What are Risers in Computer Hardware?

In the context of computer hardware, a riser is a card or board that provides connectivity for multiple components, such as peripherals, expansion cards, or daughterboards. The term "riser" refers to the fact that these components are mounted on a raised platform or frame, which allows them to be positioned at a higher level than the main circuit board or motherboard.

Risers are commonly used in servers, workstations, and high-performance computing systems to provide additional expansion slots or connectivity options. They can also be found in gaming PCs and other systems that require multiple peripherals or expansion cards.

Some common types of risers include:

1. PCIe risers: These are used to connect PCIe expansion cards to the motherboard. They typically have a series of slots or sockets that allow the cards to be mounted at different heights.
2. I/O risers: These provide connectivity for peripherals such as USB, SATA, and Ethernet ports. They can be mounted directly to the motherboard or connected to a PCIe riser.
3. GPU risers: These are designed specifically for graphics cards and provide additional cooling and power delivery options.
4. CPU risers: These raise the CPU socket off the main circuit board and provide additional cooling and overclocking options.

Overall, risers provide a flexible and scalable way to expand the capabilities of a computer system by allowing multiple components to be mounted at different heights and connected to different parts of the system.