IO Port Cards Archive

The Parallel port, or as you may know it the “printer port,” was in use with computers as early as 1981. The port remained in use all the way until 1996 when it was superseded by the USB standard. If you were using computers in the 90s, you’ll quickly recognize its massive 25 pin socket. The port was widely used as it was very inexpensive …

Wireless adapters aren’t just routers, shoved inside of desktop computers. They’re a means of extending your wireless network to a broader area, of affecting control over your network, and expanding network reception. With the right adapter, your options can remain wide open. Some wireless adapters ask you to choose between convenience and efficiency, but more often than not, you can have both. Choosing the Right …

If you’re looking to expand the capabilities of your computer, RAID is a very powerful platform that can be utilized. There are three main benefits to using a RAID system. First, you’ll be able to add and maintain more storage space. Second, you can improve the performance of your hard drives or solid state disks well beyond what’s possible with a single disk system. Lastly, …

For getting the fastest USB speeds out there, older USB ports aren’t going to cut it. Most peripherals are probably pretty well served by simple USB 3.0 connections. Keyboards, mice, and similar devices don’t exactly need to make use of the higher bandwidth potential of new-age USB formats. But some devices really do depend on the higher bandwidth potential of USB 3.1 and beyond. That’s …

Very few interfaces have the rich, varied history of the serial port. They get there name from the way they transfer data. Just a single bit at a time, in a series. Serial technology laid the foundation for our modern communication protocols. USB stands for Universal Serial Bus. SATA stands for Serial ATA, which stands for Serial AT Attachment, which (strangely enough) stands for Serial …