A bus is a computer component that allows information to flow between devices. The local bus connects devices inside the computer, and there are multiple architectures employed for it. The PCI-E local bus is the leading architecture for I/O control as of 2011.
A bus is a computer component, usually a slot attached to the motherboard, that allows information to flow between two or more devices. The local bus, also called the internal bus, is defined as the particular bus that allows connections and communication with the motherboard from devices inside the computer. Local devices include things like video card, sound card, and modem. There are multiple architectures employed for a local bus that have gradually evolved as computer technology has advanced. Most computers contain a number of buses to control input and output (I/O).
Legacy equipment and perhaps even some contemporary computers contain an industry standard architecture (ISA) bus, which may or may not have actual slots on the motherboard. ISA was the first architecture standard and is still sometimes used for compatibility with older or slower devices, such as mice and modems. EISA (Extended Industry Standard Architecture) buses have been around for a short time, but were quickly usurped by the following standards being discussed.
As computer performance needs increased and the industry moved from a character-based to a graphics-based system, new bus architectures were developed. The Video Electronic Standards Association (VESA) local bus, also known as VLB, was created in 1992. This standard increased the speed of communications and greatly improved video performance.
Developed and introduced in 1992, the Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) local bus quickly became the popular choice for internal buses. The PCI bus provided better information transfer using a burst mode and improved performance through bus mastering. The PCI standard has also facilitated the use of high bandwidth. The speed of this type of local bus can be set synchronously or asynchronously, which gives the user the ability to overclock the system to increase processes.
PCI buses cannot handle the extreme graphics demands of the modern computer age. Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) slots were intended to replace PCI slots. Some consider the AGP slot to be a port rather than a bus, as it only connects two devices, a video card and the motherboard. AGP didn’t hold onto the top slot for long, however, as peripheral component interconnect express (PCI-E) entered the ring to become the new standard.
The PCI-E local bus uses serial connections which are less prone to interference. Additionally, this standard allows for true two-way communication. These factors make PCI-E faster than its predecessors. The scalability and speed of this standard make it the leading local bus architecture for I/O control as of 2011.
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