Understanding USB and Video Ports and Connectors: A Practical Guide
A traditional desktop computer is pretty much worthless without being connected to a keyboard and monitor. Most modern applications also want a mouse. Even laptops — and pretty much all modern electronics — require at least one type of connection. They all need power, and most of them get it through a charger.
Understanding ports and connectors will help you ensure compatibility, troubleshoot problems, and upgrade wisely. A port is the opening on a device — like a socket on your laptop. A connector is the plug at the end of a cable that fits into the port. In other words, ports receive, and connectors insert. Understanding both is key to making sure your hardware works together. I’m going to walk you through the common modern ports, the connectors you’re likely to see, and some of the ones we still find on older systems. This is a pretty comprehensive topic, so I’m not going to try and cover it all in one post.
USB – The Ubiquitous Standard in Ports and Connectors
Universal Serial Bus (USB) connectors are the easiest to use — the “universal” in the name is no accident. There are two key designators: form factor and version. The form factor refers to the shape of the connector, and the version tells us about the capabilities of the connection, mostly speed and power. First, we’ll look at the versions, then the form factors — and how the two work together.
Versions
The table below gives an overview of the versions and the capabilities of each.
| USB 1.1 | 12 Mbps – used for basic peripherals |
| USB 2.0 | 480 Mbp – widely used, backward compatible |
| USB 3.0 | 5 Gbps – newer transfer lanes, more power |
| USB 3.1 Gen 2 | 10 Gbps – improved encoding |
| USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 | 20 Gbps – dual lane support |
| USB 4 | 40 Gbps – Thunderbolt 3 compatible |
Form Factors
USB-A is the classic rectangular connector we see everywhere. USB-A supports versions 1.1 through 3.2.
USB-B is used mostly with printers, but some external drives use it. It supports versions 1.1 through 3.2, with different shapes beginning with version 3.
USB-C is the racetrack-shape, used with many modern devices. USB supports power, video, and data. The newest of the group, supports versions 2 through 4.
Mini-USB was used with older portable devices and supports version 2.0.
Micro-USB, once the most common charger for earbuds and small devices, supports versions 2.0 and 3.0.
My first digital camera, which I got for Christmas in 2001, had a USB-A connector at one end and an even smaller version of the Mini-USB connector at the camera end.
Video Connectors
VGA (Video Graphics Array) is the oldest video connector you’re likely to encounter. It has a trapezoid shape with 15 pins and a surrounding brass enclosure. Because VGA is analog-only, it struggles with high resolutions and image clarity. Video may appear choppy or distorted. Modern computers don’t have VGA ports, but some of their port replicators may accommodate them. I bought my laptop at the end of 2018, and that’s the case with it. I have a mid-range monitor that has a VGA port, as well as ports for all the other connectors I’m about to mention. VGA can typically work with a screen resolution of 1920 x 1200, but the quality is often poor.
DVI improved image sharpness at 1920×1200 and could handle resolutions up to 2560×1600. I say “worked,” but DVI is still in use on some systems today. They’re a rectangular connector with a bunch of pins and a flat piece in among the pins. As desktop computers adopted dual monitor setups, DVI became the most common connector — especially on graphics cards made for that purpose. It’s not that VGA “can’t” support multiple monitors, but DVI made it better. Still, they’re also fading from use.
DisplayPort connectors are a flat rectangle with a corner chopped off. They’re full-digital connectors, and they’re capable of transmitting audio as well as video, although conversion to a different format requires an adapter. With DisplayPort, you can get 4k – 8k screen resolutions, but not all applications are compatible with a resolution like that. They were sort of the transition between DVI and HDMI, and it’s not uncommon to see computers using adapters that make a DVI connector fit in a DisplayPort port, and vice versa, and it’s also not uncommon to see adapters that let DisplayPort and HDMI play nice.
Speaking of HDMI, that’s where we stand today. Both DisplayPort and HDMI are “hot plug” supported. The VGA and DVI typically require a shutdown and boot up to recognize new connections. Hot plug means you can connect devices while everything is running — and they’ll usually just work. If you’re using multiple displays, the system won’t anticipate what you want for a setup, but you’ll at least be able to see the display so you can configure it.
That’s where we’re going to land the plane today, because there’s a lot to cover when we talk about connectors. Feel free to drop a comment below the Related Posts bar, but there’s a lot more to come on this topic.
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