Advantage of DVI input on monitor
 

Hey all. I recently bought a new HP wide-screen monitor and it has both a DVI input and VGA input. So, I have a regular VGA cable, but I think I need an adapter that goes from VGA to DVI-D.

Well, first of all, whats my advantage of going from VGA to DVI? Should my monitor look at lot clearer is it not worth the money to get the adapter?

Secondly, my brother just told me that I can't buy an adapter that goes from VGA to DVI-D. So, is it only possible to buy a cable that goes directly from the adapter on my video card (ie. DVI-I) to my monitor (DVI-D)? If so, how much would one of these cost?

No advantage whatsoever. You see, video cards effectively send out a digital signal, but that is converted to analog if it goes through a VGA connection. If your video card has only a VGA connection on it, the signal is being converted from digital to analog; slapping a DVI connection on the end will in affect convert it back to digital again, but that quality loss (digital - analog) will still be there.

Does your card have any kind of DVI output built in? Or does it only have VGA? If you only have VGA, then there is absolutely no benefit converting to DVI. If your card has a DVI-I connection built in, you should be able to get a converter for it, but I'm not sure. (DVI-I connections carry digital and analog signals, which are used for converting to VGA. I don't see why you shouldn't be able to get a DVI-I to DVI-D converter. However, you should be able to use a standard DVI-D cable, as a DVI-D male can be plugged into a DVI-I female (your card), but not vice versa.) Because you're in canada, check out a cable at NCIX, the best Canadian e-tailer by far. Don't be concerned about quality between brands, becase when it comes to digital signals, it either works or it doesn't.

Keep in mind that many people can't tell the difference between VGA and DVI, so you need to ask yourself if the upgrade cost is warranted.

Well my video card only has DVI-I inputs, while my monitor has a VGA and DVI-D adapter. However, what you are telling me is that even though I have a VGA cable with a DVI-I adapter going into my video and a VGA adapter into my monitor, there shouldn't be a difference if I slap on a DVI-D adapter onto that empty VGA and plug it onto the other plug in my monitor or just does it depend on whether or not I notice the difference. Also, should there not be a difference between the suggestion that I said above (ie. VGA cable with DVI-I adapter and DVI-D adapter), or would I be better off getting the standard DVI-D cable (note that money is not a problem with me).

Sorry if I am confusing you, but I just want to clarrify.

You get nothing by converting your signal from DVI-D to anything less (ie: VGA, DVI-I.) Also, there is hardly any difference between VGA and DVI-D in the first place. I, personally, don't bother with VGA or converters unless I have to, because I do notice some quality difference. (I'm a quality freak, if you haven't noticed. =P)

Image quality is mostly subjective, so I recommend going over to Staples or Future Shop and buying a DVI-D cable and trying them both out for yourself. You can always return the DVI cable if you don't think it's worth it.