Gaming geeks focus primarily on motherboards, CPUs, SSDs, graphics cards, and cooling components when building gaming PCs. Often, we forget about the other essential parts of connectivity, such as HDMI, DisplayPort, DVI, and VGA cables.
When it comes to ensuring the quality of data transmission, connectivity parts are crucial. Each of these parts has its pros and cons. The following information will help you determine whether you should choose HDMI, VGA, DisplayPort, or DVI.
The best gaming monitor is always key to a perfect HD or 4K gaming experience. Connectors also play a significant role in the selection of gaming quality for this purpose. DisplayPort cables and HDMI cables differ from each other, but they both support 4K resolutions. For multiple monitors, you may also need an HDMI switcher.
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Most users use HDMI due to its high resolutions and compatibility with almost all devices. The device connects easily to Blu-ray players, gaming consoles, and 4K streaming TVs. DVI is also used with the 1080p monitors to achieve higher frame rates and better quality. Even though VGA is an old technology, it is still widely used as a monitor connector.
With a 1920*1080 display, HDMI, DVI, and DisplayPort work efficiently. The content on all of these should look the same, but that isn’t the case in the real world. Later in the article, we will discuss why this occurs.
In addition to traditional graphics cards like RTX 2060, RTX 2070 Super and 2080 Ti, modern graphics cards like RTX 30-series and AMD RX 480 support 4K resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. All of them work seamlessly with HDMI and DisplayPort 1.4 cables. Let’s look at the pros and cons of these cables and decide how to proceed.
A Rundown of the Cables
Rather than getting into the details of each of the connecting cables, let’s look at the main features first. The following is a summary of the functions HDMA, DisplayPort, VGA, and DVI perform.
- VGA transmits only video signals, not audio
- It is compatible with older systems and transmits a 1080p display.
- This cable is recommended for PC-to-monitor or TV-to-PC connections. The device transmits both audio and video signals.
- DisplayPort is relatively new compared to VGA and provides 114Hz to 4K resolution. As one of the best options, it transmits both audio and video. If you have an older TV, you may need to use
These days, most new devices use USB Type-C and USB-4 cables. Their transfer rates are higher and their capabilities are better. Most users still use VGA, which is regarded as the oldest technology.
These days, most new devices use USB Type-C and USB-4 cables. Their transfer rates are higher and their capabilities are better. Most users still use VGA, which is regarded as the oldest technology.
VGA
Video Graphics Array is the oldest of all the connections discussed in this article. The technology is not new and dates back to when thick and large monitors were used with the computer to display output.
VGA supports 1080p display theoretically, but it also varies from time to time due to the fact that it converts analog signals to digital signals which reduces the quality. Due to this issue, quality fluctuates as well. The resolution is 1920*1080. However, the analog connection degrades the images, as we mentioned earlier.
The quality of the display decreases as the resolution rises. VGA is often referred to as D-Sub or RGB. In most cases, VGA and DVI-A are considered to be in the same class. Both options are outdated and have similar performance.
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DVI
DVI, or Digital Visual Interface, is a type of interface that has mixed opinions among users due to confusion over its types. The three main types of DVI connections are DVI-A (analog signal), DVI-D (digital signal), and DVI-I (integrated analog and digital signal).
DVI-I and DVI-D are available in both single-link and double-link versions. The difference between them is primarily due to bandwidth transmission. A single link DVI can transmit 3.96 Gbit/s and 1920×1200 resolution. Due to the extra pins, dual links DVI has a greater physical connection and can transmit 7.92 Gbit/s and 2560*1600 at the same time.
Due to DVI-A, DVI is considered the same as VGA, but it’s not true for the other two versions. For DVI-I and DVI-D, DVI is sometimes as good as HDMI. They are the best choice for 144Hz at 1080p, but not for 4K. For 1440p and higher refresh rates, they are the best option because HDMI 1.4 does not support 144Hz or 1080p. DVI is perfect for older gaming setups, which don’t require 4K resolution.
HDMI
HDMI, or High Definition Media Interface, is a standard cable for most monitors and HDTVs. It carries both audio and video and is very easy to use.
HDMI is the best way to connect a PC to a TV. HDMI supports almost all screen resolutions and can provide resolutions up to 4K. A monitor or TV with an HDMI 1.4 port can display up to 3280×2160 with a 30Hz refresh rate and 4K. HDMI 2.0 supports 4K at 60Hz.
HDMI 1.4 and HDMI 2.0 differ primarily in their bandwidth capacity. On the performance chart, HDMI 2.0 has a maximum bandwidth of 18 Gbps/s, compared to 10.2 Gbps/s for HDMI 1.4.
DisplayPort
Prior to HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort was the main competitor of HDMI. Older versions of DisplayPort support 60 frames per second or a simple 60Hz refresh rate at a resolution of 3840*2160. These are also one of the most common DisplayPort specifications that support transmission of 17.82 Gbit/s.
DisplayPort 1.3 and 1.4 support 8K resolution, i.e. 7680*4320. DisplayPort 1.3 and 1.4 can transmit data at a rate of 25.92 Gbits/s, which is a huge improvement over the previous mainstream version.
With daisy-chaining compatible monitors, it is very easy to connect multiple outputs. Alternatively, an MST splitter connected to the computer’s single out can be used. There are limitations to its ability to run multiple displays. Within the specified bandwidth, you must work. DisplayPort 1.2 supports two 1920*1080 displays, while DisplayPort 1.3 and 1.4 support two 3840*2160 displays.
DisplayPort VS HDMI
HDMI has a larger number of users and is more popular. HDMI is the industry standard for many display outputs, and it is very cheap. Due to its higher bandwidth transmission, DisplayPort beats HDMI 1.4 by a wide margin. With the introduction of HDMI 2 and 2.0a, both devices are equal in performance.
LCD 1.3 and 1.4 support 4K at 120Hz and 8K at 60Hz with the added benefit of working with multiple 4K displays at 60Hz, while HDMI only supports a single display. HDMI is more commonly used due to its easy availability and universal connector for TVs and consoles.
In order to keep things simple, we consider DisplayPort a better option, and it has the advantage of supporting multiple displays. Graphics cards and the type of gaming environment sometimes require a specific type of connector. Anyone from these two connections can do the job in this case.
How to Connect HDMI, DisplayPort, DVI, USB-C and VGA?
Most hardcore gamers play on multiple displays when gaming. Most dedicated graphics cards and motherboards have multiple outputs for this purpose. Multiple monitors can be connected simultaneously by using a combination of these outputs.
Connect one monitor to the DVI port of a PC and the other to the HDMI port. In case the device supports Multi-Stream Transport (MST), we can use DisplayPort daisy chaining to connect.
With the list of supported Intel processors, hybrid multi-monitor mode is also rarely used. For systems using specific chipsets, Hybrid Multi-Monitor supports Intel Embedded Graphics driver.
Conclusion
In everyday life as well as in gaming, display connections are critical. VGA is an outdated technology, as we already mentioned. In particular, advancements in the gaming industry and the ability to work at higher resolutions and higher frame rates have been unsuccessful.
DVI is a better option than HDMI and can transmit higher resolutions. HDMI is one of the most common output connectors. This device is cheap, convenient, and acts as a universal connector for most devices.
DisplayPort is currently the best option due to its high refresh rate and support for 8K resolution. With DisplayPort, it is easy to connect multiple monitors, compromising the output quality.
If you have any questions regarding this article, feel free to leave a comment below. Please let us know your feedback in the comments.
I have just purchased a new computer monitore since my old old one has packed up. I have tried setting it up but are experiencing some problems. The monitor came with a 15 pin on each end of the VGA cable but unfortunately my computer has a different socket so I have ordered a new cable to suit but this did not work the error came up on the screen saying the HMDI connections cannot be detected which I can’t understand since I am using a VGA cable. Please correct me if I am wrong but you only use one of these cables VGA, HMDI, or DP not a combination of them The monitor I purchased is a Dell model E2222HS which came with the following cables. Power cable, VGA cable, HMDI cable no PD cable which according to the comments above this cable is the best option Thank you. Derek