When purchasing a new Server, Workstation or PC to support an expansion card one of the most important things to determine is what type of slot does the motherboard have. There are 3 types of slots that have been used for over the years: ISA, PCI, and PCI Express (PCIe).

• A connection in a computer, especially a personal computer, to which a new board or card can be added to expand the computer's capabilities.
• PCI slots were the replacment for ISA slots. The PCI Slots are shown in the Red box in the image. PCI slots come in several different versions including 5 volt and 3.3 volt slots, and 32-bit and 64-bit PCI-X slots. PCI slots are going away as well but are still available from some major computer manufacturers but they usually only offer one PCI slot.

PCMCIA is an acronym for Personal Computer Memory Card InternationalAssociation; the acronym is pronounced as separate letters. PCMCIA isa non-profit trade association and standards body consisting of some500 companies. PCMCIA has developed a standard for small, creditcard-sized devices, called PC cards, that are often used in notebookcomputers. (Adapters are available that allow PC cards to be used indesktop computer systems.) You can visit the PCMCIA web site at:

In the past, the cards were known as PCMCIA cards, but they are nowreferred to as PC cards, PC card hosts, and PC card software.PCMCIA refers to the association and standards body.

A PC card slot is an expansion slot often found in notebook computersthat allows for the easy and quick addition of a host of differentdevices. Originally designed for adding memory to portablecomputer systems, the PC card standard has been updated several timessince its original creation.

PC cards are Plug and Play devices that are often hot-swappable (i.e.,cards may be removed and inserted with the computer power turned on,without rebooting) under Mac OS and Windows 95and beyond. (Windows NT, however, has more limited supportfor PC cards, and you cannot change cards on the fly.) Many systemswill give a familiar beep sound from the computer's speaker when youremove or insert a card.

Differences between PC cards

There are three different types of PC cards. All three have the samerectangular size (85.6 by 54 millimeters), but different thicknesses.

• Type I cards can be up to 3.3mm thick, and are used primarily for addingadditional ROM or RAM to a computer.
• Type II cards (the most common) can be up to 5.5mm thick. Thesecards are often used for modem, fax, SCSI, andLAN cards.
• Type III cards can be up to 10.5mm thick, sufficiently large forportable disk drives.

Differences between PC card slots

As with the physical PC cards, PC slots also come in three sizes:

• A type I slot can hold one type I card
• A type II slot can hold one type II card, or two type I cards
• A type III slot can hold one type III card, or a type I and typeII card.

Most notebook computer systems come with two PC card slots that allowfor the use of two type I or type II PC cards and one type III PCcard. The PC card slots are stacked with one above theother. Usually, type III PC cards fit only in the bottom slot.

Common PC card devices

Following is a list of common PC card devices:

• CD-ROM interface
• Cellular phone interface
• Security tokens
• Docking station interface
• 10Mbps Ethernet LAN adapters
• 100Mbps Ethernet adapters
• GPS (Global Positioning System) cards
• Hard drives
• Infrared wireless LAN adapters
• ISDN cards
• Joystick interface cards
• Memory cards
• Modem and Ethernet combination cards
• Parallel port interface
• SCSI adapters
• Serial port interface
• Sound cards, input and output
• Video capture/frame grabber cards
• Video teleconferencing cards

Cardbus

Slots Definition Computer Networks

Many laptop manufacturers now advertise their PC card slots as cardbuscompatible, or they simply identify the slots as cardbusslots. Cardbus is an extension of the latest PCMCIA standard, whichexpands the bus bandwidth and throughput to 32bits at 33MHz. In contrast, the older PC card standard was16 bits at 8MHz. Cardbus is analogous to the PCI slots in desktops,while the older PC card standard is analogous to ISA. The newercardbus slot can accommodate an older 16-bit PC card, but an older PCcard slot cannot accept newer cardbus cards. To tell if your PC cardis cardbus, look on the interface end of the card. Cardbus deviceswill have a notched metal plate on that end.

While not technically accurate, some vendors and technicians refer tothe older style 16-bit PC card as PCMCIA in order to contrast it with32-bit cardbus cards, which makes them sound like competingstandards. However, cardbus is an extension to the PCMCIA standard,not a replacement.

For additional information, see:

ExpressCard

The latest extension of the PCMCIA standard is calledExpressCard. This standard is being built on the latest USB2.0 and PCI Express buses. The aim is to increase speed and reducesize, cost, and complexity. One of the ways it does this is toeliminate the PCMCIA Host Controller in favor of using the USB or PCIExpress controller directly.

For additional information, see:

Dictionary entry details

• SLOT(noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A position in a grammatical linguistic construction in which a variety of alternative units are interchangeable

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Context example:

he developed a version of slot grammar

Hypernyms ('slot' is a kind of...):

position; spatial relation (the spatial property of a place where or way in which something is situated)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A small slit (as for inserting a coin or depositing mail)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Context example:

he put a quarter in the slot

Hypernyms ('slot' is a kind of...):

slit (a long narrow opening)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of 'slot'):

coin slot (a slot through which coins can be inserted into a slot machine)

mail slot (a slot (usually in a door) through which mail can be delivered)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A time assigned on a schedule or agenda

Classified under:

Nouns denoting time and temporal relations

Synonyms:

slot; time slot

Context example:

an aircraft landing slot

Hypernyms ('slot' is a kind of...):

interval; time interval (a definite length of time marked off by two instants)

Derivation:

slot (assign a time slot)

Sense 4

Meaning:

A position in a hierarchy or organization

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Context example:

she beat some tough competition for the number one slot

Hypernyms ('slot' is a kind of...):

position; status (the relative position or standing of things or especially persons in a society)

Sense 5

Meaning:

The trail of an animal (especially a deer)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural objects (not man-made)

Context example:

he followed the deer's slot over the soft turf to the edge of the trees

Hypernyms ('slot' is a kind of...):

trail (a track or mark left by something that has passed)

Sense 6

Meaning:

(computer) a socket in a microcomputer that will accept a plug-in circuit board

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

expansion slot; slot

Context example:

the PC had three slots for additional memory

Hypernyms ('slot' is a kind of...):

receptacle (an electrical (or electronic) fitting that is connected to a source of power and equipped to receive an insert)

Domain category:

computer; computing device; computing machine; data processor; electronic computer; information processing system (a machine for performing calculations automatically)

Sense 7

Meaning:

A slot machine that is used for gambling

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

one-armed bandit; slot

Context example:

they spend hours and hours just playing the slots

Hypernyms ('slot' is a kind of...):

coin machine; slot machine (a machine that is operated by the insertion of a coin in a slot)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of 'slot'):

Slots Computer Games

fruit machine (a coin-operated gambling machine that produces random combinations of symbols (usually pictures of different fruits) on rotating dials; certain combinations win money for the player)

• SLOT(verb)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Assign a time slot

Classified under:

Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting

Context example:

slot a television program

Ram Slots Definition Computers

Hypernyms (to 'slot' is one way to...):

schedule (plan for an activity or event)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Slots Definition Computer

Derivation:

Slot Definition Computer Science

slot (a time assigned on a schedule or agenda)