Cheap VGA cable woes

VaderDSL · 15 Oct 2010 at 20:30

Hi, I currently have 2 computers. A mac mini and a windows machine.

I only have 1 monitor, a Dell G2410, it only has 1 X VGA input and 1 DVI input.

I plug my windows machine into the DVI port and the mac mini into the VGA with a cheap £5 VGA cable, using a mini dvi > vga adaptor.
The picture quality is really terrible, I get what looks like interference lines, the colours are washed out and it is also much darker, for some reason than on DVI.

Is this because I was a cheap skate and bought a £5 cable?

Is there anything I could get to improve the picture quality? Apart from a new/2nd display? Can I go from DVI > VGA, I have a mini display port to DVI adaptor already.

Cheers.

R.C.Anderson · 15 Oct 2010 at 22:03

Just because the cable is cheap doesn't always mean it will be bad. I've used several cheap cables (around the same sort of price) and never had a problem. I'm assuming you've checked all the connections? Are you able to check the mini DP -> VGA with, to check its not a problem with that? Also, check the mini DP output with your DVl adaptor.

VaderDSL · 15 Oct 2010 at 22:43

I'll try a different converter, the mini dvi > dvi works fine, so I don't think it's the port. Cheers

m4rkw7 · 17 Oct 2010 at 00:51

I'd be leaning more towards blaming the converter rather than the cable. DVI > VGA is very possible, i myself use it to split a monitor.

Then go with the Mini DVI > DVI.