What Is a Slot?

A slot is a narrow opening or groove in something. It is a common way to send or receive mail. It also means to get an assignment. A chief copy editor resides in a slot at a newspaper. An airport has slots for the authorized flight to land. You can get an appointment in a slot at a post office. Then, you can sit and wait for your turn in a mail slot. A slot allows other planes to arrive and depart at the same time.

A slot connects the processor to the motherboard. The original slot was created in 1997 by the Intel Corporation. In 1999, AMD released a version of the slot called Slot A. This was compatible with the original Slot 1. In the following year, Intel released the Slot 2, a larger one which was used with Pentium II processors. Today, you can no longer purchase a computer with a single slot; instead, you can use a socket.

A computer with one expansion slot is called an “expansion” or a “slot”. A slot allows for an additional expansion card or other hardware to fit into the motherboard. An expansion card can add more specialized capability to a computer. Most new desktop computers are equipped with a set of expansion slots, which ensures you can add new hardware in the future. A memory slot can hold two or more memory cards. There are also a variety of other types of slots that can accommodate memory and other hardware devices.