Identifying Expansion Slots and Card Connectors

Identifying expansion slots

    During the hardware installation process, you insert your video or full motion video card into either a PCI or an AGP expansion slot on the system board. PCI slots are usually white and AGP slots are usually brown.

    1. PCI expansion slots
    2. AGP expansion slot

    Important

    PCI slots are usually white and AGP slots are usually brown.

    Identifying card connectors

    PCI connector

      A PCI card connector has two connection tabs.

    Two tab connector

    AGP connector

      Depending on the type of AGP card, your card may have three or four connection tabs.

    Three-tab connector

    Four-tab connector

    Identifying internal connectors and cables for a full motion video card

      If you are not replacing or installing a full motion video card, go to "Installing the Video Card".

      The following examples show the placement of various internal cable connectors. Your replacement or new card connectors are labeled with their functions. For example, the DVD decoder card ATAPI connectors are labeled Audio Out and Audio In.

    Add-in card connectors

      Add-in full motion video cards may contain multiple connectors and connector types. These examples show three types of internal connectors:

      1. Wiring harness connector
      2. VESA feature connector
      3. ATAPI audio connector

    Integrated connectors

      If you are connecting your add-in full motion video card to an integrated sound system, you need to identify your integrated sound system connectors.

      This illustration shows one of the internal sound connectors on the system board. Each sound connector is labeled with its function, for example CD audio In or TV tuner In. The label is printed on the system board next to the connector.

      Your system board may be designed to work with a riser card. Riser cards typically plug into an expansion slot on the main system board. This illustration shows one of the integrated sound connectors mounted on a riser card.

    Cables

      There are three primary types of internal audio and video cables and connectors that connect your graphics card to the system board or riser card.

    VESA feature connector

    Wiring harness connector

    ATAPI audio connector

      To remove cables from ATAPI connectors, press the lock on the cable and pull the cable from the connector.

      Caution

      Failure to press in the lock may result in damage to the cable and the connector.

        1. Conncetor
        2. Lock
        3. Cable

      Identifying external connectors for a full motion video card

        TV tuner and DVD decoder cards may have one or more of these external connectors:

        1. FM input jack. Connect an FM radio antenna coaxial adapter to this jack.
        2. Audio input and output jacks. Connect a 1/8-inch (3.175 mm) stereo cables from an audio source to these jacks.
        3. S-Video input jack. Connect an S-Video cable to this jack.
        4. Remote control infrared receiver jack. Connect a remote control infrared receiver cable to this jack.
        5. Television input jack. Connect a coaxial cable from a video source to this jack.
        6. Composite video input jack. Connect a composite cable to this jack. This jack is usually yellow.
        7. Sony/Phillips Digital Interface output jack (S/PDIF). Connect a digital audio cable from this jack to a Dolby Digital In (also known as Coaxial Digital input) jack on a compatible receiver.