What Slots Do Expansion Cards Use?

Most expansion cards use one or more slots on the motherboard. The number and type of slots varies depending on the motherboard. The most common type of slot is the PCI slot. This stands for Peripheral Component Interconnect and is used for a variety of expansion cards including network adapters, sound cards, and modems.

Many motherboards also have one or more PCI-Express slots. These are used for high-speed expansion cards such as video cards.

The other common type of slot is the AGP slot. This stands for Accelerated Graphics Port and is used exclusively for video cards. Older motherboards may have ISA slots.

These are no longer very common but can still be found on some older computers. ISA stands for Industry Standard Architecture and was once used for a variety of expansion cards including sound cards, modems, and network adapters.

Most expansion cards plug into a slot on the motherboard and protrude from the back of the computer case so that they can be connected to external devices. For example, a network adapter card would have a port to connect to a network cable, and a sound card would have ports to connect speakers or headphones.

Some expansion cards, such as video cards, also have their own cooling fans to help keep them from overheating.