HDMI or DVI nowadays?
- Thread starter kirkster
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Soldato
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It really depends on the card.
With the AMD HD 5000/6000/7000 series cards, you can run a maximum of two displays off the DVI or HDMI ports in any arrangement. To add more than two monitors on these cards you need to use the displayport outputs.
With the on the Nvidia Geforce 200/400/500 series cards, again they are limited to two monitors on the DVI or HDMI ports - any configurations. Except in this case most cards can't run any more than two.
However, on the new GTX 680 cards many offer two DVI, one HDMI and one displayport output - with these cards you can use any of the ports in any configuration to run up to four monitors.
As for DVI vs HDMI - the image quality should be exactly the same, since the video signal is the same. However, many monitors are a bit funny with HDMI and have initial scaling issues resulting in underscan or overscan (the image doesn't fully fill the screen, or not all of the desktop fits on the screen). However, with a DVI connection this problem usually doesn't occur. Therefore, if you have the choice - I would use DVI.
With the AMD HD 5000/6000/7000 series cards, you can run a maximum of two displays off the DVI or HDMI ports in any arrangement. To add more than two monitors on these cards you need to use the displayport outputs.
With the on the Nvidia Geforce 200/400/500 series cards, again they are limited to two monitors on the DVI or HDMI ports - any configurations. Except in this case most cards can't run any more than two.
However, on the new GTX 680 cards many offer two DVI, one HDMI and one displayport output - with these cards you can use any of the ports in any configuration to run up to four monitors.
As for DVI vs HDMI - the image quality should be exactly the same, since the video signal is the same. However, many monitors are a bit funny with HDMI and have initial scaling issues resulting in underscan or overscan (the image doesn't fully fill the screen, or not all of the desktop fits on the screen). However, with a DVI connection this problem usually doesn't occur. Therefore, if you have the choice - I would use DVI.
Associate
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I would use DVI too. Unless I was connecting it up to a TV, which I know will handle a HDMI input better than a monitor probably will, and could make use of the TV speakers.
Pretty much identical until you run out of bandwidth. I use some cables that are dvi -> hdmi and others that are hdmi -> dvi too (depending on devices). So long as both ends connect it's all good usually. I've only needed dual-link dvi specifically for 1080p 120Hz stuff, that's the only time it has mattered over 4 displays, 2 pcs, laptop, and a ps3, mixing/matching the lot.
Soldato
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Didn't Amd and the others say that they would drop dvi in future?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Visual_Interface#Proposed_successors
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Visual_Interface#Proposed_successors