Analysis of Computer Architectures: Von Neumann vs Harvard Systems

This report delves into the fundamental concepts of computer architecture, focusing on the comparison between Von Neumann and Harvard architectures. It begins with an abstract outlining the importance of understanding device architectures for computing device manufacturing companies. The report then provides an introduction, followed by detailed explanations of both Von Neumann and Harvard architectures, including their historical context, structural components, and operational principles. The Von Neumann architecture is described as having a single memory space for both data and instructions, while the Harvard architecture utilizes separate memory spaces. The report highlights the advantages and disadvantages of each architecture, including their respective strengths and weaknesses in terms of data transfer and processing capabilities. Furthermore, the report includes figures to illustrate the architectures and concludes by summarizing the key differences and implications of choosing one architecture over the other, referencing the provided literature.

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Running head: COMPUTER SYSTEMS
Computer Systems
Student’s Name
School Affiliation

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Abstract
The computing devices manufacturing company must have knowledge and fundamentals
concerning various device architectures. With this awareness, decisions can be formulated
concerning the architecture to be used in the respect of the objective of the computer frameworks
to be manufactured. This article studies the major various kinds of computer architectures
normally deployed by companies of manufacturing computing devices, Von Neumann as well as
Harvard. It contracts the two structures while identifying the areas in which every architecture
suit well. Again, it provides both merits and demerits and their variations which the foundation
of contrasting the two and choosing on the strategy to follow.

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Table of Contents
1. Introduction.........................................................................................................................................4
2. Von Neuman Architectures.................................................................................................................4
3. Harvard Architectures.........................................................................................................................5
4. Von Neuman versus Harvard Architectures.........................................................................................6
Conclusion...................................................................................................................................................7
References...................................................................................................................................................8
List of Figures
Figure 1.I......................................................................................................................................................4
Figure 1.II.....................................................................................................................................................6

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1. Introduction
The Central Processing Unit can be contrasted to us because the vast our workspace the best we
operate. The operation space of the Central Processing Unit is its volatile storage. A Central
Processing Unit which does not possess adequate memory resembles an individual with no
enough workspace to place their equipment. Considering the figure below it is clearly shown that
system is structurally made of the Central Processing Unit, input and out output gadgets and
memory. Every arrow in the diagram below shows what is known as the bus which is the
communication technique that links various computing units, permitting unidirectional as well as
bi-directional information transfer.
Figure 1.I
2. Von Neuman Architectures
The history of Von Neumann structure reads as early as 1945 when it initially released by John
Von Neumann in his article. It is the art involved in preserving an electronic device. Since the
year 1945, this concept has been highly established for storing electronic device. The Von
Neumann structure partitions the computing framework into four major units which include
memory, Central Processing Unit, output as well as input units. The primary differentiator of the

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Von Neumann structure is that it holds data as well as instructions, that is, programs in the same
storage space.
You might reason that this is the general method that memory operates on a device, however,
early devices deployed cards as input as well as output and storing media. These cards showed
binary data in respect on the existence as well as the non-existence of holes. At that time,
softwares were either physically wired into the device or kept on various cards, differentiate
from those consisting the information. Post punch cards, computerized read-write volatile
storage was created, by the utilization of the electronic storage, a great progress was experienced
in the history of electronic systems (2). It allowed the evolution of what is known as the
multipurpose device today. In particular, the general-purpose devices are the ones that we utilize
to implement various objectives implying we can command them to resolve more than one task.
The major advantage of possessing a single memory for both softwares as well as data is that
when we can make softwares as if they were informed. Furthermore, we can design programs
whose information are other programs which are simply the operating system. In addition,
without permitting programs as well as data in the same storage space, as it is with the model
architecture of Von Neumann, we could never be capable of creating an operating system.
3. Harvard Architectures
The Harvard architecture refers to an electronic system which consists of different areas for
commands as well as data. In Harvard structure, the format, media as well as the condition of the
two separate sections of the framework might be varying, as the both frameworks are depicted by
two different frameworks. It has two separate memory storages in which one is for programs and
the other for data as illustrated below:

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Figure 1.II
Various samples of Harvard architectures concern early device frameworks in which coding
income could in a single channel, for instance, hole cards, and preserved information might be in
other means such as on record (1). The most current devices may have the latest Central
Processing Unit procedures for all systems, but differentiate them in the design of the hardware.
The Harvard structure, with its tight differentiation of system as well as detail procedures, may
be compared with an adjusted Harvard structure, that may link some properties of code as well as
information frameworks whilst storing differentiation in others. For instance, utilization of both
caches, with single general address margin.
4. Von Neuman versus Harvard Architectures
The Harvard design is a term for a PC framework that contains two separate zones for
instructions or guidelines and information. In the Harvard structure, the media, arrangement, and
nature of the two distinct parts of the framework might be unique, as the two frameworks are
spoken to by two separate structures. Harvard design has separate information and guidance
buses, enabling exchanges to be performed all the while on the two transfers. A case of Harvard
designs includes early PC frameworks where programming information could be in one media,

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for instance, punch cards, and put away information could be in another media, for instance, on
tape.
Von Neumann PC structure configuration comprises of a Control Unit, Logic Unit and
Arithmetic (ALU), Memory Unit, Registers, as well as Inputs/Outputs. Von Neumann design
depends on the put-away program PC idea, where guidance information and program
information are put away in a similar memory. This structure is as yet utilized in many PCs
created today. A von Neumann structure has just a single bus which is utilized for the two
information exchanges and guidance gets, and in this way, information exchanges and guidance
gets must be planned - they can't be operated in the meantime. Von Neumann structures more
often than not have a solitary bound together reserve, which stores the two commands and
information.
Conclusion
As discussed above it evident that the architecture of Von Neumann was the first one to be
implemented and the same concept is being executed for keeping the electronic devices. In this
structure for both data as well as instruction a single information path or bus is available, thus the
Central Processing Unit carries a single activity at a time. It either carries out a Read and writes
activity on data or downloads defined commands from memory. Therefore, commands fetch as
well as data movement activity cannot take place simultaneously by utilizing a general bus.

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References
(1). Sehr DC, Chen JB, Yee BS, Muth R, Voung J, Schuff DL, inventors; Google Inc, assignee.
Machine-specific instruction set translation. United States patent US 9,300,760. 2016 Mar 29.
(2). Trivedi P, Tripathi RP. Design & analysis of 16 bit RISC processor using low power
pipelining. In Computing, Communication & Automation (ICCCA), 2015 International
Conference on 2015 May 15 (pp. 1294-1297). IEEE.