Video outputs and Monitor Inputs - What do you commonly encounter?

[britechguy]

I have just hit upon a "first time this happened" experience in that someone dropped off a desktop gaming machine where the video outputs are only DVI or HDMI. I have never encountered a machine that has no VGA output, though it's not surprising to me that HDMI is becoming the "go to" universal output.

In my experience DVI has never been commonly used. There was a period where I saw a bit more DVI, and mostly on the monitor side of the equation than on the computer side. It seems to me that DVI never really took off.

The monitors I have kept have VGA and DVI (and one has what looks like S-Video) inputs, but none have HDMI, because they're both around 10 years old and neither has been in regular use for a while. I do almost everything on a laptop by choice.

I am just curious as to whether:

1. DVI was far more commonly used than I may think it was, since I seldom get carry in desktops and a majority of my clientele is residential?

2. Are new monitors tilting heavily toward HDMI input?

3. Have you seen many machines with DVI/HDMI output only?

 

[phaZed]

Ya, I get quite a lot of non-VGA computers in nowadays. DVI is becoming less common but still is relevant. HDMI is still here, but is quickly being supplanted by Display Port. DP is becoming the new standard.

 

[britechguy]

DVI is becoming less common but still is relevant.

It amazes me, truly, to see DVI described as "relevant." And that's because of how seldom I've encountered it in use "in the wild" over the years. I believe I once had a DVI cable in my stash, but if I did I long ago disposed of it as I was never using it.

I've never even seen, that I know of, Display Port (DP) until your post.

I honestly wish that HDMI had "taken over the world" since it's as close to being "all things to all people and all purposes" as I've ever seen, and does what it does very well indeed.

 

[Canadian Tech]

I'm seeing more graphic cards with display ports and maybe 1 HDMI port. I tend to keep a few different display adapters on hand.

 

[HCHTech]

I am just curious as to whether:

1. DVI was far more commonly used than I may think it was, since I seldom get carry in desktops and a majority of my clientele is residential?

2. Are new monitors tilting heavily toward HDMI input?

3. Have you seen many machines with DVI/HDMI output only?

1. Our 4 bench-station monitors are all Dells, of varying vintages. I think the oldest has to be at least 10 years old, and the newest is probably 3 or 4 years old. All have VGA, two have DVI, 1 has HDMI, and 1 has DP. Our connection snakes run cables for whatever the monitor provides, so it keeps our need for adapters low. Although we have DP-to-HDMI, mini-DP to DP, mini-HDMI to HDMI, HDMI-to-VGA, and DVI-to-VGA adapters, plus I'm sure a few others in the bins for special occasions.

2. Most newer computers we get for the day-to-day repairs have HDMI, Dell Optiplexes all have DP, some of the 3000 series we see have HDMI, and we're still seeing VGA for many of the residential computers we get in. I was just telling my techs on Friday that the day I see my last VGA connection will be a happy, happy day. I have grown to HATE having to unscrew and screw in VGA and DVI connectors - we don't do it when connecting computers to the bench monitors, but we do plenty of it for onsite calls. There is never enough room, they are often more than finger tight - it's maddening.

3. Only those hateful external power supply desktops, but I have seen some with only 1 video connection option.

 

[britechguy]

I have grown to HATE have to unscrew and screw in VGA and DVI connectors - we don't do it when connecting computers to the bench monitors, but we do plenty of it for onsite calls. There is never enough room, they are often more than finger tight - it's maddening.

Amen!! I have never, ever even tightened the screws down to "complete finger tight" for my own machines, and only just barely so for others.

I have never had a VGA cable, with no screwing in at each end of the connector, spontaneously fall out, ever. Get bumped or pulled out if I'm moving the computer itself or monitor, sure, but when sitting in place, as things tend to do for very long periods of time, never.

On the monitor I always use the screws as screens tend to get tilted, turned, etc., quite a bit over time. But that movement virtually never makes it to the other end of a typical VGA cable.

 

[phaZed]

Pretty sure a lot of the OEM's are keeping the "mobo VGA" purely for compatibility with John and Jane Doe's old monitors.. but I really expect that to be almost done with in totality, soon.

DVI was popular in the 900 series NVIDIA cards, gtx 700 series and further back when they had the 4-digit models 6000 and 7000 series for example. ATI/AMD used to love it too.. though a lot of the AMD cards had the almost-proprietary "Dual DVI" connector like this:



The problem with HDMI is that it can only support 4K@60Hz... there is a new HDMI standard coming that fixes the bandwidth to do better, but I'm pretty sure they're too late vs. DP.

DP is going gold because it can be easily and "natively" converted to HDMI, VGA, DVI, etc... without a special adapter or any smarts in-between. It also supports 4K at high refresh rates, etc.... DP 2.0 is coming too.... 10K and 16K, 240Hz, etc.

 

[Sky-Knight]

I see mostly VGA, and then if it's Dell display port, if it's not Dell HDMI.

Monitors usually have VGA, and HDMI on the back. So I need VGA cables, HDMI cables, and display port to HDMI cables.

Unless Dell monitor on a Dell desktop... then I need display port cables, but that's relatively rare.

 

[Philippe]

The monitors I have kept have VGA and DVI (and one has what looks like S-Video) inputs, but none have HDMI [...]

DVI = HDMI - Sound (almost). You can use HDMI to DVI cables both ways so you can connect your monitor to HDMI.

 

[britechguy]

DVI = HDMI - Sound (almost). You can use HDMI to DVI cables both ways so you can connect your monitor to HDMI.

Appreciate this info (as well as that offered by others). The problem is laying my hands on these in short order. I ended up borrowing the client's monitor so that I could just get this job done!

 

[Sky-Knight]

Appreciate this info (as well as that offered by others). The problem is laying my hands on these in short order. I ended up borrowing the client's monitor so that I could just get this job done!

Yeah, there's no way to carry all the darned cable combinations.

But it does help to know that you shouldn't ever adapt VGA to anything... That's an analog system. You can adapt VGA to composite, component, or s-video... but who uses that stuff anymore? Adapting VGA to DVI/HDMI/Display Port leads to issues because now you need a DAC.

HDMI / Display Port / DVI are all functionally interchangeable with the correct adapters. They're all digital, so no DAC required. Just cheap cables. Of course having those when you need them is always a pain.

What I do for DVI is carry around DVI to VGA adapters. Most DVI ports have internal DACs to allow that specific switch without issue. So all the DVI stuff becomes VGA stuff. It's only an issue if the monitors are too big.

 

[nlinecomputers]

DVI and Display Port are more common on Business grade machines. VGA is finally dying. Many new systems, especially laptops don’t have a VGA port any longer. I don’t see DVI much anymore. HDMI and DP have killed it.

 

[fincoder]

Video cards of the last few generations don't have VGA. Most new business desktops don't have VGA unless requested and built-to-order. Some are DisplayPort only so need a DP-to-HDMI adapter or cable for most consumer grade monitors.

I sell lots of DP-to-HDMI adapters, lots of small offices supplied with business desktops but using cheap consumer monitors.

I have a 4-way KVM switch on my workbench that is VGA, and I keep adapters so I can plug in any PC. I have a second bench with a dedicated monitor with VGA, HDMI and DP inputs so I have the native option if needed to test display issues.

 

[HCHTech]

HDMI / Display Port / DVI are all functionally interchangeable with the correct adapters. They're all digital, so no DAC required. Just cheap cables. Of course having those when you need them is always a pain.

Just because Murphy's law is a thing, don't forget active vs. passive DP cables. Just when you think you have all bases covered, someone will bring in a device that isn't DP++.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

Typically...1x HDMI and 2x Display Ports...on the towers or mini desktops.
We're mostly doing the "TinyPC" size....in the back of special AIO monitors for them. Will still often have an HDMI and at least 1x DP....but when we option them with the better graphics cards (like nVidia Quadr), it's "Mini Display Ports"...looks like a thick USB-C connection sorta....will have 4x of 'em.

I'd say overall we have a slight edge in DP...but with HDMI close behind.
VGA or DVI...yeah probably over 10 years old time to replace it.

 

[britechguy]

Just curious if anyone has ever used this style of converter:

XS-1510 4-in-1 Type-C To HDMI VGA DVI USB3.0 Adapter, Portable USB-C HUB Converter - DealExtreme (dx.com)

and, if so, if it would work with a monitor at boot time prior to the OS being loaded? USB C is becoming ubiquitous, and if this sort of thing would work during the early stages in the boot process, it has advantages. If it won't, it doesn't. (I am not wedded to that one, the photos are, however, good for the purposes of illustration).

I'd love to have only one, maybe two, of these things where I could cover "all output formats for all current monitors (except DP)" using a USB-C or a USB 3.0 port.

Experiences?

 

[Porthos]

I have this Monitor on my bench. I have all 3 cables hooked up to it. I have a DP to HDMI adapter if needed.

 

[britechguy]

I have absolutely no reason to purchase another monitor given how infrequently I'm ever called upon to actually supply one. That's my main reason for asking about an adapter.

I could definitely get a DVI-to-HDMI (male to female) adapter for the monitors I have should the need arise later since it's been said that this will work, and HDMI is, by far, what I'm seeing most these days. This may make more sense, anyway, but I am a bit of a sucker for multi-way adapters that work and cover virtually all the common bases.

 

[Sky-Knight]

USB devices generally won't work until the OS is online.

The only time I've seen that change is with some Linux distributions, but even then you have to wait a fair distance into the boot process before it's online.

I generally recommend trying to not use such devices if possible, simply because it's yet another device to troubleshoot. Adapting the in built graphics to the displays in question is annoying because you have to order the correct cables, but once deployed you never touch it again.

And I'm lazy...

 

[nlinecomputers]

USB devices generally won't work until the OS is online.

The only time I've seen that change is with some Linux distributions, but even then you have to wait a fair distance into the boot process before it's online.

Same difference. It works in Linux as soon as that module is loaded. If you custom compile the kernel you can get that sooner but even then it may not work in GRUB or whatever boot loader you have as they tend to be minimal.