• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Hardware Secrets

Hardware Secrets

Uncomplicating the complicated

  • Case
  • Cooling
  • Memory
  • Mobile
    • Laptops
    • Smartphones
    • Tablets
  • Motherboard
  • Networking
  • Other
    • Audio
    • Cameras
    • Consumer Electronics
    • Desktops
    • Museum
    • Software
    • Tradeshows & Events
  • Peripherals
    • Headset
    • Keyboard
    • Mouse
    • Printers
  • Power
  • Storage
Home » AMR, CNR and ACR slots

AMR, CNR and ACR slots

[nextpage title=”Introduction”]

AMR (Audio Modem Riser), CNR (Communications and Network Riser) and ACR (Advanced Communications Riser) are slots that you can find on your motherboard that have the same goal: to install HSP (Host Signal Processing) devices to your PC. These devices can be modems, sound cards and network cards.

HSP devices lack self-control, it is the computer CPU that controls the device. As a result, the device is fairly cheap, because it doesn’t have any fancy circuitry. But, on the other hand, the PC loses a little bit of its performance, since the processor will waste a little bit of its time controlling the device. This kind of device is also commonly refered as “software-controlled” (e.g., “soft modems”).

Usually AMR, CNR and ACR devices are offered by the motherboard manufacturer as an option to the motherboard. For example, your motherboard can have a AMR modem as an option. You can also buy such devices on the market. An AMR modem costs USD 15 or less, but they are not so easy to find.

You will only find one of these slots at a time, i.e., if a motherboard has AMR slot, you won’t find a CNR nor an ACR slot on it.

Let’s take a look at the physical differences between these slots.

[nextpage title=”AMR (Audio Modem Riser)”]

The AMR slot can be found in the middle of the motherboard, besides the AGP slot.

AMR slotFigure 1: AMR slot location.

AMR slotFigure 2: Example of an AMR modem.

AMR slotFigure 3: AMR modem installed on the motherboard.

[nextpage title=”CNR (Communications and Network Riser)”]

The CNR slot is located on the side of the motherboard, near the last PCI slot. As you can see comparing Figures 1 and 4, AMR and CNR devices are a little bit different, event though the slots are very similar. Not only the edge connector (the part that goes into the slot) is different, the card has a different orientation. The side that has the I/O connectors on an AMR device is located to the left, and this side on a CNR device is located to the right.

CNR slotFigure 4: CNR slot location.

CNR modemFigure 5: Example of a CNR modem.

[nextpage title=”ACR (Advanced Communications Riser)”]

This slot was created by ASUS and you will find it only on motherboards from this manufacturer. Physically it is very different from AMR and CNR, because this slot is the same used by the PCI bus, but rotated 180 degrees. So, it is white (CNR and AMR are usually brown) and bigger than the previous slots we’ve seen. It is located at the same place as the CNR slot: at the motherboard side, besides the last PCI slot.

ACR slotFigure 6: ACR slot location.

ACR Audio CardFigure 7: Example of an ACR audio card.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

As a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, this site may earn from qualifying purchases. We may also earn commissions on purchases from other retail websites.

car service

Why Is Fleet Maintenance Important?

If you have a fleet of vehicles you use within your business, it’s crucial you keep up with their

Playing Fifa on Play station 4

Tips for Recycling Your Gaming Consoles and Devices

These days, it seems like almost everybody is gaming. As great as this is, it’s also creating a

Business planning

How to Develop Your Venture Capital Business

Venture Capital (VC) is a type of private equity investment in which investors provide funding to

Footer

For Performance

  • PCI Express 3.0 vs. 2.0: Is There a Gaming Performance Gain?
  • Does dual-channel memory make difference on integrated video performance?
  • Overclocking Pros and Cons
  • All Core i7 Models
  • Understanding RAM Timings

Everything you need to know

  • Everything You Need to Know About the Dual-, Triple-, and Quad-Channel Memory Architectures
  • What You Should Know About the SPDIF Connection (2022 Guide)
  • Everything You Need to Know About the Intel Virtualization Technology
  • Everything You Need to Know About the CPU Power Management

Copyright © 2023 · All rights reserved - Hardwaresecrets.com
About Us · Privacy Policy · Contact