All computers share the same basic architecture, whether it be a multi-million dollar mainframe or a Palm Pilot. This type of architecture is named Von Neumann architecture after the mathematician who conceived of the design. Memory Computer Memory is that subsystem that serves as temporary storage for all program instructions and data that are being executed by the computer.
Memory is divided up into cells, each cell having a unique address so that the data can be fetched.
This is the subsystem that allows the computer to interact with other devices and communicate to the outside world. It also is responsible for program storage, such as hard drive control. Again, I discuss this in other sections of the site in more detail, so I will not address it again here. This is that subsystem that performs all arithmetic operations and comparisons for equality. In the Von Neumann design, this and the Control Unit are separate components, but in modern systems they are integrated into the processor.