Expansion Slots and cards:-

An expansion slot is a connection point with a computer motherboard where an additional

component can be added to the computer. Their main purpose was to add more computer
functionality. The functionality could be a better video display, higher processing speed, better
gaming capabilities, higher memory, etc.
The following is a list of the functionalities that can be added through the slots.

1. Graphic display capabilities. 

2. TV capabilities. 
3. WIFI functionality. 
4. Processor speed: 
5. Increase main memory (RAM) capacity: 
6. Sound functionality. 

Types of Expansion cards;-

1. Network adapter Card:- Network card is used to connect our computer system to the
computer networks over the Internet OR it is used for communication between our system
and the other computer networks. Network card is also known as the Network adapter or
Network interface card (NIC). it has Rj-45 port at the back of the card which is used to
connect to the LAN network. There are further two types of NIC cards, one is for wired
network and the other is for wireless network. Wired network card has the port at the back
while a wireless network card has an antenna attached to it.
2. SCSI Card: A SCSI card is a card that will control the interface between SCSI versions
of hard drives, CD-ROM drives, removable drives, external devices such as
scanners .The three main types of connectors on these cards are 25 pin for SCSI-1, 50 pin
for narrow SCSI and 68- pin for wide SCSI.SCSI controllers provide fast access to very
fast SCSI hard drives.
3. Sound Card:- Sound card is used to convert the electrical signals to the audio signals or
sound which we can hear. The sound cards has different kinds of ports or jacks attached to
it and these ports are used to connect the headphone, Microphone, speakers and other
digital audio devices. 
4. TV Tuner Card:- A  TV tuner card is a kind of television tuner that allows television
signals to be received by a computer. Most TV tuners also function as video capture
cards, allowing them to record television programs onto a hard disk much like the digital
video recorder (DVR) does.
5. PC Card:- A PC card is an electronic device, about the size of a credit card, that is used to
store data. These cards were originally developed to be used with many devices, such as
portable computers and digital cameras, but currently, their primary use in laptop
computers. 
6. Video card:- This card is used to provide the graphical interface like images, videos etc. to
the user. It requires a high processing power to convert the instructions to their graphics. It
is also called the Graphic Card or Display Card. Video card has its own processor which
provides the interface between the Operating System and the Monitor to display. It is
attached to the motherboard through its pins at the bottom and it has also different kinds of
 ports which are used to connect different kinds of the output display devices like monitor,
projector etc.

Ports:-

The ports are the physical docking points present in the computer through which the external
devices are connected using cables. Or in other words, a port is an interface between the
motherboard and an external device of the computer. There are different types of ports
available:
 Serial port
 Parallel port
 USB port
 PS/2 port
 VGA port
 Modem port 
 FireWire Port 
 Sockets
 Infrared Port 
 Game Port 
 Digital Video Interface(DVI) Port
 Ethernet Port
 1. Serial port(COM Port):
 A serial port is also called a communication port and they are used for connection of
external devices like a modem, mouse, or keyboard (basically in older PCs). Serial
cables are cheaper to make in comparison to parallel cables and they are easier to shield
from interference. There are two versions of it, which are 9 pin model and 25 pin
models. It transmits data at 115 KB/sec. 

 2. Parallel Port (LPT ports):

Parallel ports are generally used for connecting scanners and printers. It can send
several bits at the same time as it uses parallel communication. Its data transfer speed is
much higher in comparison with the serial port. It is a 25 pin model. It is also known as
Printer Port or Line Printer Port.
 3. USB (Universal Serial Bus):
In 1997 USB was first introduced by Intel, Microsoft, Compaq & IBM. This can
connect all kinds of external USB devices, like external hard disk, printer, scanner,
mouse, keyboard, etc. There are minimum of two USB Ports provided in most of the
computer systems. It is a kind of new type serial connection Port that is much faster
than the old serial Ports and These USB Ports are much smarter and more versatile, as it
allows the “daisy chaining” of up to 127 USB peripherals connected to one port. The
data transfer rate in this is Data12 megabits per second. It also provides plug & plays
communication.


4. PS/2 Port:
PS/2 ports are special ports used for connecting old computer keyboard and mouse. It
was invented by IBM. In old computers, there are minimum of two PS/2 Ports, each for
the keyboard and the mouse. It is a 6 pin mini Din connector.

5. VGA Port:
VGA ports also known as Video Graphic Array connector are those which connect the
monitor to a computer’s video card. VGA port has 15 holes and it is similar to the serial
port connector. But VGA Ports have holes in it and the serial port connector has pins in
it.

6. Sockets:
Microphones and speakers are connected with the help of Sockets to the sound card of
the computer.

7. FireWire Port:
The IEEE 1394 interface, which is developed in the late 1980s and early 1990s by
Apple as FireWire. It can transfer large amount of data at very high speed. It is used to
connect camcorders and video equipment to the computer. It comes up with three
variants which are 4-Pin FireWire 400 connector, 6-Pin FireWire 400 connector, and 9-
Pin FireWire 800 connector. There are various uses of the firewire.
1. In Aircraft
2. In Automobiles
3. Digital video
4. In Networking
 5. As instrumentation and Industrial digital camera.
6. As Digital Video.
7. In Security

8. Infrared Port: 
An Infrared (IR) port is used to sends and receives infrared signals from other devices.
It is a kind of wireless type port with a limited range of 5-10ft.

9. Game Port:
These ports are used previously to connect a joystick to a PC. But nowadays it is
replaced by USB ports.
10. Modem Port:
As the name suggests, a Modem port is used to connect a PC’s modem to the telephone
network.

11. Digital Video Interface (DVI) Port:

DVI Port is used to connect LCD (flat panel) monitor to the computer’s high-end video
graphic cards and it is very popular among video card manufacturers.

12. Ethernet Port:

Ethernet Port helps to connect to a network and high-speed Internet (provided by LAN
or other sources). It connects the network cable to a computer and resides in a Ethernet
card. It provides a data travel speed of 10 Mb to 1000 Mb (megabits) per second.

13. AGP port:- The Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) is a high –speed point to point
for attaching a video card to a computers motherboard. It is created by Intel in 1997.
AGP is superior to PCI because it provides a dedicated pathway between the slot and
the processors rather than sharing the PCI bus, allowing for faster communication.