 4

How does the modern CPU architecture differ from Von Neumann architecture?

Answer 4

• Pipelining
• Cache memory
• Multi-core processing