1704FP: do I need DVI and USB cables connected?

Question

I have my super-dooper 1704FP connected to my Dimension 5000 with just a DVI cable.  Works great.  But should I be connecting the supplied USB cable too?  What does USB give me that I wouldn't have without it?   Thanks,   Mike   PS In understand that the contrast control on the monitor menu is disabled because I have DVI connected.  But WHY?  Why should I not be able to adjust contrast just because I'm using digital inputs?  I can adjust contrast from the desktop, so why not from the monitor itself?

JarmoD · Answer

USB has nothing to do with the monitor per se.  The choices for monitor connections are DVI or analog D-sub (VGA) and don't use both at the same time.   The USB ports are there as a convenience, so that you can connect a USB device (like a mouse or game controller) into the monitor rather than into the system unit itself.   The monitor has one upstream and one or more downstream USB ports.  Connect a USB cable from the system unit to the monitor's upstream port -- that brings the monitor's downstream ports to life.  Then connect your device to a downstream port.

drmrbrewer · Answer

That's helpful, thanks for the reply. So it's just a means of getting more USB ports onto your system. That's good. I thought I'd never use up all the available USB ports on my Dimension 5000, but I think I'm there already.

So I presume I should have both the DVI and USB upstream cables plugged in? To give the option of using the downstream USB ports if/when necessary? I gather the USB cable supplied would be the upstream cable?

Mike

JarmoD · Answer

Right on all counts.  One thing to be aware of is that USB is sensitive to distance (i.e. cable length) and in practice not all USB devices will work perfectly in all USB ports.  So if you ever have a problem with some new high-powered USB device not working when connected to the monitor then try connecting it to the system unit.

blitz9092 · Answer

JarmoD, What happens to the monitor, if you accidentally connect both the DVI or analog D-sub (VGA) and at the same time? I have the 1905FP. Will that destroy something?

JarmoD · Answer

Sorry for the massive delay, didn't spot this question!

Connecting both will probably not hurt anything. It'll effectively be like the PC powering dual monitors when in fact it's a single monitor with dual inputs. I think Dell's advice is simply there to let you know that you need one or the other connected, not both.

Now if you have two PCs, of course, then connect one PC to the LCD via DVI and the other PC via D-Sub.

Monitors

1704FP: do I need DVI and USB cables connected?

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