Adapter Cards and Integrated Ports

 

The expansion slots support adapter cards. Some cards control internal devices, such as hard drives, and most communicate with external devices, such as monitors, printers, network equip-ment, and so on. Table 1-7 focuses on the most common adapter cards. Note that many mother-boards include ports that replace some of the adapter cards in this list.

 

Adapter cards have two connections: One connects to the expansion slot, and the other connects to devices. This usually involves a port or plug. Table 1-7 lists the standard ports.

20 CompTIA A+ Quick Reference

 

Table 1-7 Adapter Cards

Adapter	Expansion Buses	Ports and Plugs	Details and Descriptions
NIC	PCI, PCIx, PCIe,	RJ-45	Connects the PC to a net-
	or USB		work.
Wireless NIC	PCI, PCIe, mini-	2.4GHz / 5GHz	Connects a PC to a wireless
	PCI, mini-PCIe or	radio and antenna	network.
	USB
Video adapter	PCIe, AGP, or PCI	VGA, DVI,	Translates data into a video
		HDMI,	signal for the monitor.
		DisplayPort,
		Component
		Video, S-video
USB	PCI, PCIe	USB	Provides additional connec-
			tions to USB devices. It often
			provides both internal and
			external USB ports.
IEEE 1394	PCI or PCIe	FireWire	1394a comparable in perfor-
(FireWire)			mance to USB 2.0; 1394b
			is twice as fast as 1394a;
			commonly used to transfer
			video or other data-intensive
			applications. Also used for
			external hard disk and scan-
			ner interface.
Sound/audio	PCI or PCIe, USB	3.5mm for micro-	Translates data into audio
adapter		phone, line-in,	signal for speakers.
		speakers; 8-pin
		DIN or mini-DIN
		for MIDI ports

 

Video capture PCI or PCIe, USB S-video, com-

 

or TV tuner posite, coax, IR

 

blaster

TV tuner cards need to sup-port digital video (Clear QAM cable and ATSC broad-cast TV) to be compatible with current standards.

 

SCSI adapter	ISA, PCI, or PCIe	Internal SCSI	Is an additional bus link, like
		header and often	a transfer station. It forwards
		an external SCSI	data to and from the PC to
		port	SCSI HDDs and devices.
RAID adapter	PCI or PCIe	Multiple hard	Enables data to be spread
		drive connections	across multiple hard disks in
		SATA, PATA, or	various patterns (stripe, mir-
		SCSI	ror, or span).

			Chapter 1: Hardware 21
Adapter	Expansion Buses	Ports and Plugs	Details and Descriptions
eSATA	PCIe or PCI	eSATA	Connects external SATA
			drives to the PC.
Modem	PCI or USB	RJ-11	Converts digital signals from
			the PC into analog tones used
			by telephone network and
			vice versa.
IEEE 1284	ISA, PCI	DB25F	Connects parallel devices,
(parallel port			mainly printers, to the PC.
or LPT port)			The distinctive cable has
			a 25-pin D plug on the
			computer end and a 36-pin
			Centronics port on the other.
			Moves data along multiple
			channels simultaneously
			(parallel).
Serial port	ISA, PCI	DB9M or	Connects peripheral parallel
(RS-232 or		DB25M	devices to the PC. Not com-
COM port)			monly used today. Moves
			data along one channel, bit
			by bit (serial).

 

 

Figure 1-9 illustrates some typical adapter cards.

 

Dial-up (analog) modem

Audio

 

 

SCSI	1394a
(FireWire 400)

 

Video (PCIe x16)

 

 

Figure 1-9 Typical PCIe (video) and PCI (all others) adapter cards.

22 CompTIA A+ Quick Reference

 

To install an adapter card into a desktop computer, follow these steps:

 

1. You must make sure there is an unused expansion slot of the correct type for the card.

2. Check the documentation to determine if the driver software is installed before or after the card is installed. If you need to install it first, install it before shutting down the computer.

3. Turn off the computer and disconnect it from AC power.

4. Remove the side cover to access the expansion slots.

5. Remove the blank bracket blocking the slot.

6. Insert the card straight down into the slot, making sure the connectors at the bottom of the card fit snugly into the slot.

7. Connect any power leads required by the card (typical on IEEE-1394 and some PCIe video cards).

8. Reattach the card bracket using the same mechanism (usually a screw) used to secure the blank bracket.

9. Connect device cables to the card.

10. Reconnect the computer to AC power and turn it on.

11. After the card is detected and you are prompted for drivers, insert the driver disc, and follow the prompts to complete installation.

12. Card settings are typically configured by the setup program. However, if prompted, make additional settings.

 

 

Integrated Ports

 

Desktop and laptop computers include many integrated ports which help to minimize the need to add expansion cards and reduce system cost. On a desktop computer, most of these ports are located in a port cluster on the rear of the system. Laptop computers have similar ports, but locate them on two, three, or even all four sides of a system.

 

Figure 1-10 illustrates a typical port cluster from a recent system.

 

In addition to the port cluster, you can add additional USB and other types of ports to some sys-tems through the user of cables connecting to internal port headers.