System Unit

Expansion Card
Also known as an add-on card, internal card or interface adapter. An expansion card is an electronic circuit board that adds more functionality to a desktop computer. Expansion cards are installed into the expansion slot of a computer motherboard and give that computer a new ability, such as the ability to connect to another computer using a network cable. Video cards and sound cards are common examples of PC expansion cards.



Network Interface Card (NIC)
Network Interface Card is a device that allows computers to be joined together in a LAN, or local area network. A NIC technically is network adapter hardware in the form factor of an add-in card such as a PCI or PCMCIA card. Networked computers communicate with each other using a given protocol or agreed-upon language for transmitting data packets between the different machines, known as nodes. The network interface card acts as the liaison for the machine to both send and receive data on the LAN.



Plug & Play
Plug and Play is a capability that gives users the ability to plug a device into a computer and have the computer recognize that the device is there. facilitates the discovery of a hardware component in a system, without the need for physical device configuration, or user intervention in resolving resource conflicts.



Sockets
Sockets are the built-in interfaces on motherboards that accept various hardware components. When compatible devices are plugged into computer sockets, they communicate with the system to provide functionality. Sockets are bidirectional, meaning that either side of the connection is capable of both sending and receiving data. Dial-up modems, graphics cards and sound cards are just some examples.



Chips
A chip is a small electronic circuit, also known as an integrated circuit, which is one of the basic components of most kinds of electronic devices, especially computers. are made of semiconductors that is usually composed of silicon, on which several tiny components including transistor are embedded and used to transmit electronic data signals. A typical chip is less than ¼-square inches and can contain millions of electronic components.



Slots
A slot is an opening in a computer where you can insert a printed circuit board and allow you to expand the capabilities of a computer.



Bus lines
Bus lines are the communicating electronic lines that connect different parts of the CPU to various other parts. In addition, the bus lines also link the CPU to different parts on the system board of your computer. The data flows in the form of bits along the bus lines. The computer can run efficiently and will perform the operations at a faster rate.



Serial Port
A serial port is a general-purpose interface that can be used for almost any type of device, including modems, mice, and printers which is a physical interface through which information transfers in or out one bit at a time. data transfer through serial ports connected the computer to devices such a terminal and various peripherals.



Parallel Port
A parallel port is a type of interface found on computer for connecting various peripherals. The parallel port is sometimes called a Centronics interface. It is sometimes also referred to as a printer port because the printer is the device most commonly attached to the parallel port.



Universal Serial Bus Port
Universal Serial Bus Port is a way of setting up communication between a computer and peripheral devices. It can supports data transfer rate of 12 Mbps. A single USB port can be used to connect up to 127 peripheral devices, such as mice, modems, and keyboards.



Firewall Port
FireWire provides a single plug-and-socket connection on which up to 63 devices can be attached with data transfer speeds up to 400 Mbps (megabits per second).