DVI or VGA?

[ghosthunter]

Is there a performance difference if I plug my display to the DVI or VGA post of a video card if both are available?

(The display I currently have has both DVI and VGA input ports available. I only lack the proper DVI cable to be able to test for myself.)

I currently have a NVidia Geforce FX5200 video card. Kinda old but still okay. I am wondering if I plug my display to the DVI port, would I have any performance increase in relation to video output (movies, etc) from my PC?

[rion]

no performance sa experience ko. notice ko lang sa LCD monitor, mas bright yung DVI. but difference is minimal.

[woohoo]

There's quite a debate on that on tomshardware:

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/52864-3-tomshardware

[Horsepower]

Honestly, I have never noticed any difference between DVI and VGA.

I even use VGA for the bravia when viewing High Definition content from computers. Stunning as ever esp my favorite National Geographic and Discovery Channel docus.

But, I always try to use what is newest and most convenient for the sake of curiosity since there's always a reason why newer technologies are invented and released to the public like nowadays, there's HDMI (which is actually just DVI stuffed with SPDIF in one cable) and DisplayPort.

[oj88]

I choose DVI for two reasons:

1. Lossless and uncompressed since there's no need for DAC
2. DVI uses digital signals all the way to the LCD monitor. Digital signaling is multiples more impervious to electrical interference than analog.

Theoretically, DVI should provide better clarity than VGA. However in most cases, you won't see much difference in quality between the two. But now that the technology is already there, use it whenever you can.

[ghosthunter]

I choose DVI for two reasons:

1. Lossless and uncompressed since there's no need for DAC
2. DVI uses digital signals all the way to the LCD monitor. Digital signaling is multiples more impervious to electrical interference than analog.

Theoretically, DVI should provide better clarity than VGA. However in most cases, you won't see much difference in quality between the two. But now that the technology is already there, use it whenever you can.

In my case, I want to see if there would be any performance gain, especially when displaying video (movies) is just below marginal to becoming smooth/in-sync.

[Revenant]

I've conducted a side-by-side comparo with my Palit 9800GT on two LG W2353V-PFs where in one is connected via DVI and with VGA on the other.

Granted, I'm no digital visual arts expert but I experienced neither a performance lag nor a boost between DVI and VGA on a side-by-side comparison in games (I used Mass Effect and Fallout 3 for their in-game cinematics) and in movies/video clips (low-res .flv boxing clips straight from youtube and their .mkv counterparts).

That said, I noticed a little bit of "softening" of images with VGA, they seemed to be duller in comparison to the DVI.

[Horsepower]

W2353V, nice monitors revenant! :D

[roberto_minosa]

I read in the PC World Phils. mag that the DVI port is provided to reduce the effort of the monitor in converting analog signals from the video adapter to the monitor since DVI signals are already digital. PC World also mentioned that DVI is only useful on older monitors since those kinds are the ones having a harder time converting analog (VGA) signals to digital. So if you're using a modern monitor, there's no problem in using the VGA port. My AOC LCD has a VGA connector, and it's working just fine.

EDIT:
This weird discussion at http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/52864-3-tomshardware reported that DVI limits refresh rate to 60Hz when VGA goes up to 75Hz. I think there won't be improvement when changing the refresh rate though.

[Jun aka Pekto]

I can't tell any difference between the two whether using a 19" LCD monitor or a 32" 720P LCD tv.

[woohoo]

I read in the PC World Phils. mag that the DVI port is provided to reduce the effort of the monitor in converting analog signals from the video adapter to the monitor since DVI signals are already digital.

Sorry, bro, but that's not true. Let me post an excerpt from http://www.datapro.net/techinfo/dvi_info.html :

WHAT ARE THE DVI FORMATS ?

There are three types of DVI connections: DVI-Digital, DVI-Analog, and DVI-Integrated (Digital & Analog) DVI-D - True Digital Video

DVI-D cables are used for direct digital connections between source video (namely, video cards) and digital LCD (or rare CRT) monitors. This provides a faster, higher-quality image than with analog, due to the nature of the digital format. All video cards initially produce a digital video signal, which is converted into analog at the VGA output. The analog signal travels to the monitor and is re-converted back into a digital signal. DVI-D eliminates the analog conversion process and improves the connection between source and display.

DVI-A - High-Res Analog

DVI-A cables are used to carry a DVI signal to an analog display, such as a CRT monitor or budget LCD. The most common use of DVI-A is connecting to a VGA device, since DVI-A and VGA carry the same signal. There is some quality loss involved in the digital to analog conversion, which is why a digital signal is recommended whenever possible.

DVI-I - The Best of Both Worlds

DVI-I cables are integrated cables which are capable of transmitting either a digital-to-digital signal or an analog-to-analog signal. This makes it a more versatile cable, being usable in either digital or analog situations.

Like any other format, DVI digital and analog formats are non-interchangeable. This means that a DVI-D cable will not work on an analog system, nor a DVI-A on a digital system. To connect an analog source to a digital display, you'll need a VGA to DVI-D electronic convertor; to connect a digital output to an analog monitor, you'll need to use a DVI-D to VGA convertor.

[oj88]

Sorry, bro, but that's not true. Let me post an excerpt from http://www.datapro.net/techinfo/dvi_info.html :

Nope, you misinterpreted it. The topic is about using the digital portion of DVI, not the analog portion. Also, DVI-A is considered VGA by function and capabilities. It's just called that way since it uses the DVI connector specifications as its interface. Most, if not all current video cards are natively DVI-I (both analog and digital signals are present). It's the cables (or its pinouts specifically) that will finally determine if it's going to tap into the analog or digital portion of the video card pins.

DVI per se, simply defines the specifications necessary to transmit digital signals to a digital display. DVI-A is just one sub of this standard that allows people to connect to the analog pins for use with legacy VGA devices. Check out the pin outs and you'll see that there are dedicated VGA (analog) pins. Said pins will only work if you plug in an appropriate cable or adapter (ie. DVI to VGA adapters). Refer to http://cableorganizer.com/articles/d...or-pinout.html Pins C1-C5 carries the analog portion of the signals.

[woohoo]

Nope, I definitely didn't misinterpret the statement made by PCW Phils (referred to by roberto_minosa): "... DVI signals are already digital."

FWIW, I wasn't addressing the topic on this thread, ONLY that phrase. Because some readers might not be able to follow the discussion and when they read that phrase, they might get the wrong idea. That was my only concern -- to avoid potential misinformation.

Peace, bro.