Cable Question

[hexagram23]

I have a question about which cable I should get for my monitor/graphics card.

I don't know much about cables so please bear with me.

The input on my monitor is VGA, which I've been using, or DVI-D Dual Link.

The input on my graphics card (GeForce 8800 GTS) is DVI-I Dual Link.

I've been using a VGA cable to connect the monitor to the card....right now I have a DVI-I to VGA adapter on the card that let's me use the cable I've been using.

First off what would be the benefits of using a DVI cable? I mostly just use my monitor to play games and watch movies.

Secondly, am I correct in assuming I'd need a DVI-D to DVI-I cable to connect my monitor to my card? I've checked a few places and it seems sort of hard to find.

[Cephius]

Just continue using the DVI to VGA converter. Switching to a DVI cable is not worth it unless you happen to have one already.

[durst]

DVI runs a digital siginal to your flat panel, dvi-d cables dont have the 4 pins near the flat bladed part like a dvi-i cable does, im using a dvi-d cable on my pc but the card is dvi-i inputs.

You should be able to run a dvi-d cable to both and it should work ok, the only difference is the 4 pins near the flat blade, those 4 pins carry the analog signal, which really isnt needed seeing how its an older interface(dvi-i), dont pay a ton for a cable, im assuming you have a flat panel lcd as the monitor has a dvi input, a dvi-d cable without the 4 pins near the flat blade is what you need, i got this from wiki.

It is possible to connect a male DVI-D cable to a female DVI-I connector, Many flat panel LCD monitors have only the DVI-D connection so that a DVI-D male to DVI-D male cable will suffice when connecting the monitor to a computer's DVI-I female connector.

From my experiance(running dvi-d/dvi-d cable from monitor to video card) you shouldnt have any problems, digital connection will give a better, cleaner picture than vga.

Heres the wiki link, Digital Visual Interface - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, hope it helps, and hows it been going Hex havent seen you in ages lol.

Edit: and yeah if you dont have one laying around, i wouldnt pay to much for one if you decide to go that route.

[Norellicus]

It makes a pretty clear difference in picture quality to use a pure DVI connection; buying cables is a nonissue with sites like monoprice.com selling as long as 15' for less than 10 bucks.

VGA on a flatpanel is painful to look at.

[Cephius]

It makes a pretty clear difference in picture quality to use a pure DVI connection; buying cables is a nonissue with sites like monoprice.com selling as long as 15' for less than 10 bucks.

VGA on a flatpanel is painful to look at.

I have had flat panels side-by-side, one on VGA and the other on DVI and could not tell any difference in quality, so I'm not sure where this statement comes from.

[solsirt]

I have had flat panels side-by-side, one on VGA and the other on DVI and could not tell any difference in quality, so I'm not sure where this statement comes from.

I mean no offense to the poster above you...

but it's coming from the same marketing company that says you're getting an inferior product on your 19" LCD b/c it's not 1080p... the same company that says HDMI cables that cost less then $80 aren't shielded properly and will fry every component within a 20ft radius... the same group that says HDMI will with 100% certainty have a better picture quality then component cables... etc... etc... etc...

VGA can cause under/overscan on certain monitors, so people assume it's inferior instead of realizing that a 1:1 pixel ratio is what you're supposed to be seeing... even if it doesn't 'fill your screen'

[Isiolia]

A panel with good auto-adjustment over VGA will often be pretty much the same as using DVI.

The main advantage with DVI is that you never need to do the "auto ajust" to get that perfectly focused, aligned image.

Given the option, I'll take DVI every time. No point in spending much money on it if you already have a working setup though.

[Electro]

DVI is usually no more expensive than VGA. The main difference between the two is that VGA is a Analog signal while DVI is a digital signal. Also this would truly depend on the type of LCD Monitor that you have. While most will display a slightly sharper picture some will not due to them not being as good of a LCD. The only way to truly notice the quality would be if you placed two side by side. Most VGA connected monitors have to adjust and some can take a bit to auto adjust, while the DVI will do an automatic adjust in most cases and would offer a higher refresh rate. Some argue that the refresh rate is not noticeable. So all I am saying is I would use DVI (especially if doing dual monitors) personally due to the fact that it truly does not cost anymore. Even with the VGA-DVI adapter you still gain a slightly better quality. So in the end its truly up to you.

[Norellicus]

Guess I've never had a monitor with really good auto-adjusting then, because every monitor I've owned I can see a visible difference in texture crispness with DVI over VGA.

I have a critical eye though, I know lots of people who say they can't tell a difference between standard def and hi def tv channels besides the widescreen, but the difference is clear as day to me. Same with DVD vs BD (although this last one is far less pronounced and not generally worth the added expense of the BD). To each their own.

[hexagram23]

DVI runs a digital siginal to your flat panel, dvi-d cables dont have the 4 pins near the flat bladed part like a dvi-i cable does, im using a dvi-d cable on my pc but the card is dvi-i inputs.

You should be able to run a dvi-d cable to both and it should work ok, the only difference is the 4 pins near the flat blade, those 4 pins carry the analog signal, which really isnt needed seeing how its an older interface(dvi-i), dont pay a ton for a cable, im assuming you have a flat panel lcd as the monitor has a dvi input, a dvi-d cable without the 4 pins near the flat blade is what you need, i got this from wiki.

It is possible to connect a male DVI-D cable to a female DVI-I connector, Many flat panel LCD monitors have only the DVI-D connection so that a DVI-D male to DVI-D male cable will suffice when connecting the monitor to a computer's DVI-I female connector.

From my experiance(running dvi-d/dvi-d cable from monitor to video card) you shouldnt have any problems, digital connection will give a better, cleaner picture than vga.

Heres the wiki link, Digital Visual Interface - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, hope it helps, and hows it been going Hex havent seen you in ages lol.

Edit: and yeah if you dont have one laying around, i wouldnt pay to much for one if you decide to go that route.

Damn Durst where you been man? I'm taking a break from FFXI for a while, I been playing "Mass Effect". I'm not quitting or anything just like to take a break from time to time.

Thanks for the info guys I appreciate it.