Sky-Knight
Well-Known Member
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You want the answer?
It depends...
On?
The Video hardware's wiring...
VGA is analog, and most modern machines have nothing but HDMI and Display Port. Those are both digital, so you can't just convert those UNLESS the graphical output in question has the internal electrics to detect that and use it. Current generation Intel iGPUs all have this circuitry on the DISPLAY PORT output, but not the HDMI output.
But then again on the modern Intel iGPUs don't like that DP port being adapted to HDMI.
I've been running into more and more cases where old displays like this simply will not light up, and the only fix is replacement.
Now, on to the USB adapter mess... these things are WORTHLESS for accessing the system BIOS so no matter what you do, you need at least one display working off a card or onboard directly. Beyond that, they work fine over USB 3.0 IF and we go back to system specs once again... the GPU in the system SUPPORTS IT. And once again I go back to Intel because on SOME OF THE 12 gen iSeries chips the i3 CPUs only support 2 displays while the i5 and up can support four! Then most of the i3s also do 4... check the spec sheet of the CPU! It will tell you!
Intel is currently designed to do this Display Port daisy chain method to get more than 1 display hooked up too, so if you don't have monitors that can do that... good luck!
I sold a brand new Optiplex to a client a couple of weeks ago and that Dell Optiplex 5000 Micro on his desk has an HDMI and DisplayPort output. I do NOT recommend anyone going that route... make sure your Dells have dual Display Port outputs! The DP outputs will NOT ADAPT to HDMI, so DP to HDMI cables are out. You're welcome to try but I have yet to see a single monitor light.
In this case the HDMI output lit up my bench display for all of about 20min before it went stupid and lines and shadows and all sorts of ugly. THREE MOTHERBOARDS LATER, this port hasn't lit up another monitor since. The DP output works fine directly into a monitor as DP, that same port with a VGA adapter in it still works fine. His 2nd and 3rd displays are now attached via USB 3.0 as HDMI and VGA and working fine.
So again it's not drivers, its low level electrical feature set. Honestly, I'd tell this customer to keep his old displays on his old machine, and call me when he's ready to replace it all. Because he will be replacing it all if he goes current generation on replacement.
It depends...
On?
The Video hardware's wiring...
VGA is analog, and most modern machines have nothing but HDMI and Display Port. Those are both digital, so you can't just convert those UNLESS the graphical output in question has the internal electrics to detect that and use it. Current generation Intel iGPUs all have this circuitry on the DISPLAY PORT output, but not the HDMI output.
But then again on the modern Intel iGPUs don't like that DP port being adapted to HDMI.
I've been running into more and more cases where old displays like this simply will not light up, and the only fix is replacement.
Now, on to the USB adapter mess... these things are WORTHLESS for accessing the system BIOS so no matter what you do, you need at least one display working off a card or onboard directly. Beyond that, they work fine over USB 3.0 IF and we go back to system specs once again... the GPU in the system SUPPORTS IT. And once again I go back to Intel because on SOME OF THE 12 gen iSeries chips the i3 CPUs only support 2 displays while the i5 and up can support four! Then most of the i3s also do 4... check the spec sheet of the CPU! It will tell you!
Intel is currently designed to do this Display Port daisy chain method to get more than 1 display hooked up too, so if you don't have monitors that can do that... good luck!
I sold a brand new Optiplex to a client a couple of weeks ago and that Dell Optiplex 5000 Micro on his desk has an HDMI and DisplayPort output. I do NOT recommend anyone going that route... make sure your Dells have dual Display Port outputs! The DP outputs will NOT ADAPT to HDMI, so DP to HDMI cables are out. You're welcome to try but I have yet to see a single monitor light.
In this case the HDMI output lit up my bench display for all of about 20min before it went stupid and lines and shadows and all sorts of ugly. THREE MOTHERBOARDS LATER, this port hasn't lit up another monitor since. The DP output works fine directly into a monitor as DP, that same port with a VGA adapter in it still works fine. His 2nd and 3rd displays are now attached via USB 3.0 as HDMI and VGA and working fine.
So again it's not drivers, its low level electrical feature set. Honestly, I'd tell this customer to keep his old displays on his old machine, and call me when he's ready to replace it all. Because he will be replacing it all if he goes current generation on replacement.
