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Legacy port

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A parallel port implemented as a PCI card. Users can use expansion cards to add deprecated legacy ports to newer computer systems that do not provide them.

In computing, a legacy port is a computer port or connector that is considered by some to be fully or partially superseded.[1] The replacement ports usually provide most of the functionality of the legacy ports with higher speeds, more compact design, or plug and play and hot swap capabilities for greater ease of use. Modern PC motherboards use separate Super I/O controllers to provide legacy ports, since current chipsets do not offer direct support for them. A category of computers called legacy-free PCs omits these ports, typically retaining only USB for external expansion.

USB adapters are often used to provide legacy ports if they are required on systems not equipped with them.

Common legacy ports

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Legacy portTypical appearanceTypical usesReplacement(s)
Centronics port, parallel portA parallel portPrinter,[2] scanner, removable mediaUSB, Wi-Fi, Ethernet
External parallel SCSIA parallel SCSI portRemovable mediaUSB, Thunderbolt, Serial Attached SCSI
AT connector / DINA device-side AT (DIN 41524) connectorKeyboardUSB
Serial port / RS-232An RS-232 serial portConsole, modem, mouse[2]
Game port / DA-15A DA-15 game portMIDI, gaming devices such as joysticks[2]
PS/2 port / 6-pin mini-DINA selection of mini-DIN F ports, in this example used for mouse and keyboardKeyboard, mouse[2][3][4]
Apple Desktop Bus / mini-DINLow speed external peripherals; such as keyboard, mouse, or joystick
LocalTalk / mini-DINOldWorld Macintosh printer and LANUSB, Wi-Fi, Ethernet
Bus Industry Standard Architecture (ISA)ISA ports on a motherboardConnect peripheral cards to motherboard[2]PCI, PCI Express
VGA / DE-15A DE-15 SVGA portDisplay connector[5]DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort
Parallel ATA[6]A parallel ATA port on a hard disk driveInternal hard drives, CD-ROMSerial ATA, M.2
Floppy drive connectorA floppy drive connector on a floppy disk driveFloppy drives, tape drivesUSB
IEEE 1394 (FireWire)Two firewire ports on a PCI expansion cardVideo devices, external storageUSB 3.0, Thunderbolt
Accelerated Graphics PortAn AGP port, with ruler for scaleGraphics cardPCI Express
PC CardA pair of PC card devices, showing the connectorLaptop storage cards, other peripheralsExpressCard, USB

See also

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References

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  1. ↑ definition of legacy from Oxford Dictionaries Online
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Archived White Papers". Microsoft.com. Retrieved 2013-12-21.
  3. ↑ Computing (2002-09-17). "Build It: Legacy Free PC". ExtremeTech. Retrieved 2013-12-21.[permanent dead link]
  4. ↑ Fisco, Richard (2005-03-22). "Top Ten Buying Tips - Desktop PCs: The Essential Consumer Buying Guide". PCMag.com. Archived from the original on 2013-12-24. Retrieved 2013-12-21.
  5. ↑ Archived June 11, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  6. ↑ "What Is PATA? (with picture)". Wisegeek.com. 2013-12-03. Retrieved 2013-12-21.
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