Archive for December 2nd, 2009

USB Ports For Your Computer Components

There was a time when the old serial ports ruled the day when it came to connecting our computers to important computer components such as the mouse, keyboard, and printers. With today’s technology, however, the serial port has given way to the USB port, and almost every peripheral accessory is now designed to connect to your personal computer or laptop via USB access.

While laptop computers generally come with only two or three USB ports, desktop computers can come with as many as six – or more if you custom design the system yourself. Determining how many USB ports you need is really a matter of figuring out how you use your computer. If you use it primarily for document processing and internet/email access, two or three ports should suffice. If, on the other hand, you utilize your computer with a printer, scanner, webcam, speakers, and a host of peripheral computer components, a PC with six or more USB ports would better serve your needs.

In listing just a few of the computer components that rely upon USB technology to connect to your computer system, it is clear to see how prevalent the USB technology has become. Newer keyboard and mouse technology is almost exclusively geared toward USB, as are many of the newest printers. Printers, which were once connected solely through a PC’s parallel ports, have seen speed and performance improve dramatically since they began relying upon USB.

In addition, computer components like webcams, scanners, external hard drives, and USB flash drives all require USB ports to join your computer family. If you have a system that only provides two or three USB ports, you have several options – you can either switch the various computer components around as you need them, purchase an additional USB card for your motherboard, or utilize a USB hub that will offer up to four additional USB slots.

Article was written by Jeffrey Frasco. Visit Computer Knowledge For You for information about Basic Computer Components. Computer Knowledge For You also offers information about computer hardware, computer hardware articles, and a tutorial about how to build your own computer.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jeffrey_Frasco
http://EzineArticles.com/?USB-Ports-For-Your-Computer-Components&id=2942488