Does DVI make big difference?

Question

Hi Guys and Gals,   Just received Dell 2005FPW monitor and all seems good so far. My question is how much difference am I going to see in overall graphics if I use the DVI or stay with VGA as it is now. My current graphics card does not have a DVI connection so I have it hooked up VGA. I do have the original nvidia card that came in my system that has the DVI connector. Am I better off to leave it VGA with my current card or switch back to the old card so I can use the DVI connection? I will obviously eventually upgrade to a new graphics card when I can afford to. Any thoughts are appreciated.   Sarob76

B- · Answer

That all depends on what your present video card is and what your old video card is. Most newer cards have DVI out and it's hard to imagine why you would have taken out a card with DVI and replaced it with one that doesn't have it. DVI does make a huge difference in clarity and color quality, but if your VGA card is better (faster/ more able to use for games etc.) then stick with the VGA or maybe invest in a new card. Message Edited by B- on 04-01-2005 01:14 PM

Sarob76 · Answer

Thanks B for getting back. That was a bit of important Info I left out!! the current card without DVI is a ATI Radion 9200 128 mb. The old card with the DVI connector is a Nvidia Geforce3 TI 200 64mb. I guess I thought the Radeon was a better card. I went from 64mb up to 128mb and it was pretty inexpensive. DUH. I guess I understand why now.

Thanks again

fb0252 · Answer

i asked exactly the same question before purchasing my 19 inch 193FP.  receiving 3 answers that the difference in view between digital and analog is almost imperceptible i purchased 193fp rather than 1905FP,  The analog view between 193fp and 1905fp is the same.  they are obviously the same monitor.  i have never seen a digital view, but the analog view on these monitors is very nice.  feb, kcmo

steve_89 · Answer

Its just another process where noise or interference can get in, you need to remember ur going from digital to analog and back to dig with reg. DVI is all digital so less noise and a bit faster in my opion.colors do look a tad better too. Its all about get the most out of the monitor.Like using reg gas in a corvett.

Sarob76 · Answer

Thanks all for your imput. I have the 2005FPW hooked up digitally and it is great. The only issue for me is the size of everything. Really small at that resolution. At my age, seeing clearly is a wonderful thing. I will have to definitely upgrade the graphics at somepoint but for now everything is good. Thanks again

ChandlerL · Answer

DVI is entirely superior to an analog solution. If you have a digital video card and a fixed pixel digital flat panel, you should reap the benefits by using a 'straight-through' digital connnection.   Using analog will degrade the signal in a number of ways.   1) Analog signals are a lossy system. Some of the signal is lost through the cable itself. Digital does not have that problem.   2) Since your video card and your flat panel are digital devices, in order for them to work in analog, the video signal must be converted from digital -> analog -> and then back to digital.   The reason why flat panel manufacturers are configuring them to support both is so they don't alienate users looking to upgrade their monitor. In the past, the majority of desktops computers were sold with budget video cards that only output analog (to hook up to CRT monitors). Now, due to DVI becoming more mainstream, that is all changing.   However, there is still an issue with laptops. The vast majority of laptops only output analog to a secondary (external) device. Only the most high performance laptops have DVI output (i.e. DELL Inspiron XPS Gen 2)-- I'm sure that will eventually change as well.   Hope that helps.   -Chan

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