WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.540 The back of most PCs is this huge festival of different ports and connectors, and we 00:00:05.540 --> 00:00:09.880 just realized we've never done an episode explaining what they all are. 00:00:09.880 --> 00:00:14.040 Which is honestly kind of wild, because some of these are pretty nostalgia inducing at 00:00:14.040 --> 00:00:18.180 this point. Now let's start out with these multicolored connectors. 00:00:18.180 --> 00:00:21.240 These are all for audio, so why are there so many? 00:00:21.240 --> 00:00:26.440 Well, a typical pair of PC speakers will plug in to that green port, with the pink one being 00:00:26.440 --> 00:00:31.520 for a microphone, and the blue one being a line in if you want to connect an input device 00:00:31.520 --> 00:00:34.560 that's not a microphone. Is that clear? 00:00:34.560 --> 00:00:38.680 No microphones. Some PCs will have three additional ports. 00:00:38.680 --> 00:00:43.480 One for a center speaker or subwoofer, one for side speakers, and one for rear speakers 00:00:43.480 --> 00:00:48.200 if you have a more traditional surround sound setup that doesn't use a digital connection. 00:00:48.200 --> 00:00:52.720 But if you do have something like an external AV receiver or an external DAC that bypasses 00:00:52.720 --> 00:00:56.760 your computer's built-in sound processing, you can connect those here. 00:00:56.760 --> 00:01:01.480 It's called a Toslink connector, and it uses an optical signal, hence why you can often 00:01:01.480 --> 00:01:05.680 see light shining out of it. Next, let's talk networking. 00:01:05.680 --> 00:01:10.880 This guy is an Ethernet port, which on most modern systems supports a connection of at 00:01:10.880 --> 00:01:16.680 least 1 gigabit per second. You'll typically use this port to connect to your router and get on the internet, and 00:01:16.680 --> 00:01:20.840 it's also usually the only port to have indicator lights on it. 00:01:20.840 --> 00:01:24.720 What those lights mean depends on the model, but it's fairly common for one light to 00:01:24.720 --> 00:01:30.160 indicate activity and another to indicate link speed. So check your manual for the juicy details. 00:01:30.160 --> 00:01:35.400 And these two screw-in connectors on some systems are for your Wi-Fi antennas. 00:01:35.400 --> 00:01:39.200 Some desktops and motherboards include these, so you don't have to depend on having a 00:01:39.200 --> 00:01:45.600 router or an Ethernet wall jack nearby. Just screw the antenna in, and you should be good to go, although you may need to install 00:01:45.600 --> 00:01:52.020 a driver afterwards. Let's move on and talk about an older port that's still somewhat common on modern systems. 00:01:52.020 --> 00:01:57.400 This guy is called a PS2 port, and was what most of us used to connect keyboards and mice 00:01:57.400 --> 00:02:04.520 before USB came along. Older systems often had a purple port for keyboards and a green port for mice, but modern 00:02:04.520 --> 00:02:09.240 systems that still feature PS2 often combine them into one port, where you can plug in 00:02:09.240 --> 00:02:15.120 either device. Now, there isn't too much reason to use PS2 these days on your home PC, but it can at 00:02:15.120 --> 00:02:22.760 least free up a USB port for other devices. USB has been around since the 90s, and was developed to be a many things in one kind 00:02:22.760 --> 00:02:25.800 of port. And it's largely succeeded at this. 00:02:25.800 --> 00:02:29.880 If you're plugging in something other than a monitor, analog audio equipment, or an 00:02:29.880 --> 00:02:33.900 Ethernet cable, there's a very good chance you're using USB. 00:02:33.900 --> 00:02:38.180 You can connect things like printers, webcams, keyboards, mice, streaming accessories, and 00:02:38.180 --> 00:02:44.200 even miniature Christmas trees over USB, but do keep in mind that all USB ports are 00:02:44.200 --> 00:02:51.320 not the same. A modern desktop PC might have USB ports that support various data transfer rates, different 00:02:51.320 --> 00:02:55.640 charging speeds, or other features like updating your computer's firmware without booting 00:02:55.640 --> 00:02:58.960 it up. These features will often be color coded. 00:02:58.960 --> 00:03:04.840 For example, USB 3 ports that support 5 gigabit per second speeds are often blue, but again, 00:03:04.840 --> 00:03:08.960 check your PC's or motherboard's manual to figure out exactly what's what, especially 00:03:08.960 --> 00:03:12.040 as there isn't always consistency between manufacturers. 00:03:12.040 --> 00:03:19.440 In some companies, even just make all their USB ports the same color for a signature look. 00:03:19.440 --> 00:03:25.480 PCs are also increasingly coming with these USB Type-C ports, allowing you to use newer 00:03:25.480 --> 00:03:30.440 USB-C cables. And on laptops, they're often used for charging as well. 00:03:30.440 --> 00:03:35.640 Some USB-C ports also support the Thunderbolt protocol, which enables specialized applications 00:03:35.640 --> 00:03:42.000 like connecting external graphics cards. Now let's wrap things up by talking about monitor connections. 00:03:42.000 --> 00:03:46.000 Screen systems typically come with one or both of these ports. 00:03:46.000 --> 00:03:52.320 This one is simply called DisplayPort, and this other, more symmetrical one is HDMI, 00:03:52.320 --> 00:03:58.940 you know, just like you probably have on your TV. There are some small differences between the two ports, but for most typical use cases, 00:03:58.940 --> 00:04:05.800 you can just use whichever one your monitor supports. They also both carry audio signals, allowing you to use your monitors built in speakers 00:04:05.800 --> 00:04:09.160 or an external receiver if you so desire. 00:04:09.160 --> 00:04:12.960 And that's everything you'll usually find on the back of a modern PC. 00:04:12.960 --> 00:04:17.360 But if you want to know more about some of the ports that USB replaced not so long ago, 00:04:17.360 --> 00:04:22.160 and that you can actually still find on some modern systems, such as VGA and DVI, go check 00:04:22.160 --> 00:04:28.000 out this video next. Thanks for watching guys! Like the video if you liked it, dislike it if you disliked it, check out our other videos, 00:04:28.000 --> 00:04:31.520 comment below with video suggestions, and don't forget to subscribe and follow!