Computer components (RAM, sound card, video card, etc.) are connected via special interfaces - slots. These are connectors for expanding PC capabilities. They can also be called expansion cards or adapters.
What are these RAM slots?
As you already understood, we are talking about the connectors to which the PC RAM is connected. Usually there are at least two such slots on the motherboard. This is a mandatory element on any board, without which the system as a whole is impossible.
Depending on the year of manufacture of the motherboard, it can use different connectors designed for different types of RAM. Given the fact that hardware is improved every year, motherboard manufacturers have to adapt slots as well. This is normal practice, so when choosing RAM, you have to consider the connectors for which it is intended.
The number of slots is also important. In inexpensive motherboards, only 2 connection interfaces are available, but there are 4. The more there are, the easier it will be for the user to increase the amount of RAM. But even if you take all the modules, you can build up by replacing the slots with a capacity of 4 GB, for example, 8 GB.
Types of Slots
The very first interfaces on the motherboard were primitive. They put RAM type 30 pin SIPP. But every year its new standard came out, and the connection interfaces on the board were adjusted for it. So the connectors appeared:
- 72 pin SIMM;
- 168 pin DIMM;
- 184 pin CRIMM Spacer;
- 64bit RDIMM;
- XDR
- 184 pin DDR;
- 240 pin DDR2;
- 240 pin DDR3;
- DDR4.
The most modern standard used in motherboards is DDR4 memory slots. So far, there is no DDR5 RAM, however, its appearance is a matter of time. Then, by the way, new motherboards with connectors for these chips will appear.
What are these expansion slots for video cards?
Let's not touch on the old video card connection interfaces. Modern graphics chips can be connected through any of two existing types - AGP and PCI Express. The difference between these interfaces is their bandwidth and power capabilities. There are other, less significant differences.
Higher bandwidth is always considered better. However, in practice, higher throughput does not affect the performance of the chip itself very much.
A limited number of motherboards do not have AGP or PCI Express slots. They are equipped only with PCI adapters for connecting a video card. However, there are very few video cards for them, and they are not suitable for a home computer at all.
But not only video cards and RAM are connected via such connectors. Sound, network cards and even processors in a sense are connected through them.
Memory slots
Slots for memory are interfaces for connecting Compact Flash cards, etc. Often, in laptops, there are interfaces for connecting Compact Flash cards. Today it is one of the most common standards, and many cameras support it. Compact Flash cards are the cheapest.
Memory Stick is a card slot specially developed by Sony, and today it is the most expensive digital media format. And this standard is not one of a kind. There are varieties: Pro, Duo.
SmartMedia is a memory slot for SmartMedia cards, which differ in a very thin body, although their dimensions in width and length are slightly larger than the sizes of Memory Stick cards. These cards are rarely used today and are leaving the market. Therefore, connectors for them are also rare.
And the xD-Picture slot is a small slot for very small memory cards developed by Olympus, Toshiba and Fujifilm. This standard is very popular today, because it is characterized by low power consumption, high write and read speeds, as well as reliability and compactness.
Now you know that these are - slots for a memory card - and what they are. The standards mentioned here are improving, becoming obsolete and disappearing, and new ones appear in their place.
Processor interfaces
Processors are also connected via slots. For Intel and AMD, completely different interfaces are used, designed for processors of one or another company.
So, Intel in 1997 developed Slot 1 for Pentium 2 processors with second-level cache memory and the so-called anti-fool protection, due to which the processor could not be connected to the wrong socket. Of course, this interface is old and is no longer used today, but since 1998 the company switched to Slot 2 for Pentium 3 processors.
AMD also did not lag far behind, but their processor slots were different and were called Slot A. Today they are extremely rare and remain only on older computers. Currently, processors are connected to the motherboard through a socket (Socket) - a socket connector. As is the case with slots, certain sockets are suitable for certain processors.
Other slots
If you judge, the laptop case generally consists of only slots. On it you can even find a place to connect the cable, which securely fastens the device and prevents it from being pulled off the store counter. Sometimes such cables are also used to protect the device from falling, although it is very doubtful.
Also, laptops have slots for connecting modems, SCSI cards, etc. Therefore, it is not necessary to go inside to find any of them.
In the modern concept, the word "slot" usually means the RAM strip, and not the connector for its connection. Therefore, when they say "memory slot", they often mean the RAM bar. This is also worth considering, because many people can be misunderstood. Although in fact it is a connector, and its purpose can be to connect any device.