POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES

BIÑAN CAMPUS

COMPUTER PORTS

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for

Computer Hardware Fundamentals

Group 5
Caravana, Ana Maricris A.
Dahan, Jade Andrie L.
De Ramos, Dan Jandel C.
Dejan, Larah Arnica B.

May 2023

Importance and Definition of Ports

 Serves as a communication layer for ports that enable exchange of
information in computer systems.
 Can be used to enable receiving and transmitting data by means of
input and output devices.
Importance of Standardization in Ports
 Beneficial to both the consumer and manufacturer.
 Consumer:
→ Convenience in using products as they wouldn’t have to
worry too much about compatibility.
→ Convenience in purchasing products as there wouldn’t be too
much to choose from.

• Manufacturer:
→ Wider adoption leads to higher supply, which naturally leads
to lower manufacturing costs.
→ Being able to develop new solutions without the worry of
compatibility between devices.

Brief History of Computer Ports

 1970s
 Ports were large as well as the connectors.
 Most ports were proprietary and didn’t have standardization
 1981
 IBM introduced a standard set of ports known as the “IBM-PC
Compatible” standard. It included:
→ Serial Port
→ Parallel Port
→ Keyboard Port
 1987
 IBM introduced the PS/2 port for connecting keyboards and mice.
 1996
 USB was introduced and quickly became the industry standard for
connecting different types of peripherals

Power Ports
 Molex
 Pioneered by the Molex Connector Company.
 Has numerous connectors. Prominent ones include:
→ AMP Mate – n – Lok 1-480424-0 which is used to power old
hard drives that make use of the PATA interface. Some
case fans make use of this connector.
→ AMP 171822-4
 Used to power floppy drives.
→ Molex Mini – fit Jr. 39-28-1203, AKA 5566-20A and Molex
Mini - fit Jr. 39-28-1243, AKA 5566-24A.
  In other words, it is what is known as the 20/24
pin ATX connector found in motherboards.
 It is usually labeled as [P1] on the motherboard
 4 – pin, 6 – pin, and 8 – pin configurations of
the connector are used for additional CPU and GPU
power, colloquially known as the EPS port for CPUs
and the PCIe power port for GPUs.
→ 12VO 10 – pin and 16 – pin
 A new port for the 12VO standard introduced by
Intel
 As the name suggests, it only outputs 12 volts.
→ Standard SATA Power Port
 Used to power SATA HDDs and SSDs, as well as SATA
disc drives.
 Has 15 pins
 PCIe Power Connectors
→ 12VHPWR (Molex MicroFit 3.0 Dual Row)
 Works exclusively on PCIe Gen 5.0 GPUs.
 Maximum of 9.2 Amps per pin
 Has 16 pins, four of which are used for signal
transmission while 12 are used for power delivery.
 NVIDIA made use of this design as a base for their
proprietary power port on some of their Founder’s
Edition RTX 3000 cards
Data Ports
 Universal Serial Bus (USB)
 Standard interface for connecting a wide range of devices to a
computer
 Can be used for a multitude of devices such as, but not limited
to: keyboards, mice, printers, cameras, external hard drives.
 Most newer versions of USB plugs can be plugged into older
versions of USB ports; designed with backwards – compatibility
in mind.
 Has multiple form factors. Some of the prominent ones are:
→ Type – A:
 The most common type of USB connection found.
 USB versions 1.0 and 2.0 had 4 pins.
 USB 3.0 and above had 9 pins.
→ Type – B:
 Commonly used for larger devices such as printers
and scanners.
 Some external hard drive interfaces make use of
this connection, usually packaged with a USB Type-B
Male to Type-A Male cable.
 USB 3.0 version has an extra 5 pins located on top
of the original connector design compared to the
USB 2.0 and USB 1.0 version that only has 4 pins.
This means that USB 3.0 versions cannot be plugged
into their older counterparts, but older USB 2.0
and USB 1.0 versions can be plugged into the newer
USB 3.0 port, albeit with reduced transfer rates.
→ Type – C:
 The port that will most likely replace Type – A
soon as newer USB versions make use of this
connector only.
 Has 24 pins
 It is also known as USB-C as newer versions of USB
use this as the only connector as the standard.
 Superseded the USB Micro – B port on mobile
devices
 → Mini – A:
 Used as an interface for cameras and external
storage solutions.
 Has 5 pins
→ Mini – B:
 Used as an interface for cameras and external
storage solutions.
 External storage solutions that make use of this
interface usually come packed with a USB Mini – B
to Type – A cable.
 Has 5 pins
→ Mini – AB:
 Can accept both Mini – A and Mini – B connectors.
 Has 5 pins
→ Micro – A:
 Used for portable devices such as personal device
assistants as charging ports.
 Has 5 pins
→ Micro – B:
 Used to be common in older mobile devices which
served as its data and charging port.
 USB 2.0 version had 5 pins while the USB 3.0
version had 10 pins
→ Micro – AB:
 A port that can accept both Micro – A and Micro –
B connectors.
 Has 5 pins

 Has multiple versions that determine the maximum bandwidth of

the interface. The different versions are:
→ USB 1.0
 1.5 Mbps (192 KB/s) peak transfer rates.
 Available in Type – A, and Type – B form factors.
→ USB 1.1
 12 Mbps (1.5 MB/s) peak transfer rates.
 Available in Type – A, Type – B, Mini – A,
Mini – B, Micro – A, and Micro – B form factors.
 → USB 2.0
 480 Mbps (60 MB/s) peak transfer rates.
 Available in Type – A, Type – B, Type – C, Mini –
A, Mini – B, Micro – A, and Micro – B form
factors.
→ USB 3.0 / USB 3.1 Gen 1 / USB 3.2 Gen 1
 5 Gbps (640 MB/s) peak transfer rates.
 Available in Type-A, Type-C, Type-B, and Micro – B
form factors.
→ USB 3.1 Gen 2 / USB 3.2 Gen 2
 10 Gbps (1.25 GB/s) peak transfer rates.
 Available in the Type – C form factor only.
→ USB 3.2 Gen 2x2
 20 Gbps (2.5 GB/s) peak transfer rates.
 Available in the Type – C form factor only.
→ USB4 / USB 4
 20 Gbps (2.5 GB/s) / 40 Gbps (5 GB/s) peak transfer
rates.
 Available in the Type – C form factor only.
→ USB4 V2 / USB4 Version 2
→ 80 Gbps (10 GB/s) peak transfer rates
 Lightning Port
 A small reversible connector developed by Apple Inc. used to
charge and connect various devices such as iPhones, iPads, and
iPods to a computer or power source.
 Has 8 pins
 Apple 30 – pin port
 Apple’s old port that used to be present on older iPhones,
iPads and iPods.
 As the name suggests, it has 30 pins.
 FireWire
 Known as IEEE 1394 which was developed by Apple Inc. in
coordination with Sony and Panasonic.
 Its other names are i.LINK and Lynx
 Has different form factors which can either have 4, 6, or 9
pins
 400 – 3200 Mbps (50 – 400 MB/s) peak transfer rates.
 Personal System / 2 (PS/2) Port
 Used to connect a keyboard and mouse into a computer.
 The purple port is usually used for the keyboard while the
green port is used for the mouse. Some motherboards have a
single PS/2 port colored both purple and green to which you can
plug either a mouse or keyboard into.
 It has 6 pins.
 Ethernet Port / RJ45 Port
 Used for connecting computers to a wired network setup using an
ethernet cable.
 It is the most common type of wired connection
 The port has two lights, namely the link light and the activity
light. The link light will glow if a connection between the two
systems is established while the activity light will blink if
there is network activity. It will blink faster if there is
more network activity as opposed to a low network activity.
 Can be used to transmit power using the Power over Ethernet
(PoE) standard, up to 15.4W for Cat 3 and later connections,
and up to 25.5W for Cat5 and later connections.
 Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA)
 Used as an interface for connecting storage devices such as
HDDs and SSDs into a computer.
 It uses separate connectors for the data and power.
 Has multiple form factors:
→ Standard SATA
 The most common SATA connector found in SATA HDDs
and SSDs.
 Has 7 pins
→ eSATA
 An interface designed for connecting external
storage devices as opposed to using USB.
 The “e” in eSATA stands for external
 Power cable has
 Data cable has
→ Slimline SATA
 Usually used in slim and slender devices
 Has 7 pins for data
 Has 6 pins for power
→ uSata / Micro SATA
 Intended for 1.8 – inch hard disk drives.
→ SATA NGFF / M.2
 A type of interface used for SSDs that make use of
the SATA protocol on the M.2 interface.
 Compared to PCIe protocol M.2 drives, they have 2
“notches” instead of one only.
  Superseded the something SATA connector
 Parallel Advanced Technology Attachment (PATA)
 A data port used for connecting hard drives, disc drives, and
other storage devices to a computer.
 It makes use of a 40 – pin ribbon cable.
 It has a 133 MB/s peak bandwidth
 Also known as Integrated Device Electronics (IDE)
 Next Generation Form Factor (NGFF)
 Also known as M.2 which connects via PCIe using 4 lanes.
 Replaces mSATA
 Has multiple lengths expressed in:
→ 2230 (22 mm * 30 mm)
→ 2242 (22 mm * 42 mm)
→ 2260 (22 mm * 60 mm)
→ 2280 (22 mm * 80 mm)
→ 22110 (22mm * 110 mm)
 Peripheral Interconnect Express (PCIe)
 A high – speed interface used for connecting expansion cards
such as, but not limited to: graphics cards, sound cards, and
network cards.
 It comes in various sizes which determine the number of lanes
it has. It ranges from 1x, 4x, 8x, 16x, and 32x.
 It also comes with a mobile version that is called Mobile PCIe
Module (MXM) commonly used in laptops
 Has multiple versions that vary in bandwidth and transfer
rates.
→ PCIe 1.0
 250 MB/s per lane transfer rate
→ PCIe 2.0
 500 MB/s per lane transfer rate
 → PCIe 3.0
 984.6 MB/s per lane transfer rate
→ PCIe 4.0
 1969 MB/s (1.92 GB/s) per lane transfer rate
→ PCIe 5.0
 4032 MB/s (3.94 GB/s) per lane transfer rate
 There are already specifications for the PCIe 6.0 and PCIe 7.0
standard, but PCIe 5.0 is the most recent PCIe version
available in the market as of now.
 Video Graphics Array (VGA)
 An analog interface used for connecting a computer or other
devices to a display.
 A type of D – Subminiature (D – Sub) connection.
 The absolute maximum resolution for VGA is rated at 2048 x 1536
@ 85Hz.
 VGA’s picture quality is affected greatly by: cable quality,
cable length, proximity to power cables, shielding,
electromagnetic filtering, as well as its radio frequency
filtering.
 High – Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI)
 A digital interface for transmitting high – quality video and
audio signals between devices.
 Has 19 pins
 Has other form factors such as:
→ Mini HDMI
 Used in webcams and portable computers
→ Micro HDMI
 Used in tablets and some mobile devices
 Has different versions which vary in maximum bandwidth, which
also affects its maximum resolution and refresh rate. These
are:
→ HDMI 1.0
 Maximum resolutions of:
 720p @ 60Hz
 1080p @ 60Hz
→ HDMI 1.1
 Maximum resolutions of
 720p @60Hz
 1080p @ 60Hz
 Added support for DVD – Audio
→ HDMI 1.2
 Maximum resolutions of:
 720p @120Hz
 1080p @60Hz
  1440p @30Hz
 Added One Bit Audio option
 Removed the requirement that only specified
resolutions and refresh rates can be used.
→ HDMI 1.2a
 Same maximum resolutions to HDMI 1.2
 Added Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) meaning
that one remote can control multiple CEC – enabled
devices.
→ HDMI 1.3
 Maximum resolutions of:
 720p @ 165Hz
 1080p @ 144Hz
 1440p @ 75Hz
 2160p @ 30Hz
 Added support for 10bpc, 12bpc, and 16bpc color
depth.
 Introduced HDMI over Type – C.
→ HDMI 1.3a
 Same maximum resolutions to HDMI 1.3
 Optimizations for the HDMI over Type – C
connection.
→ HDMI 1.4
 Maximum resolutions of:
 720p @ 165Hz
 1080p @ 144Hz
 1440p @ 75Hz
 2160p @ 30Hz (3840 × 2160)
 2160p @ 25Hz (4096 × 2160)
 Added HDMI Ethernet Channel which enables supported
devices to share an internet connection.
 Added multiple stereoscopic 3D formats.
→ HDMI 1.4a
 Same maximum resolutions of HDMI 1.4
 Added mandatory 3D formats
 Frame Packing
 Side – by – side Horizontal
 Top – and – Bottom
→ HDMI 1.4b
 Same maximum resolutions of HDMI 1.4
 Only contained minor clarifications to the HDMI
1.4a spec.
→ HDMI 2.0
 Maximum resolutions of:
  720p @ 360+Hz
 1080p @ 360+Hz
 1440p @ 360+Hz
 2160p @ 60Hz
→ HDMI 2.0a
 Same maximum resolutions of HDMI 2.0
 Added support for High Dynamic Range (HDR)
→ HDMI 2.0b
 Same maximum resolutions of HDMI 2.0
 Added support for HDR10
→ HDMI 2.1
 Maximum resolutions of:
 720p @ 360+Hz
 1080p @ 360+Hz
 1440p @ 360+Hz
 2160p @ 120Hz
 4320p @ 120Hz (7680 × 4320)
 4320p @ 120Hz (10240 × 4320) via Display
Stream Compression (DSC)
 Digital Visual Interface (DVI)
 A digital display interface developed by the Digital Display
Working Group.
 Single link DVI supports up to 1920 × 1080 @ 60Hz, while dual
link DVI adds 6 pins in the middle to support resolutions up to
2560 × 1600 @ 60Hz.
  Has multiple names which depend on the signal it carries:
→ DVI – I
 Has both analog and digital signals.
 A passive adapter can be used to transmit to VGA
display output.
→ DVI – D
 Has digital signals only
→ DVI – A
 Has analog signals only
 DisplayPort (DP)
 A digital display interface used for connecting a computer to a
monitor or other display device.
 Has 20 pins
 It supports high resolutions and refresh rates, as well as
audio.
 It is designed specifically for computers and monitors, as
opposed to HDMI which can be found in a multitude of devices
such as game consoles, projectors, and TVs.
 Has a smaller version called miniDP
 Has different versions:
→ DP 1.0
 Maximum resolutions of:
 720p @ 144Hz
 1080p @ 144Hz
 1440p @ 75Hz
 1600p @ 60Hz (2560 × 1600)
 2160p @ 30Hz
→ DP 1.1
 Same maximum resolution as DP 1.0
→ DP 1.2
 Maximum resolutions of:
 720p @ 360+Hz
 1080p @ 240Hz
 1440p @ 120Hz
 2160p @ 60Hz
 2880p @ 30Hz
 → DP 1.2a
 Added support for Adaptive – Sync solutions such
as AMD’s Freesync and Nvidia’s G – sync which
prevent screen tearing.
→ DP 1.3
 Maximum resolutions of:
 720p @ 360+Hz
 1080p @ 240Hz
 1440p @ 144Hz
 2160p @ 60Hz
 2880p @ 50Hz
 4320p @ 24Hz
→ DP 1.4
 Same maximum resolutions as DP 1.3
→ DP 1.4a
 Updated Display Stream Compression implementation
on DisplayPort.
→ DP 2.0
 Maximum resolutions of:
 720p @ 360+Hz
 1080p @ 360+Hz
 1440p @ 360+Hz
 2160p @ 240Hz
 2880p @ 144Hz
 4320p @ 60Hz
 8640p @ 60Hz using Display Stream Compression
(DSC)

 Printer Port / Line Printer Terminal (LPT)
 Used to connect printers to old IBM compatible computers
 Has 25 pins, which is why it is also called the DB – 25 port.
 It is also called the parallel port.
 Thunderbolt
 An interface developed by Intel in collaboration with Apple
that combines PCIe and DP in two serial signals while providing
DC power.
 Initially marketed as “Light Peak”

 Has multiple versions:

→ Thunderbolt 1
 Made use of the miniDP port.
 Carries PCIe 2.0 4x and DP 1.1a signals
→ Thunderbolt 2
 Made use of the miniDP port.
  Carries PCIe 2.0 4x and DP 1.2 signals
→ Thunderbolt 3
 Made use of the USB Type – C port, and thus
supported USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1 / 3.2 Gen 1
 Carries PCIe 3.0 4x and DP 1.2 signals.
→ Thunderbolt 4
 Made use of the USB Type – C port, and thus
supported USB 4 / USB4
 Carries PCIe 3.0 4x and DP 2.0 signals
 Serial Port
 Used to connect a variety of devices such as, but not limited
to: CNC controllers, dial – up modems, barcode scanners, and
printers.
 While USB, SATA, and FireWire can be considered serial ports,
the term serial port usually refers to the DB-9 port.
 CPU Socket
 Serves as a communication interface between a motherboard and
its components, as well as the CPU.
 Three common designs are Land – Grid Array, Pin – Grid Array,
and Ball – Grid Array.
 Memory Slots
 Allows RAM to be installed on a computer
 Motherboard Headers
 Serves as an interface for different devices to communicate
with the motherboard directly.

Scalable Interface Ports

 Scalable Link Interface (SLI)
 Developed by Nvidia for linking multiple graphics cards (up to
4) in a single computer system for improved graphics
performance.
 Allows distribution of graphics processing load across multiple
GPUs.
 While it allows for distribution of processing load between
multiple GPUs, it does not allow utilizing the VRAM of multiple
GPUs.
 Equivalent to AMD’s CrossFireX technology, both of which use
of AFR (Alternate Frame Rendering)
 Considered a “dead” technology for new consumer systems as
very few to none games make use of the technology
 2 GB/s peak bandwidth
 NVLink
 Designed with the prosumer market in mind.
  Intended for AI, high – performance computing, and
professional workloads
 200 GB/s peak bandwidth
 Crossfire
 Developed by AMD for use with multi – GPU configurations
 Also known as CrossfireX
 Some versions of Crossfire don’t need a physical bridge and
instead uses the north bridge in order for the GPUs to
communicate.

Audio Ports
 3.5 mm Stereo Minijack
 Used in smartphones, computers, and portable music players.
 The most common audio interface available
1
 Also known as the inch connector.
8
 6.3 mm Plug
 Usually used in pro audio equipment such as microphones,
pianos, mixing desks, and guitar amps.
1
 Also known as the inch jack or TRS (Tip, Ring, Sleeve) plug.
4
 XLR
 Used as mic cables and other pro audio devices.
 Can have 3 to 7 pins.
 Sony / Philips Digital Interface (S/PDIF)
 An optical audio interface that makes use of TOSLINK
connectors.
 It carries uncompressed digital audio
 Radio Corporation of America (RCA)
 Serves as an interface for older devices such as TVs and
amplifiers.
 Also known as phono.
 Has 3 connectors. One for Video, one for left audio, and one
for right audio
 Usually color – coded with yellow for video, white / black for
left audio, and red for right audio.