A PC expansion card is also known as an internal card or interface adapter. It is an electronic board or card that is added to a personal computer to give it a new kind of ability or function.
Expansion cards are keyed components this means they can only be inserted in one direction. In addition the cards can only be entered into the slot or port that it was designed for. These cards are added to you PC by inserting them into the expansion slots that are built into the motherboard of the computer. One side of the card will have contacts that fit into the slot perfectly and hold it in place.
The types of expansion cards that can be added to your computer depend heavily on the type of bus your motherboard has. A bus is defined as the series of channels through which information is passed electronically.
There are many different types of expansion cards that add or expand a variety of functions. One of the most popular types of cards is a video or graphics card. These cards are intended to enhance a computers ability to display three-dimensional graphics and video. Serious gamers, graphic design artists, or people who edit videos primarily use these cards.
Graphic or video cards can fit into multiple ports or slots in a personal computer. The slots that are primarily used for these video cards include the PCI, AGP, and PCI express slots.
A sound or audio card is another type of popular PC expansion card. This type of card provides your personal computer with the ability to produce sound. These cards are particularly useful for processing digital sound effects and music. The users who generally get the most use out of this card are gamers and individuals that are heavily involved in their computer’s media center. These audio cards provide the computers with the ability to get HIFI sound as well as surround sound quality audio.
Another type of common PC expansion card is the network card or NIC. These cards allow one computer to be connected to another computer o network. It is a circuit board that runs between your computer and the wires to which it is connected.
A video capture card is another type of expansion card for your computer. It is a device that connects your computer to a video camera or other piece of equipment that is capable of capturing video. The video capture card will then take that signal and convert it into a format that can be easily stored, modified, or displayed.
A voice mail card, or VCR, can be a useful expansion card as well. It will allow your computer to handle voicemail, and fax and modem transmissions.
A modem is another popular expansion card. It is a devise that allows your computer to transmit and receive information over the telephone line. The modem converts your digital data into an analog signal and then back again. Because modems have limitations on the speed at which they can transmit data many users are upgrading their internal modem and replacing it with a high-speed external version.
A POST card is a card that is responsible for reporting errors codes produced by a power on self-test. This refers specifically to a computer, router, or printer’s pre boot sequence.
The number of expansion cards that your computer needs is decreasing over time. This is because many of these enhancements are now being built directly into the motherboard. However, sound, video and network expansion still prove to be commonly used cards for personal computers today.