What is a PS/2 Keyboard/Mouse Combo port?

[DrewJKL]

I know you use it to connect the keyboard and mouse but is it different than a USB?
Why do MOBO have them? Is there a advantage using it compared to a USB?

 

[hunter315]

Motherboards occasionally have a PS/2 port to support legacy devices, there really isn't any reason to use a PS/2 mouse these days, but PS/2 keyboards can support N-Key Rollover while USB keyboards only have a limited number of simultaneous key presses they can support, that is about the only reason i can think of to use an PS/2 keyboard but its not a very common one

 

[noidea_77]

PS/2 is a very old sort of port. It came with the original IBM PC. You should use USB instead. Some mobos still have one PS/2 port, just in case you want to use an old keyboard or mouse. and that's a combo port, because it supports both.

 

[DrewJKL]

So I should not even use the port to connect my keyboard or mouse?

 

[noidea_77]

So I should not even use the port to connect my keyboard or mouse?

No. Use USB, if possible.

 

[JBnOhio]

Just to correct some bad info in this thread. The PS/2 connector did not come on the original IBM PC. It came on the IBM PS/2 computer which was short for Personal System/2 released in Apr 1987. It was intended to replace the PC (orig), XT and AT, thus being at least the 4th released IBM system. It is generally considered a flop because IBM tried to pull an Apple trick by keeping the hardware proprietary. The OS was called OS/2, was also a flop because it couldn't compete with DOS let alone the new Windows. The only good thing to come out of the PS/2 computer were the new style keyboard and mouse connectors.