to DVI or not?

morinfen · 03-18-12, 07:33 PM

so, i got this monitor that comes with a DVI and VGA input. it didn't come with a DVI cable(is it the standard?). so... is it worth the hassle to go to the city and buy a DVI cable? it's fairly ok now, using VGA.

Bartuc666 · 03-18-12, 08:22 PM

What is the resolution of the monitor?

mjw21a · 03-18-12, 08:43 PM

DVI will support setting of higher resolutions than VGA. That's the only real difference.

morinfen · 03-18-12, 11:02 PM

i use it at 1600x900(that's its max resolution) using the supplied VGA cable. i'm not satisfied with some fringing on the text as i see it now. reducing the text size(browser) somewhat makes it clearer though.

juane414 · 03-18-12, 11:13 PM

Don't buy cables at stores they are way over priced. Get them from Amazon or somewhere online. I recently got a cable from Amazon by Bluerigger that is really solid. I would recommend their cables.

morinfen · 03-19-12, 12:28 AM

@juane, the question though is whether i'm going to get an improvement or not. if i will just get a slight improvement using digital instead of analog, i think i will just use my current setup.

Cigarsmoker · 03-19-12, 01:04 AM

Personally I'd go with DVI. To my eyes it's a noticeable improvement.

juane414 · 03-19-12, 01:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by morinfen

@juane, the question though is whether i'm going to get an improvement or not. if i will just get a slight improvement using digital instead of analog, i think i will just use my current setup.

That depends on the monitor and the computer that you have. I just got a new monitor recently that has a vgi and a dvi port. My laptop only has vga and hdmi, so initially I was connecting my laptop to the external monitor with a vga cable. I got a lot of interference with the vga connection on my laptop. My laptop's vga port doesn't have the holes for the screw pins which I think help to ground the cable. Without being able to screw in the cable to my laptop I was getting these weird waves going up and down my screen. When I connected the monitor to my desktop using vga it was crystal clear. I ended up getting an hdmi to dvi cable from bluerigger and now the monitor looks great connected to my laptop. In my case, the dvi cable made a big difference in image quality when connected to my laptop. The vga connection looks good with my desktop, but even though I have both PCs set to 1080p the monitor looks better when connected to my laptop.

Anyway... that's my recent experience with vga and dvi. I personally think it's worth it. Digital connections always look better to me than analog connections. Not everyone thinks the difference is that big of a deal though.

jmh547 · 03-19-12, 01:32 AM

Personally I noticed a huge difference going from VGA to DVI with my cheapo acer monitor. With vga it was fuzzy almost blurry, with dvi it is crystal clear.

Monoprice = good cheap cables

morinfen · 03-19-12, 01:52 AM

thank you guys. i'm buying the cable tomorrow.

Cigarsmoker · 03-19-12, 01:53 AM

Just for closure, be nice if you post back with feedback after trying the DVI cable.

morinfen · 03-19-12, 02:29 AM

i was kind of looking for a closeup shot of the screen at the same resolutions comparing DVI and VGA but found none... i'll post a macro shot tomorrow.

morinfen · 03-19-12, 07:30 PM

how overpriced is overpriced? i'll be getting it for about 8USD for a 1.5m 24+1 cable.

Fight Game · 03-19-12, 08:17 PM

seems like a good price, but compare the final price (add shipping) it to another suggested store. also compare it to something just a little bit longer, just in case you need it in the future. when i bought some cables a couple years ago, sometimes I would even see longer ones for cheaper...supply and demand i guess

juane414 · 03-19-12, 08:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by morinfen

how overpriced is overpriced? i'll be getting it for about 8USD for a 1.5m 24+1 cable.

That's pretty good. You could probably get one for less but $8 is way better than the $20-40 that you'd pay in a store.

morinfen · 03-21-12, 06:00 AM

so... here's the direct comparison between DVI and VGA

can you guess which one is digital and which one is analog? i couldn't. the DVI is just a teeny bit sharp compared to VGA but it could be the autofocus of my camera. too lazy to take the DSLR out of the box. i also just took a limited amount (three) of pictures to get this over with.

the fist picture is the one taken using VGA. here's another view.

i found out that DVI is still better than VGA because i get interference which is visible when the display is about 80% black. using DVI gets rid of the interference 100%.

total spent: $7US

CompuTamer · 03-21-12, 06:53 AM

VGA can pick up interference (I get to deal with this with my docking station at my other house for my laptop). VGA also blurs text a little bit at 1080p on my monitors. It's nothing bad, and i probably wouldn't notice if i hadn't run one VGA and one DVI next to each other for a few days, but there difference is there.

Scuba Steve VA · 03-21-12, 11:06 AM

In general, I think it depends on your display adapter and the monitor. I have tested both on a range of monitors...and have seen significant differences.

And for cables, monoprice.com is the king. I just bought two high-quality 10 foot DVI-D cables there for less than 15 beans.

morinfen · 03-21-12, 07:00 PM

it could be that buying a better VGA cable might have solved my problems since 1600x900 is not that high.

notJUSTguitar · 03-22-12, 12:38 PM

~~Make sure you get a single-link DVI cable if that's what your monitor has....I found out the hard way. I bought 3 DVI cables for $25 online and turns out they are dual-link and i'm unable to use them~~
Nevermind...Didn't read every post and didn't think you had gotten it yet

03-18-12, 07:33 PM	Thread Starter #1
morinfen Registered Join Date: Feb 2012	to DVI or not? so, i got this monitor that comes with a DVI and VGA input. it didn't come with a DVI cable(is it the standard?). so... is it worth the hassle to go to the city and buy a DVI cable? it's fairly ok now, using VGA.
	QUOTE Thanks

03-18-12, 08:22 PM	#2
Bartuc666 Registered Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Faroe Islands	What is the resolution of the monitor?
	QUOTE Thanks

03-18-12, 08:43 PM	#3
mjw21a Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Australia, Brisbane	DVI will support setting of higher resolutions than VGA. That's the only real difference. __________________ CPU & HSF: AMD FX-8120 & Noctua NH-D14 Mobo: Asus M5A97-EVO RAM: 16GB (4Gx4) DDR3 2133 G.Skill RipjawZ F3-17000CL11Q-16GBZL Storage: 1x 120GB OCZ Vertex II SSD, 1x 250GB Samsung 830 SSD, 1x 1.5TB Samsung Silencer Series HDD GFX: 1GB Gigabyte AMD HD6870 OC + Yamakasi Catleap Q270 SE 27" IPS LED LCD Audio: Turtle Beach DSS 2 w/ Turtle Beach P11 Headset Case: Silverstone Temjin TJ04-E w/ Side Window PSU: 550W Antec EarthWatts Platinum My rig piccies & links "Under democracy one party always devotes its chief energies to trying to prove that the other party is unfit to rule - and both commonly succeed, and are right." H.L. MENCKEN
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03-18-12, 11:02 PM	Thread Starter #4
morinfen Registered Join Date: Feb 2012	i use it at 1600x900(that's its max resolution) using the supplied VGA cable. i'm not satisfied with some fringing on the text as i see it now. reducing the text size(browser) somewhat makes it clearer though.
	QUOTE Thanks

03-18-12, 11:13 PM	#5
juane414 Join Date: May 2006 Location: Chicago, IL	Don't buy cables at stores they are way over priced. Get them from Amazon or somewhere online. I recently got a cable from Amazon by Bluerigger that is really solid. I would recommend their cables.
	QUOTE Thanks

to DVI or not?

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03-19-12, 12:28 AM	Thread Starter #6
morinfen Registered Join Date: Feb 2012	@juane, the question though is whether i'm going to get an improvement or not. if i will just get a slight improvement using digital instead of analog, i think i will just use my current setup.
	QUOTE Thanks

03-19-12, 01:04 AM	#7
Cigarsmoker Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada	Personally I'd go with DVI. To my eyes it's a noticeable improvement.
	QUOTE Thanks

03-19-12, 01:32 AM	#9
jmh547 Member Join Date: Jul 2005	Personally I noticed a huge difference going from VGA to DVI with my cheapo acer monitor. With vga it was fuzzy almost blurry, with dvi it is crystal clear. Monoprice = good cheap cables __________________ \| ASRock Extreme3 Gen3 \| 2500K \| G.Skill 2x4Gb DDR3 1600 \| Kingston V100 128Gb \| EVGA GTX 570 \| X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Pro \| OCZ Fatal1ty 550 watt \| Heatware
	QUOTE Thanks

03-19-12, 01:52 AM	Thread Starter #10
morinfen Registered Join Date: Feb 2012	thank you guys. i'm buying the cable tomorrow.
	QUOTE Thanks

03-19-12, 01:53 AM	#11
Cigarsmoker Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada	Just for closure, be nice if you post back with feedback after trying the DVI cable.
	QUOTE Thanks

03-19-12, 02:29 AM	Thread Starter #12
morinfen Registered Join Date: Feb 2012	i was kind of looking for a closeup shot of the screen at the same resolutions comparing DVI and VGA but found none... i'll post a macro shot tomorrow.
	QUOTE Thanks

03-19-12, 07:30 PM	Thread Starter #13
morinfen Registered Join Date: Feb 2012	how overpriced is overpriced? i'll be getting it for about 8USD for a 1.5m 24+1 cable.
	QUOTE Thanks

03-19-12, 08:17 PM	#14
Fight Game Registered Join Date: Feb 2012	seems like a good price, but compare the final price (add shipping) it to another suggested store. also compare it to something just a little bit longer, just in case you need it in the future. when i bought some cables a couple years ago, sometimes I would even see longer ones for cheaper...supply and demand i guess
	QUOTE Thanks

03-21-12, 06:00 AM	Thread Starter #16
morinfen Registered Join Date: Feb 2012	so... here's the direct comparison between DVI and VGA can you guess which one is digital and which one is analog? i couldn't. the DVI is just a teeny bit sharp compared to VGA but it could be the autofocus of my camera. too lazy to take the DSLR out of the box. i also just took a limited amount (three) of pictures to get this over with. the fist picture is the one taken using VGA. here's another view. i found out that DVI is still better than VGA because i get interference which is visible when the display is about 80% black. using DVI gets rid of the interference 100%. total spent: $7US
	QUOTE Thanks

03-21-12, 06:53 AM	#17
CompuTamer Member with Some Fancy Text Under His Name Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Brandon Mississippi	VGA can pick up interference (I get to deal with this with my docking station at my other house for my laptop). VGA also blurs text a little bit at 1080p on my monitors. It's nothing bad, and i probably wouldn't notice if i hadn't run one VGA and one DVI next to each other for a few days, but there difference is there. __________________ Intel Core i7 C0 @ 4.01GHz with 1.388 vCore ..........................................Intel C2D T8100 Intel DX58SO Motherboard IOH + QPI @ 1.250 Volts..............................HP 6910p Notebook Sony Optiarc Blu-Ray Drive.................................................. ...............DVD-RAM 8 GB G-Skill Sniper DDR3 1600 @ 1.65 Volts ...........................................4GB Hyundai DDR2 800 60GB OCZ Solid 3 + 320GB WD Blue+ 1TB WD Green...............................Intel 320 80GB Antec 900.................................................. .......................................Titanium Lid BFG GS-650.................................................. .....................................Various HP AC Adapters XFX Radeon HD 4850 (660/1060 53C Idle 62C Load) @ 1.31 vCore............ATI X2300 Pro Dual Dell E2311H LED 1920x1080.................................................. .......14.1" 1440x900 Windows 8 ProMC.................................................. .............................Windows 8 ProMC Those specs up there? They're silent. Silence is good. Very good. Your Core 2 Quad is based off of the Pentium pro in a few ways.
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03-21-12, 11:06 AM	#18
Scuba Steve VA Registered Join Date: Feb 2012	In general, I think it depends on your display adapter and the monitor. I have tested both on a range of monitors...and have seen significant differences. And for cables, monoprice.com is the king. I just bought two high-quality 10 foot DVI-D cables there for less than 15 beans. __________________ Case: Fractal Design Arc Mini (mATX) with 3 x Noiseblocker BlackSilentPro PLPS 120mm PWM MB: ASUS Maximus IV Gene-Z / Gen 3 CPU: i7 2600k @ 4.2 Cooler: CM Hyper 212 EVO with 2 x XtraFlo 120mm PWM RAM: 4 x 4GB G.Skill Ripjaws X DDR3 1600 GPU: MSI N570GTX Twin Frozr III OC/PE SDD: 256GB Corsair Performance Pro HDD: 2 x 2TB Western Digital Caviar Green Optical: ASUS DRW-24B1ST PSU: Corsair AX750 OS: Win 7 Pro 64 bit System Album
	QUOTE Thanks

03-21-12, 07:00 PM	Thread Starter #19
morinfen Registered Join Date: Feb 2012	it could be that buying a better VGA cable might have solved my problems since 1600x900 is not that high.
	QUOTE Thanks

03-22-12, 12:38 PM	#20
notJUSTguitar Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: MN, USA	~~Make sure you get a single-link DVI cable if that's what your monitor has....I found out the hard way. I bought 3 DVI cables for $25 online and turns out they are dual-link and i'm unable to use them~~ Nevermind...Didn't read every post and didn't think you had gotten it yet __________________ i7 2600K 4.6Ghz @ 1.3V (56x chip) Asus Maximus IV Gene-z/GEN3 Z68 MSI R7970 Lightning 8GB G.Skill Sniper 1866Mhz WD 640GB & 1TB Cavier Black OCZ 700W ModXtreme Pro PSU Asus VH232H 23" LCD x3 in eyefinity/6036X1080 Resolution Retired AMD Rig AMD Phenom II 1090T \| GIGABYTE GA-MA78GM-US2H (Rev. 1) \| XFX Radeon HD6970 \| \| 4GB Kingston HyperX DDR2 memory running at 1066Mhz \| OCZ VERTEX 2 60GB SSD \| WD 640GB \| Cavier Black SATA III/64MB Cache \| OCZ 700W PSU \| HP-Debranded 23" 1080P LCD
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