VGA versus DVI

netsider

Limp Gawd
Joined
Oct 12, 2004
Messages
466
Is there a noticeable difference between DVI and VGA? I'm currently using a VGA cable (like I always have). However, I just upgraded my video card and all of a sudden just wondered if I should've been using a DVI cable instead. Is it worth it? Thanks guys! Any help would be appreciated. :confused:
 
on LCD you should always use DVI. Difference is easily noticeable
 
No CRT that I am aware of supports DVI. DVI uses digital signal to pass the picture much like HDMI. (both compatible with each other with adapters btw) VGA uses good old analog signal with all its downsides.
 
There was a model CRT that had DVI, but it had an analog converter inside so it still wouldn't have been better than using VGA with it.

With LCD's you'll always want DVI and or HDMI.
 
It's noticeable at 2560x1600 simply because VGA can't go that high but dual-DVI can.
 
It is best to do some deep research on the matter :p

VGA can technically reach the same plateau as DVI can, however it is quite difficult to keep the noise in check, the image quality is way more prone to suffer among other things, the simple fact is, most gpu and motherboards that will be coming out, or already are out, are doing away with VGA as it apprently takes alot of resources on the PCB.

Manufacturers have said they will be phasing it out, not becuase its not good enough, but rather it is to difficult to keep shrinking stuff and still use a legacy type connection that requires the amount of space that it does. Beyond that, I am sure that to make VGA as good as DVI in all regards it is to time consuming, and costly, hence the switch to DVI in the first place, think of it like a CD vs a record, records can easily surpass CD or DVD in sound definition, however there are alof of things that can get in the way of its performance, CD/DVD are just much easier to make and tweak :)
 
problem with analog signal and LCD is that LCD panel need digital data and so analog->digital conversion phase is necessary and because of that there i a lot of interference between horizontal pixels that lead to less sharpness and generally dull image. It's not an issue with CRT that just use those analog signals directly so there are no ADC circuits there.

CRT with DVI-D input is like sound amplifier with SPDIF input. If it's worth using depends on DACs in it and DACs in sound-card/cd-player
 
How about DVI vs component or S-video? My Dell has all these inputs.
 
component support only few TV resolutions and this Dell probably use stupid scalers and red push for it along with forced overscan. S-Video is even worse cause it support only 480i and 576i signals...
 
How about DVI vs component or S-video? My Dell has all these inputs.

All analog signals. Component should be pretty much equal to VGA afaik, delivers every picture information through its own cable. S-video is only a step above Composite because it still has mixed signals traveling through same cables.
 
I currently use a Dell e177fp I got for free for my second monitor to my laptop, and the monitor only offers VGA for hookup. I get a ton of noise on gray backgrounds. Is that due to using VGA?
 
I currently use a Dell e177fp I got for free for my second monitor to my laptop, and the monitor only offers VGA for hookup. I get a ton of noise on gray backgrounds. Is that due to using VGA?


Most likely yes. VGA is suspectible to noise caused by outside electrical interference (just having a lot of electric cables inside walls just behind the monitor was said to cause noise during CRT era) or just due to crappy source/receiving end. In case of LCDs latter may very well be the case I think since the signal has to be converted back into digital.
 
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