Legacy motherboard expansion – Most Pentium II/Pentium III era motherboards commonly supported which slot types?

Introduction / Context:
During the Pentium II and Pentium III eras, motherboards evolved from legacy ISA toward PCI and the emerging AGP standard for graphics. Recognizing typical slot combinations is useful for maintenance and exam preparation.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Target timeframe: late 1990s to early 2000s (PII/PIII).
• Consumer/office ATX or similar motherboards.
• Common graphics interface of the time: AGP 1x/2x/4x.

Concept / Approach:

Many PII/PIII boards offered a mix of legacy ISA for older expansion cards, PCI for mainstream devices, and AGP for accelerated graphics. EISA was largely confined to servers/workstations earlier in the decade, and MCA was IBM-specific. VLB was prevalent in 486-era boards and disappeared by the PII timeframe.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check:

Motherboard manuals from that era show several PCI slots, one AGP slot, and one or two ISA slots. Retail listings and photos confirm this configuration.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

MCA is incompatible with standard PCs; EISA is rare in consumer boards; VLB predates PII/PIII and was phased out by PCI/AGP.

Common Pitfalls:

Confusing workstation/server boards with consumer boards; assuming ISA was already gone—many PIII boards still included one ISA slot for compatibility.

Final Answer:

ISA, PCI, and AGP.