Like other personal computers, the HP Pavilion dv6000 -- a series of mid-range 15.4-inch laptops that U.S. computer technology company Hewlett-Packard debuted in 2007 -- has expansion ports. They are best described as interfaces on a computer that accommodate a variety of components, thereby expanding the functionality of the overall device.
RAM
Each HP Pavilion dv6000 laptop has two dual inline memory module slots, which can be found on its motherboard and accommodate the computer's random-access memory modules. Depending on the specific model from the dv6000 family, the amount of memory installed on the computer ranges from 512 megabytes to 2 gigabytes. However, the DIMM slots of the dv6000 are capable of holding up to 4MB of RAM.
Video/Graphics
For its video and graphics capabilities, the HP Pavilion dv6000 uses a motherboard-integrated graphics processor called Intel Graphics Media Accelerator, which uses some of the computer's RAM. However, you have the choice of buying a more powerful component called a discrete graphics card, which has its own memory. An expansion port called Peripheral Component Interconnect Express, or PCI-E, is available on the same motherboard for the card's installation.
Expansion Port 3
At the back of each HP Pavilion dv6000 is a connector called Expansion Port 3. It serves as HP's proprietary docking station connector. This means that you can connect a docking station, or port replicator, to the back of the PC. This is a device that increases the number of certain types of external interfaces on the computer; they include USB ports for data transfer, Video Graphics Array ports for external monitors, RJ-45 jacks for wired networking, and headphone and microphone jacks.
ExpressCard Slot
At the side of the HP Pavilion dv6000 is a slot for ExpressCards, which are interfaces that allow you to expand the computer with a variety of components such as graphics cards, wireless network interface cards, TV tuner cards and sound cards. The ExpressCard slot on the dv6000 accommodates two form factors: the ExpressCard/34 and the larger ExpressCard/54, which are each named after their width, measured in millimeters.
Tags: Pavilion dv6000, docking station, Expansion Port, interfaces computer, variety components