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

– Troubleshoot expansion card problems Structure and Function of the Expansion Bus Connections. Expansion slots connect to both the Northbridge and Southbridge System Crystal. All integrated circuits must be regulated by a clock crystal. Every device soldered to the motherboard is designed to run at the speed of the system crystal. An expansion slot refers to any of the slots on a motherboard that can hold an expansion card to expand the computer's functionality, like a video card, network card, or sound card. The expansion card is plugged directly into the expansion port so that the motherboard has direct access to the hardware. The function of expansion slots are exactly like their name. They are meant to hold extra devices. They 'expand' your systems ability to have hardware.

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.

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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

Alternatively referred to as a bus slot or expansion port, an expansion slot is connection or port located inside a computer on the motherboard or riser board that allows a computer 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.

Many of the below 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.

• PCI – Network card, SCSI, Sound card, Video card
• PCI Express – Video card
• AGP – Video card
• ISA – Network card, Sound card, Video card
• AMR – Modem, Sound card
• CNR – Modem, Network card, Sound card
• EISA – SCSI, Network card, Video card
• VESA – Video card

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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.

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PCI:The PCI slot is the most common form of internal expansion for a PC.

[bs_icon name=”glyphicon glyphicon-exclamation-sign”] 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.

PCI slot

PCI card

PCI-e slot (x16)

PCI-e card (x16)

AGP slot

AGP card

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