Laptops have plenty of ports that serve a wide range of purposes and devices. Do you know them well, along with the symbols printed around them? In this article, I'll help you identify them more easily.
These ports usually sit along the sides or the back of a laptop, and depending on the model, they may also be found on an expansion docking station. Ports extend what a machine can do and handle its main job: connecting input devices, external drives, networks, and more. Understanding them will help you make a smarter decision when you shop for a laptop that fits the way you use it.
Audio Jack
The 3.5 mm audio port, also known as the headphone jack, is the most common audio port on modern laptops. Handling both audio input and output, it also lets you connect wired headphones and speakers. Some older laptops have two separate jacks for the microphone and audio, but current models use a single combo jack for both functions.
Some laptop makers have dropped the audio jack on recent generations. If you come across a machine like that, you'll need a wireless USB dongle to connect wireless headphones and speakers. Otherwise you'll need to connect over Bluetooth if your audio device supports it, and many wired headsets work over USB instead of a 3.5 mm jack.
If you only have 3.5 mm headphones but your laptop has no 3.5 mm jack, a USB or USB Type-C to 3.5 mm adapter is what you need.
DisplayPort/mini DisplayPort
DisplayPort is a digital display connection used to send video and audio from a laptop to an external monitor. DisplayPort connections are found on some TVs, PCs, and computer monitors.
DisplayPort was originally designed to replace the VGA and DVI connections between computers and monitors, and it has gradually become the most advanced display connection on laptops to date.
The latest version is DisplayPort 2.0, released in 2019, with bandwidth of up to 77.37 Gbps. Unlike other connections, DisplayPort lets multiple monitors run from a single connection.
DisplayPort also supports both AMD FreeSync and NVIDIA G-SYNC, which allow "tear-free gaming" (naturally, your monitor has to support these technologies too). With each revision, DisplayPort has improved in data rate as well as in the resolutions and refresh rates it can handle.
DisplayPort 1.2: Supports resolutions up to 4K at 60 Hz.
DisplayPort 1.3: Supports resolutions up to 4K at 120 Hz or 8K at 30 Hz.
DisplayPort 1.4: Supports resolutions up to 8K at 60 Hz and supports HDR.
DisplayPort 2.0: Supports 16K resolution (with HDR) at 60 Hz and 10K resolution (without HDR) at 80 Hz.Most laptops today use mini DisplayPort or use a USB Type-C port to carry the DisplayPort signal. Unlike standard DisplayPort ports, mini DisplayPort ports need a multi-stream transport (MST) hub to output to multiple monitors.
DVI - Digital Visual Interface
DVI (Digital Visual Interface) is used to connect a video source, such as a laptop, to a display. It was developed in the late 1990s to replace analog VGA technology with lossless digital video.
Although it is not a common port on modern laptops, it can still be found on many monitors with Full HD resolution or lower. A single DVI connection can output UXGA resolution of 1920 × 1200 at 60 Hz, and a dual-link DVI connection is needed to output higher resolutions.
DVI is often the best option for sending video from a laptop to computer monitors that lack HDMI or DisplayPort connections. One thing to keep in mind, though, is that DVI carries only a video signal and cannot output audio. If your laptop has no DVI port but you want to connect to an external monitor over DVI, you'll need an HDMI-to-DVI or DisplayPort-to-DVI cable.
Ethernet
An Ethernet port lets your laptop connect directly to a wired network. It is less common on laptops today because Wi-Fi has become so widespread, and because manufacturers are aiming for thinner, lighter machines. Still, using a LAN cable with an Ethernet port remains the best way to get a high-speed Internet connection with minimal latency. In areas with a weak wireless signal, Ethernet lets you work around the problem with a direct cable.
Today Ethernet is often called Gigabit Ethernet, meaning the connection speed is rated at 1 Gbps or higher. Ethernet connections are rated by Category (Cat), and the latest Cat 8 standard allows speeds of up to 40 Gbps while remaining backward compatible with older Category types.
Many newer, thinner laptop models no longer have an Ethernet port, but you can still find one on business laptops. If your laptop has no built-in Ethernet port, you can buy a USB-to-Ethernet adapter or a docking station.
HDMI
HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) is the most common way to connect a laptop to a computer monitor or a home entertainment device. Many TVs and projectors also have an HDMI port, and an HDMI connection can carry both high-definition video and digital audio from your laptop to an external display.
Over the years, several versions of HDMI have been released, and although their capabilities differ, the physical ports themselves have stayed the same across versions. The latest version is HDMI 2.1, released in 2017, which delivers a data rate of 48 Gbps and supports 4K resolution at a 120 Hz refresh rate or 8K at 60 Hz.
HDMI 2.1 is also backward compatible, which means it can be used with the HDMI ports on older devices that lack the new 2.1 features.
Because HDMI is so widely used, plenty of adapters are available for connecting HDMI to other ports, such as DVI and USB Type-C. HDMI cannot output to multiple monitors from a single port, and some laptops are now sold with a mini HDMI port, which means you'll need an adapter if you want to use it with standard HDMI.
Kensington Lock Slot
Also known as a K-lock or K-slot, the Kensington Lock Slot is a small, usually rectangular hole that is easy to spot on a laptop and is used to attach a physical security lock to your device. Kensington lock slots have been built into laptops since 2000. Depending on the model, the slot may be on the side or the back of your laptop.
Although many laptops have a built-in Kensington lock slot, they rarely come with a cable lock. With a compatible cable lock inserted into the slot, the other end of the cable can be attached to a secure fixture, which keeps the laptop in place and guards against theft. The slot is usually marked with a small padlock symbol next to it.
SD Card Reader
An SD card slot is mainly used to read memory cards from digital cameras. SD cards can be hot-plugged and hot-swapped, meaning you can insert and remove them without restarting your laptop. Data transfer speeds vary widely and also depend on which type of SD card the reader supports.
In theory, a UHS-III SD card can transfer data at up to 624 MBps, but if your SD reader only supports the earlier UHS-I version, you will only be able to transfer your data at the UHS-I maximum of 104 MBps.
SD card readers are not available on every laptop line, because laptops keep getting thinner and the SD card reader is gradually being phased out. Still, you can find an SD Card Reader slot on laptops built for photo and video editing. If your laptop has no SD card slot, you can also buy a USB adapter.
microSD Card Reader
The microSD card and card reader were introduced by SanDisk in 2005 to accommodate the smaller memory cards used in mobile phones. Like the SD card reader, a microSD card reader is used to read small memory cards, most often used as external storage on smartphones. microSD cards can also be hot-plugged and hot-swapped, just like the larger SD cards.
Laptops with limited built-in storage, such as some Chromebook models, sometimes use microSD cards for extra capacity. Every year, the capacity of SD and microSD cards increases, and the largest available today is 1.5 TB.
A microSD card is electrically compatible with a full-size SD card, and with the help of a simple adapter, it can be used on a laptop. If your laptop has neither a microSD card reader nor an SD card reader, you can use a card reader that connects through a USB port.
USB
USB (Universal Serial Bus) is the most common expansion port on laptops today and has been around since 1996. It is usually rectangular and connects to countless peripherals such as keyboards, mice, printers, and external hard drives. USB ports come in several types, and each has its own functions and characteristics.
USB Type-A is the original 4-pin connector and is distinguished by generation. Each later generation improved both power management and data transfer speed, and all newer generations are backward compatible with older ones.
USB 2.0 is usually identified by a black or gray port and delivers data transfer speeds of up to 480 Mbps.
USB 3.0 (also called USB 3.1 Gen 1) usually has blue or teal ports and can reach a theoretical maximum transfer speed of 5 Gbps, 10 times faster than USB 2.0.
The latest standard for USB Type-A ports is USB 3.1 Gen 2. It looks like USB 3.1 Gen 1 but offers a significantly higher data transfer speed, up to 10 Gbps.
Unlike Type-A, USB Type-B ports and connectors are square. They are not often found on laptops, but many printers, scanners, docks, and hubs use them as input ports. Although adapters are available, most USB Type-B cables already come with a USB Type-B connector on one end and USB Type-A on the other.
USB Type-C
The USB Type-C port is the new standard connector adopted by most modern laptops and devices, and it deserves its own spot on this list because of its unique functionality. Because it takes up so little space, a USB Type-C port fits on most of the ultra-thin laptops being made today. It is also compatible with Thunderbolt and other connection types, which gives it many advantages over the other USB types.
Unlike the rectangular Type-A with its 4-pin connection, USB Type-C comes with a 24-pin connector, which lets it support higher current and faster transfer speeds. The higher current handling allows devices to charge in less time when connected over Type-C, delivering up to 100 W of power.
In addition, Type-C devices can support the USB 3.1 Gen 2 transfer speed of 5 Gbps, and if the port doubles as a Thunderbolt port (identified by a lightning bolt symbol next to it), a Type-C connection can even reach blazing speeds of up to 40 Gbps. It can also carry a DisplayPort video signal if it is equipped with alt-mode.
When you use an adapter to connect USB Type-C to other USB types, and those connections are backward compatible, they reduce the functionality and transfer speed between the USB types. As a result, the device will run at the top speed of the lower standard.
Micro-USB
You may not see a micro-USB port on a laptop, but they can still be found on many peripherals and accessories.
Micro-USB is commonly used for smartphones, low-power tablets such as Amazon Kindles, some external hard drives, and other electronics. They usually support USB 2.0 speeds of up to 480 Mbps, though some support USB 3.0, and micro-USB connections can be used interchangeably on both ends. A USB Type-A or Type-C to micro-USB adapter will be necessary if you want to connect a supported device to a laptop that has no micro-USB port.
Thunderbolt
The Thunderbolt port is the fastest connection available on the market, combining PCIe, DisplayPort, serial signals, and DC power entirely in one port. This allows a Thunderbolt connection to be used for many different purposes, from connecting peripherals to charging a laptop. A Thunderbolt port can usually be identified by a small lightning bolt symbol next to it.
The latest versions, Thunderbolt 3 and Thunderbolt 4, can transfer data at a blazing 40 Gbps, 4 times faster than USB 3.1 Gen 2. Even older versions are quick, with the original Thunderbolt reaching 10 Gbps and Thunderbolt 2 reaching 20 Gbps.
A single Thunderbolt 3 or 4 connection can output to two 4K monitors at once thanks to dual DisplayPort signals, and some newer graphics cards even come with a Thunderbolt port, allowing them to connect to a laptop for high-end gaming.
From Thunderbolt 3 onward, the connector is USB Type-C, while the original Thunderbolt and Thunderbolt 2 ports use a mini DisplayPort connector, so you'll need an adapter if you want to plug older Thunderbolt devices into Thunderbolt 3 or later.
VGA
The VGA (Video Graphics Array) port dates back to 1987 and was the main interface between computers and older CRT monitors, and even more modern projectors. Because it is an analog signal, VGA is prone to signal degradation over long cable runs and supports only low resolutions, which falls short of today's higher demands.
Because the 15-pin VGA port is large and digital video has become more widely used, these ports are almost completely being phased out. Laptop makers today are building thinner models and using HDMI or DisplayPort connections in place of VGA. Although you can't convert VGA to any other display standard (HDMI, DVI, DisplayPort), you can convert those standards to VGA (at reduced quality) using the appropriate cable or adapter.
Source: Tinhte.vn
