How to Use an Old Monitor with a New PC

Monitors are 1 of those components that conscionable support connected chugging. Unfortunately, that sometimes means the connections you usage from 1 procreation of monitors upwind up incompatible with the latest hardware. Here’s however to marque your aged monitors speech to your caller PC.

Which Port Do You Have?

There person been dozens of video ports utilized implicit the years, but determination are 2 important ones that you'll inactive find connected older—but functional—monitors: VGA and DVI.

The astir distinctive quality betwixt VGA and DVI ports is color: VGA ports are blue, and DVI ports are an off-white color.

VGA ports are besides stubby and trapezoidal, portion DVI ports are precise astir rectangular and elongated.

Unfortunately, determination are 5 antithetic kinds of DVI retired there, but you’re lone apt to brushwood 2 of them connected a monitor.

How to Figure Out Which Port You Should Use

Most monitors, adjacent aged ones, person much than 1 larboard connected them. I erstwhile had a surface that featured four different inputs. So if you’re buying adapters, however bash you cognize which to use?

As a regularisation of thumb: usage a DVI larboard implicit a VGA larboard if you person the option.

Why Not Use the VGA Port?

VGA is an analog larboard and is designed to person analog video input. However, modern computers astir exclusively output video information digitally—as a bid of 1s and 0s that tin beryllium interpreted by hardware successful the display.

Even if you managed to get a VGA larboard to straight judge integer data, the lone happening you would spot is noise.

In practice, that means you can’t usage HDMI, DisplayPort, oregon DVI-D outputs from your PC to link to a VGA input connected a surface without a specialized adapter successful the middle. They thin to beryllium much costly than HDMI oregon DisplayPort to DVI adapters, and connection nary advantages.

Connect HDMI oregon DisplayPort to DVI

DVI came successful an unfortunate fig of variations: DVI-A, DVI-I (Single Link), DVI-I (Dual Link), DVI-D (Single Link), and DVI-D (Dual Link).

Luckily for everyone, astir show manufacturers opted to support a VGA larboard for analog signals and utilized DVI-D (Dual Link) ports for integer signals.

The integer DVI modular is mostly compatible with HDMI without an progressive adapter, which means you tin conscionable plug and play. HDMI besides supports Ethernet and audio, but you won’t get that done DVI nary substance which adapter you buy.

DisplayPort is simply a spot much complicated. If you’re going to effort and get a awesome from a DisplayPort output to a DVI input, it is important that you get a DisplayPort to DVI adapter, alternatively than a DVI to DisplayPort adapter.

I’ve encountered problems with this before, truthful I’d urge being careful.

It is besides important to enactment that DisplayPort supports resolutions and refresh rates mode beyond what DVI tin handle. It is astir apt worthy looking astatine upgrading your monitor if you person a modern GPU, since you’ll efficaciously beryllium “wasting” its imaginable driving an aged screen.

That doesn’t substance overmuch if it is conscionable a 2nd surface you support unfastened for Discord oregon Facebook, but it would beryllium a sore nonaccomplishment if it were your superior display.

Connect HDMI oregon DisplayPort to VGA

Because VGA ports usage an analog signal, you request an progressive adapter to link thing digital.

Active adapters person a peculiar spot that takes a integer awesome and converts it into an analog signal. Sometimes, depending connected their specs and length, they adjacent necessitate a powerfulness proviso to function.

If you’re converting from HDMI to VGA, you request to marque definite the statement really says HDMI to VGA—you can't conscionable reverse them, they don't work.

If you’re going from DisplayPort to VGA, you should bargain thing similar this:

If you’re searching for these adapters yourself, you mightiness find advertizing similar “DisplayPort 2.1 to VGA” oregon “HDMI 2.1B to VGA.” Don’t discarded your wealth connected these items that play up their “premium” enactment for the latest HDMI oregon DisplayPort standards. Your VGA show can’t usage their features anyway.

If you’re converting to VGA due to the fact that you person a CRT show you privation to use, you mightiness brushwood enthusiasts talking astir overclocking their CRTs.

I would urge against that if you’re utilizing an adapter. They’re not usually designed with overclocking a CRT successful mind, and they mightiness behave unpredictably if you try.

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Even though VGA and DVI don't enactment 8K astatine 120Hz, that doesn't mean they're useless. There are plentifulness of large monitors disposable for adjacent to thing that would marque a large 2nd oregon 3rd monitor. They're conscionable a spot older and necessitate immoderate readying to use.