Article Number: 000132029
A Guide to the External Ports and Connectors on a Dell Computer
Summary: this article provides a visual guide to every port and connector currently used on a Dell PC.
Article Content
Symptoms
This article details the types of ports and connectors you may find on any computer that Dell currently ships or has shipped in the last 10 years. We also provide a guide to the color code convention for ports and connectors.
If you need additional assistance, contact Dell Technical Support.
Visual Guide to Ports and Connectors
These ports and connectors are each limited to one purpose: facilitating the flow of information into your computer. They are mostly found on older systems.
| Color Code | Port | Connector | Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green |  |
 |
PS2/Mouse |
| Purple |  |
 |
PS2/Keyboard |
| Gold |  |
 |
Game Port/Midi |
These ports and connectors are most commonly associated with audio and video output from your system to external displays or speakers.
| Color Code | Port | Connector | Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pink |  |
 |
Analog microphone audio input mono or stereo |
| Light blue |  |
 |
Analog line level audio input |
| Lime Green |  |
 |
Analog line level audio output for the main stereo signal front speakers or headphones |
| Black |  |
 |
Analog line level audio output for the surround speakers rear speakers |
| Silver |  |
 |
Analog line level audio output side speakers |
| Orange |  |
 |
Analog line level output center speaker/subwoofer |
| None |  |
 |
Universal Audio Jack (UAJ) TS - Mono sound from headphones |
| None |  |
 |
Universal Audio Jack (UAJ) TRS - Stereo sound from headphones |
| None |  |
 |
Universal Audio Jack (UAJ) TRRS - Stereo sound and Microphone |
Note: Dell systems have a feature that is called PowerShare. You can identify PowerShare ports by the symbol - a USB logo with a lighting bolt - found underneath the port. See the USB PowerShare Feature article for more information about this feature.
These ports and connectors allow devices to communicate with each other.
| Color Code | Port | Connector | Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| None |  |
 |
Power Desktop |
| None |  |
 |
Power Laptop |
| None |  |
 |
Universal Audio Jack (UAJ) Combo Connector |
| Black |  |
 |
USB 1.0 |
| White |  |
 |
USB 2.0 |
| Blue |  |
 |
USB 3.0 |
| None |  |
 |
USB 4-pin Micro |
| None |  |
 |
USB 5-pin Mini |
| None |  |
 |
USB A/B |
| None |  |
 |
USB Male to Female extension |
| None |  |
 |
USB 3.1 |
| None |  |
 |
USB Type-C |
| None |  |
 |
Thunderbolt Mini DisplayPort |
| None |  |
 |
Thunderbolt 2 Mini DisplayPort |
| None |  |
 |
Thunderbolt 3 Type-C |
| None |  |
 |
ESATA |
| None |  |
 |
ESATAp |
| Gray |  |
 |
Firewire IEEE 1394 / 6-pin |
| Gray |  |
 |
Firewire IEEE 1394 / 4-pin |
| Burgundy |  |
 |
Parallel Port |
| Teal/Turquoise |  |
 |
Serial Port |
| None |  |
 |
Ethernet LAN/NIC/RJ45 |
| None |  |
 |
Modem RJ11 |
These are the most common types of video port and connectors:
| Color Code | Port | Connector | Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow |  |
 |
SVideo Mini Din |
| Yellow |  |
 |
TV Aerial |
| Yellow |  |
 |
SCART |
| Yellow |  |
 |
RCA Composite |
| Blue |  |
 |
VGA |
| White |  |
 |
DMS59 |
| White |  |
 |
DVI-I single link |
| White |  |
 |
DVI-I dual link |
| White |  |
 |
DVI-D single link |
| White |  |
 |
DVI-D dual link |
| Blue/White |  |
 |
DVI-A VGA/DVI-I |
| Black |  |
 |
DisplayPort |
| Black |  |
 |
Display Port Mini DisplayPort |
| None |  |
 |
Thunderbolt Mini DisplayPort |
| None |  |
 |
Thunderbolt 2 Mini DisplayPort |
| None |  |
 |
Thunderbolt 3 Type-C |
| Black |  |
 |
HDMI Type-A |
| Black |  |
 |
HDMI Type-B |
| Black |  |
 |
HDMI Mini/Type-C |
| Black |  |
 |
HDMI Micro/Type-D |
| Black |  |
 |
HDMI Automotive/Type-E |
Resolution
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Article Properties
Affected Product
Desktops & All-in-Ones, Laptops, Inspiron, Latitude, Vostro, XPS, Servers, Fixed Workstations
Last Published Date
21 Feb 2021
Version
4
Article Type
Solution