HDMI VS DVI

Luz1979 · 25 Jun 2014 at 15:56

I am looking at getting a 22" monitor that is 1080p, I need HDMI input for my PS4, but it will mainly be used for PC gaming, the monitor I am considering only has HDMI (x2), no DVI, will I notice the difference if I use a hdmi to dvi cable?
I have a 7970 ghz edition gfx card and it has HDMI and DVI output, I use the hdmi output for my TV downstairs, so will be using the DVI output for my new monitor.

I have always used DVI for my PCs and have read conflicting opinions on the web about DVI v HDMI, and wether there is a difference or not...

thanks

Straz · 25 Jun 2014 at 16:12

DVI won't send sound. Picture quality will be the same.

tnx · 25 Jun 2014 at 16:13

My sons PC has a Gigabyte R9 280x and is connected to a TV via HDMI.
The games look great.

The only one thing is that the HDMI driver only loads once Windows is loaded so he is unable to enter the BIOS without connecting up an older VGA cable. His TV does not have DVI connector.

So if your chosen monitor only has HDMI you may not be able to enter BIOS.

avrc · 25 Jun 2014 at 17:02

I use dvi to hdmi and the picture is perfect. I don't have the issue tnx is describing.

Luz1979 · 25 Jun 2014 at 17:04

Thanks for replies, I will be using the DVI out to a hdmi in on the monitor via a hdmi to dvi cable that comes with the monitor, so I may not have the bios issue, I will have my old monitor anyway if it is a problem.

I will order my new monitor this week then as it's on offer!

Thanks.

tnx · 25 Jun 2014 at 17:45

Yep, I do have DVI to HDMI cable, but the story of my life. It just aint long enough..

bigmac121 · 25 Jun 2014 at 22:16

tnx said:
Yep, I do have DVI to HDMI cable, but the story of my life. It just aint long enough..

+5 Change your woman :eek:

heighnub · 26 Jun 2014 at 15:35

tnx said:
My sons PC has a Gigabyte R9 280x and is connected to a TV via HDMI.
The games look great.

The only one thing is that the HDMI driver only loads once Windows is loaded so he is unable to enter the BIOS without connecting up an older VGA cable. His TV does not have DVI connector.

So if your chosen monitor only has HDMI you may not be able to enter BIOS.

That is likely the fault of the TV, not the card/drivers. Using a PC monitor with HDMI should work flawlessly.

Tephnos · 26 Jun 2014 at 16:07

They're both digital signals so picture quality will be the same, in theory.

Not always true however, based on how the monitor/GPU interfaces with the port. Some might have slightly different picture settings for HDMI compared to DVI, but you can always change that if so.

tnx · 26 Jun 2014 at 18:17

heighnub said:
That is likely the fault of the TV, not the card/drivers. Using a PC monitor with HDMI should work flawlessly.

Will have to try and lay my hands on a monitor with HDMI and test that out.

james.miller · 26 Jun 2014 at 18:23

Straz said:
DVI won't send sound. Picture quality will be the same.

It will, AMD cards have done it for years. Just need the right adaptor.

Imdur · 28 Jun 2014 at 04:04

Question... do you have an Nvidia card? If so, HDMI out will not send the correct colour space to your monitor. I found this out with an IPS monitor I had recently bought (Dell U2414H).

I plugged in via display port and things looked a little washed out. Then I tried HDMI and got the same look. After checking some forums, it turns out that displayport colour space is completely broken. However, the HDMI colour space can be reset through a patch.

I won't link to the patch here as I don't know if that's against the rules or not. But, google it and you may find it with ease. If not, let me know. Hope this helps.

Luz1979 · 28 Jun 2014 at 13:39

I have an amd card and have hooked up my monitor with a DVI to hdmi cable, it seems to be ok, so is this just an NVIDIA problem?

Imdur · 28 Jun 2014 at 16:37

Yes, Nvidia are not paying any attention to the problem. AMD cards work perfectly. It's the main reason I'm moving back over to an AMD card asap. I just got my IPS monitor for picture and video editing.