Alternatively known as a bus slot or expansion port, an expansion slot is a connection or port inside a computer on the motherboard or riser card. It provides an installation point for a hardware expansion card to be connected. For example, if you wanted to install a new video card in the computer, you'd purchase a video expansion card and install that card into the compatible expansion slot.
A bus system designed to replace the function of expansion slots with a data transfer rate as high as 480 Mbps. The USB is accessed by plugging a USB device into the bus at a port opening in the case. Additional devices, (up to 127) can be connected to the bus in a daisy-chain configuration.
Computer expansion slots
Below is a listing of expansion slots commonly found in a computer and the devices associated with those slots. Clicking on any of the links below provide you with additional details.
- AGP - Video card.
- AMR - Modem, sound card.
- CNR - Modem, network card, sound card.
- EISA - SCSI, network card, video card.
- ISA - Network card, sound card, video card.
- PCI - Network card, SCSI, sound card, video card.
- PCI Express - Video card, modem, sound card, network card.
- VESA - Video card.
Many of the above expansion card slots are obsolete. You're most likely only going to encounter AGP, PCI, and PCI Express when working with computers today. In the picture below is an example of what expansion slots may look like on a motherboard. In this picture, there are three different types of expansion slots: PCI Express, PCI, and AGP.
How many expansion slots does my computer have?
Every computer motherboard is different, to determine how many expansion slots are on your computer motherboard identify the manufacturer and model of the motherboard. Once you've identified the model of motherboard, you can find complete information about the motherboard in its manual.
Adding additional expansion slots for older motherboards could be accomplished by using a riser board, which would add several ISA or PCI slots. Today, riser boards are rarely used with motherboards, as there is limited need for additional expansion slots with modern motherboards.
What type of expansion slots are on my motherboard?
As mentioned above, every motherboard model is unique, so to determine the type of expansion slots on the motherboard, consult the board's specifications and owner's manual. You can also open the computer case and visually examine the motherboard.
Why do computers have expansion slots?
Computers have expansion slots to give the user the ability to add new devices to their computer. For example, a computer gamer may upgrade their video card to get better performance in their games. An expansion slot allows them to remove the old video card and add a new video card without having to replace the motherboard.
What is the most common expansion slot today?
Today, the most commonly used expansion slot used and found on computer motherboards is the PCI Express expansion slot.
Does a laptop have an expansion slot?
Laptops do not have expansion slots like a desktop computer. However, some laptops do have PC Cards that can be inserted into the side of the laptop. They may also have a Cardbus slot for an ExpressCard to be added.
Related expansion slot pages
Expansion, Expansion card, Motherboard terms, Seated
Expansion Slots Computer
You can expand your PC internally by adding additional circuitry boards. Those boards, or expansion cards, plug directly into expansion slots on the motherboard (as shown in this figure). So, you can expand your computer system by adding options not included with the basic PC. Here are the types of expansion slots your PC may have:
Main Functions Of Expansion Slots List
PCI Express: The best type of expansion slot to have in your PC is the PCI Express, also written as PCIe. Without boring you, the PCI Express type of expansion slot communicates with the motherboard, and therefore with the microprocessor, both quickly and efficiently.
PCI: The PCI slot is the most common form of internal expansion for a PC.
Some PCs have a mixture of PCI and PCI Express slots. If so, go with PCI Express when you have that option.
AGP: This type of expansion slot was specifically designed to deal with graphics adapters. In fact, AGP stands for Accelerated Graphics Port. Older PCs may sport this expansion slot, but the best video cards use PCI Express.
ISA: The most ancient type of expansion slot is the ISA, which stands for (get this) Industry Standard Architecture. That’s because it never really had a name until another, better type of expansion slot came along. ISA slots hang around to be compatible with older expansion cards.
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