Expansion Slots Meaning

An expansion card is a printed circuit board that can be installed in a computer to add functionality to it. For example, a user may add a new graphics card to his computer to give it more 3D graphics processing power. An audio engineer may add a professional sound card to his machine to increase the computer's audio input and output connections. Users that need more Firewire or USB ports can add Firewire or USB expansion cards, which provide additional connections.

Most expansion cards are installed in PCI slots. This includes variations of PCI, such as PCI-X and PCI Express. Graphics cards may also be installed in an AGP slot, which is designed specifically for video cards. Since expansion cards require open slots, they can only be installed in computers that have available expansion slots. Therefore, computers like the Apple iMac and other all-in-one machines cannot accept expansion cards. Computer towers, however, often have two or three open expansion slots, and can accept multiple cards.

Laptops don't use traditional expansion cards because of their small form factor. However, some models can accept removable PCMCIA cards that add extra ports or other functionality to the computer.

INTERNAL EXPANSION. Welcome to a guide on the types of computer expansion cards and the types of expansion slots. While many devices have taken on the more convenient USB forms these days, there are still some good expansion cards that you can add on to your computer. Definition of expansion slot: a socket on the motherboard of a computer into which an expansion card may be inserted Examples of expansion slot in a Sentence Recent Examples on the Web There's been no estimate for when that expansion slot will be enabled or when any drives on the market will be greenlit. The other modern expansion slots like PCIe (PCI Express) are used to provide different pathways to the system bus. The below figure shows different kinds of expansion slots and their sizes and names. Expansion slot (n.). (computer) a socket in a microcomputer that will accept a plug-in circuit board 'the PC had three slots for additional memory'.

Expansion Slots Meaning

Updated: October 4, 2008

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expansion slot

n.

Expansion Slots Meaning One

A long narrow socket in a computer into which an expansion card can be inserted.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

expansion slot

n
(Computer Science) a physical electronic interface provided in a computer system to enable extra facilities to be added easily at a later date
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

expan′sion slot`


n.
a connection to which a new circuit board can be added to expand a computer's capabilities.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
Noun1.expansion slot - (computer) a socket in a microcomputer that will accept a plug-in circuit board; 'the PC had three slots for additional memory'
computer, computing device, computing machine, data processor, electronic computer, information processing system - a machine for performing calculations automatically
receptacle - an electrical (or electronic) fitting that is connected to a source of power and equipped to receive an insert
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

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