QUICK: what is DVI-D ?

[just-some-guy]

i need an answer right away, as i am ordering right now.

what is the difference, if any, between dvi and dvi-d ?
i am upgrading my new(to me) computor to a dvi graphics card. my monitor is hdmi. so i am picking out an dvi to hdmi cable.

TIA

 

[Adam]

DVI-I connectors contain pins for both DVI-D (digital signals only) and analog signals. DVI-I connectors allow you to use a DVI-to-VGA adapter to connector to a VGA monitor. DVI-D connectors do not allow that.

HDMI is digital, so a DVI-D connector should be just fine for you if you just want to convert to HDMI.

 

[just-some-guy]

also, i am trying HARD to pick out a card. for someone that doesn't know this stuff -pita.

 

[BMXTRIX]

The term 'DVI' is to generic and doesn't really tell you what type of DVI connector is on any device.

DVI comes in one of three flavors, with DVI-I and DVI-D being the most common.

DVI-A - (rarely/never seen) - This is an entirely non-digital version of DVI and is functionally identical to the old 15-pin VGA connector already on most computers.

DVI-D - (fairly common) - This is a digital only version of DVI. You may use this with DVI-D capable monitors, or more frequently HDMI monitors. This is very similar to HDMI in functionality as it is 100% digital, but unlike HDMI, there is no audio included. It is very important to understand that you will NOT be able to use a DVI->VGA converter as there is no analog signal on this connection type.

DVI-I - (fairly common) - This is the one which has both DVI-D and DVI-A on the same connector. You can do a DVI->VGA conversion or a DVI->HDMI conversion without almost any issues.

If you go to newegg.com you will find that many new video cards either have HDMI connections right on them, or they have DVI->HDMI converters in the box - sometimes with audio included.

Yes, it isn't straightforward, but spend some time asking and don't rush into buying and you should find the answer you are looking for.

 

[strube]

also, i am trying HARD to pick out a card. for someone that doesn't know this stuff -pita.

What's the hurry?

Tell me your budget, I will tell you which card I would recommend. Nvidia came out with new, way-better-than-anything-else (IMO) cards literally 5 days ago. All of them already come with HDMI adapters and/or built in HDMI ports. They range from $240 to $510. There are cheaper options too, just not the newest/quietest/coolest-running.

 

[just-some-guy]

see, my issue is my computer. its a few years old. i have pci (not pci-e) and agp. i was told agp is better. i need a modem quick, thats the hurry, from newegg.

anyway, i ordered this card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130014

i just want my web pages to look better. i was told dvi would do that for me. heck, i don't know. i'm not a gamer. i hope i didn't waist my money :-\

 

[Adam]

I would agree that AGP is better than PCI.

What kinds of problems were you noticing with the display of your web pages? I'm assuming that you are using a VGA connection right now to your monitor. Is your monitor actually an HDTV? That might explain it. The resolutions that are allowed over the "PC Input" (i.e. VGA) on a lot of HDTVs aren't as high as what the TV can actually display. So, going through the HDMI input can certainly improve things.

 

[just-some-guy]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824176091

on black backrounds, white fonts can be pretty bad. and i am just hoping for a better picture.

yep, vga. research has said the m/b video is not that great.

i don't know if its hdtv.

 

[Adam]

Ahhh, not an HDTV, just a monitor.

Have you tried adjusting the contrast and brightness to get a better picture with the white text on a black background?

 

[jonnythan]

What are your needs in terms of graphics cards? Are you pushing HD video, anything like that?

A $50 or less Radeon card will probably be more than sufficient for you. Almost anything that fits and has a DVI port will be fine.

 

[Adam]

The card that he ordered was only $40. I'm a fan of Nvidia, myself, but I haven't kept up with advances over the years. If you don't mind helping me learn, why do you recommend a Radeon card, instead?

Thanks!

 

[jonnythan]

Ah, I missed that he ordered a card.

I'm generally a fan of nVidia as well, just for their superior drivers, but I've found that ATI cards tend to give more reliable, higher quality non-gaming desktop performance on the low end. You can generally get a better overall feature set and better image quality from the low-end ATI cards than the low-end NVidia cards.

Radeons are also very competitive in the mid-range gaming category right now, too, with the HD 4850 being an especially excellent bang for the buck.

In any case, the card he ordered will be quite sufficient for his needs - and he will almost unquestionably find that a DVI connection to his LCD monitor will produce much better results than the VGA cable he is using now.

Make sure your current screen resolution is 1680x1050 for the best possible text quality, too.

 

[just-some-guy]

i am at 1280x768 right now. text is harder to read at more than that.

i understand that there are install problems with the ati cards, so i avoided them. had i known there are better ..........

much better would be great (crossing fingers).

while we are here. i just got a microsoft keyboard. it said to "install the software first". i am kinda confused by this. do i install the software, shut down, plug in keyboard and reboot. or what ?

 

[strube]

while we are here. i just got a microsoft keyboard. it said to "install the software first". i am kinda confused by this. do i install the software, shut down, plug in keyboard and reboot. or what ?

Actually, you should probably download the latest software off the internet, and as long as you are running Windows XP or Vista and the keyboard is USB, you don't really need to install the software first.

http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/download/download.aspx?category=MK

EDIT: If it isn't USB or you are running pre-Windows XP, then you will need to install the software first, and forget about the downloading suggestion above - proceed as you have said - install the software, shut down, plug in keyboard and reboot.

 

[just-some-guy]

XP PRO updated. it is usb, but i have it with the ps2 now, same with the mouse that can with it. as that is what i had before. and it is working fine, thought some of the extra buttons do not work.

please advise.

 

[just-some-guy]

this is it. i like it.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823109035

 

[strube]

I have a M$ keyboard as well. The play/pause button is flaky but everything else works fine.

If you installed the software and restarted afterword everything should work ok if you run through USB, but I would guess you lose some functionality by running through the PS2 port instead of USB. I have experienced similar issues when running through the PS2 adapter. PS2 ports have very low bandwidth compared to USB.

Also, which buttons aren't working? Most M$ keyboards have a "F Lock" key that will change the functionality of the function keys (F1, F2, etc.).

 

[alexwakelin]

The Nvidia driver software comes with a monitor calibration utility, make sure you run that after you install the card.

 

[lsiberian]

I would agree that AGP is better than PCI.

What kinds of problems were you noticing with the display of your web pages? I'm assuming that you are using a VGA connection right now to your monitor. Is your monitor actually an HDTV? That might explain it. The resolutions that are allowed over the "PC Input" (i.e. VGA) on a lot of HDTVs aren't as high as what the TV can actually display. So, going through the HDMI input can certainly improve things.

This depends on the PCI standard and the AGP standard.

I know the newest PCI-Express slots have a higher data rate than the fastest agp slots.

 

[lsiberian]

What are your needs in terms of graphics cards? Are you pushing HD video, anything like that?

A $50 or less Radeon card will probably be more than sufficient for you. Almost anything that fits and has a DVI port will be fine.

I would recommend a geforce in almost every circumstance.

Nvidia bought 3dfx several years ago and as a result has access to significantly better 3d processing.