Computing - Harvard vs Von Neumann Architecture
AQA Computer Science 2022
The two architectures
What is the von Neumann architecture?
Where instructions and data are stored in a common main memory and transferred using a single shared bus.
What is the Harvard architecture?
Where instructions and data are stored in two separate memories and each has a bus.
Consequences of each architecture
What is the main issue with von Neumann architecture?
Instructions and data are constantly competing for use of the bus.
What consequence does Harvard architecture have on the sizes of data and instructions?
Different sized memory spaces and word lengths can be used for data and instructions.