Computer devices connect together using a variety of different types of ports and cables. Monitors, screens, TVs and projectors usually connect to your computer using VGA, DVI or HDMI. Peripherals such as printers, scanners, as well as mass storage devices such as external hard drives and flash drives connect to your computer using USB.
On the back of your computer, you’ll see something similar to the following. Here you can see the commonly used ports to connect devices to a PC.
A widely adopted standard for connecting devices to a computer. USB plugs are present on most devices such as external hard drives, flash drives, printers, keyboards, and mice. USB 2 offers a maximum data transfer rate of 480 Mbps (megabits per second). This speed is significantly faster than the original USB 1.0/1.1 standard, which had a maximum data transfer rate of 12 Mbps. Note the black color coding on the end of the plug.
USB 3.0, also known as USB 3.2 Gen 1, provides a significant speed boost over USB 2, with a maximum data transfer rate of up to 5 Gbps. This makes it ideal for high-speed devices and improved power management for charging. Note the blue color coding on the end of the plug.
USB 3.1, now referred to as USB 3.2 Gen 2, doubles the data transfer rate to 10 Gbps, offering high-speed data transfer and backward compatibility with older devices. USB 3.2 introduces further variations, such as USB 3.2 Gen 2×2, which provides a maximum data transfer rate of 20 Gbps.
The naming scheme for USB versions has been updated several times, causing some confusion.
USB-C is a widely adopted plug, notable for its reversible design that allows it to be inserted in any orientation, and can used to connect devices, such as laptops, smartphones, tablets, and cameras. USB-C supports different USB standards, providing data transfer capabilities that range from 5 Gbps (USB 3.2 Gen 1, formerly USB 3.1 Gen 1) to 10 Gbps (USB 3.2 Gen 2, formerly USB 3.1 Gen 2), and even up to 20 Gbps with USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 by utilizing two lanes of 10 Gbps each. This makes them ideal for connecting external storage devices and facilitating high speed data transfers. Additionally, USB-C can serve as a power delivery interface, enabling not only data transfer but also charging of devices, with the potential to deliver up to 100W of power. This versatility makes USB-C a prevalent choice across a myriad of electronic devices.
Intel and Apple developed Thunderbolt to combine data, video, audio, and power in a single connection, commonly used to connect high-speed external devices, external GPUs, and ultra-high-resolution displays to a computer. This makes it ideal for video editing, audio production, and other content creation.
Thunderbolt 1 and 2 use a Mini DisplayPort connector
Thunderbolt 3 and 4 use a USB-C connector and offers a data transfer rate of up to 40 Gbps
Ethernet 802.3 is a common technology used for local area networking (LAN) to allow devices to communicate with each other. Ethernet cables, often terminated with RJ45 connectors, are used to connect various devices, such as computers, servers, routers, and switches.
VGA is an older analog video connector that was once used to connect computer monitors and projectors. It can support resolutions of up to 2048×1536 pixels, It’s essential to note that VGA transmits only video signals and does not carry audio. Due to its analog nature, VGA has become less common in modern computing environments, where digital connections such as DVI and HDMI have taken precedence.
DVI (Digital Video Interface) is used in various applications, primarily for video connections between computers and displays. While DVI has become less common in recent years due to the prevalence of newer interfaces such as HDMI and DisplayPort, it is still found in specific situations and devices.
DVI connectors come in several variations:
DVI-I (Integrated) ports can transmit both digital and analog signals, offering versatility for connecting to a range of displays. They come in dual-link and single-link variants, supporting resolutions of up to 1920×1200 pixels (single link) or 2560×1600 pixels (dual link).
DVI-D (Digital) ports exclusively carry digital signals, making them ideal for modern digital displays. Like DVI-I, they are available in both dual-link and single-link versions and support resolutions of up to 1920×1200 pixels (single link) or 2560×1600 pixels (dual link).
DVI-A (Analog) is an analog-only format, suitable for displays that rely on analog signals. It supports resolutions of up to 1920×1200 pixels.
HDMI has become the standard for high-definition audio and video connectivity. It’s widely used to connect devices such as HDTVs, computer monitors, projectors, gaming consoles, and home theater systems. HDMI supports high-resolution video, including 4K and even 8K, and also carries high-quality digital audio, making it an all-in-one solution for multimedia connectivity. Here below, are the standard, mini and micro hdmi plugs.
There are several versions of HDMI. For instance, HDMI 2.0 supports 4K video at 60Hz, while HDMI 2.1 can handle 8K video at 60Hz or 4K video at 120Hz.
DisplayPort is a digital display interface commonly used for connecting computer monitors. It was developed to provide high-quality audio and video transmission. DisplayPort supports high-definition video and audio. It can carry video signals with resolutions ranging from Full HD (1080p) to 4K, and 8K. Additionally, DisplayPort can transmit multi-channel audio signals, including support for surround sound formats such as Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio. DisplayPort plugs come in standard-sized DisplayPort and Mini DisplayPort as shown below.
These plugs, often referred to as “quarter-inch jacks,” are commonly found in professional audio equipment. They can carry mono or stereo audio signals, making them suitable for connecting musical instruments such as guitars, audio recording equipment, and amplifiers.
Also known as a “mini-jack” or “headphone jack,” is widely used for connecting speakers, headphones, microphones, and other audio peripherals to a variety of devices, including computers, laptops, tablets, smartphones, and MP3 players. These connectors transmit analog audio signals for sound output and input.
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10.99Computer hardware with all its technical jargon can be baffling, even for the moderately experienced user. This book cuts through the jargon to show that computer hardware isn’t so complicated after all and can be easily understood by anyone.
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