Let’s get back to our main point of discussion ‘the PCI’; They were the most accepted expansion slots used on a motherboard.The tool, PCI, was first designed and created by Intel for sorting out a major problem that every computer used had to face in the 90s. The motherboard is the heart of every computer, and every motherboard has certain expansion slots on it which are used for connecting additional peripherals to the machine itself.

Functions Of Expansion Slot On A Motherboard

The bus of a motherboard allows communication between different components, and standardized expansion slots provide a way to easily upgrade our computers. In this video, you’ll learn about the bus architectures and how to use expansion slots to customize our PCs. Slot machines are popular worldwide for their record-breaking jackpots and exciting themes. Expansion Slots And Their Functions With few rules and strategies to consider, slot games are perfect for new casino players. Try some free slot games now or discover online slots to play for real money.

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.

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 replacing 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

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The motherboard is the main system board for the computer and connects all of the internal hardware components. This lesson will take a look at various components which are built into the motherboard. This lesson will also look at the expansion slots used to add hardware components to a system. The lesson finishes up with a discussion of the BIOS.

Lesson Objectives

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

Identify the components on a motherboard.
Identify the function of the Northbridge.
Identify the function of the Southbridge.
Recommend a motherboard for a given scenario.
Identify appropriate BIOS settings.
Differentiate expansion slots on the motherboard.

Instruction

A computer technician must have a strong understanding of the components used within a computer system. Understanding the purpose of each component provides the foundation of knowledge required to understand the operation of a computer system.

Motherboards

The motherboard is the largest printed circuit board, and every electronic device has one including computers, cell phones, printers, cars, and even toasters.

The motherboard determines the capabilities and limitations of a computer system. Every component on a computer system plugs into the motherboard is controlled by it and depends on it to communicate. The motherboard houses the following components:

Central Processing Unit (CPU) – performs all basic arithmetic, logical, control, and input/output operations
Chipset – manages the data flow between the computer’s processor, its memory and any peripheral devices attached
Buses – a pathway that transfers data between components within a computer
Random Access Memory (RAM) – a temporary form of computer data storage that allows fast access to data. RAM is volatile and requires power to keep data accessible.
Expansion slots – provide expansion capability to add hardware components beyond what was originally installed
Ports – provides an interface between the computer and a peripheral device such as a mouse, keyboard, or printer

All of the above components are labeled in Figure 1.

Figure 1: Motherboard Diagram with all components labeled

There are several components that comprise a motherboard. In this lesson, the following main components will be highlighted:

System Clock
Chipset
Expansion Cards and Slots
Front Panel Connectors
Basic Input/Output System (BIOS)
Complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor(CMOS)
System bus with expansion slots
Bus Structures

System Clock

Think of the system clock as the heartbeat of the motherboard. It sets the speed of all other components like the processor, memory, and buses. It has a base speed that is measured in hertz (Hz), but computers run in megahertz (MHz) or gigahertz (GHz).

Chipset

The chipset determines how system hardware and buses interact with the CPU and other components. It also determines how much memory can be added to a motherboard and what type of connectors the motherboard will have.

Current chipsets are made up of two distinct components – the Northbridge (NB) and Southbridge (SB).

The Northbridge controls RAM, the processor, and the Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) video slot. It also regulates the speed the CPU can communicate with the components.

The Southbridge controls everything else connected to the computer including communication between the CPU and t

Functions Of Expansion Slots