laajennuskorteja

Laajennuskortti, or expansion card, is a printed circuit board that can be inserted into an expansion slot on a computer's motherboard to add new functionality. These cards allow users to upgrade or customize their computers without needing to replace the entire motherboard or system. Common examples of expansion cards include graphics cards, sound cards, network interface cards, and USB expansion cards.

Graphics cards are perhaps the most well-known type, responsible for processing and outputting video signals to a display. Sound cards provide audio input and output capabilities, often offering superior sound quality compared to integrated motherboard audio. Network interface cards, or NICs, enable a computer to connect to a network, whether it's a local area network (LAN) or the internet, via Ethernet or Wi-Fi. USB expansion cards add more Universal Serial Bus ports, allowing for the connection of a greater number of peripherals.

Other less common expansion cards include capture cards for recording video and TV tuner cards for receiving television signals. The types of expansion slots available on a motherboard, such as PCIe (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express) and older PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) or AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port), dictate the types of expansion cards that can be used. The primary benefit of expansion cards is their modularity, offering a cost-effective way to enhance a computer's capabilities.