Identify Your Expansion Slots - Matrox DigiSuite Installation Manual

Identify your expansion slots

All DigiSuite cards are installed in your computer's expansion slots. Most
PCI-bus computers currently manufactured have a combination of PCI
slots and, for example, ISA slots. Usually, the PCI slots are made with a
plastic of a contrasting color (generally white) and are shorter than the
ISA slots in your system.
While some computer motherboards have numbered slots, these do not
follow any standard industry convention. For example, one computer
may have 3 PCI slots and 4 ISA, whereas another may have 4 PCI slots
and 3 ISA slots, and so on.
With this in mind, we've developed a numbering scheme for identifying
each slot position. Since all PCI-based systems have two types of slots,
there is always one PCI slot bordering the other type (usually ISA). We
start counting outwards from this "border" in each direction for each
type.
In the following diagram, there are three PCI slots referred to as P1, P2,
and P3. There are also four ISA slots, I1 to I4.
PCI Slots
ISA Slots
It's important to note that the two "border slots"—those that are next to
the other type—are considered "shared" slots. As such, only one of the
two may be used at a time. For the sake of consistency, all DigiSuite
systems will use slot P1, the first PCI slot from the center. Thus, the first
ISA slot, I1, is unusable in DigiSuite systems.
In "Determine your DigiSuite card set order" on page
diagrams showing suggested card placement in your computer system.
Please pay careful attention to the slot positions recommended for each
card in the combination you'll be installing.
Back of computer
Identify your expansion slots
Slot P3
Slot P2
Slot P1
Slot I1 (unusable)
Slot I2
Slot I3
Slot I4
13, you'll find
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