Guide: Choosing the Right Cable for Connecting Monitor to Computer

It’s not rocket science to know how to connect a monitor to a computer or CPU to be precise. But it sure is rocket science when you want to get the desired resolution and computer prowess. The key to getting the results you want is to pay attention to the cables you are using to connect the two.

Since we clearly know a lot about cables, we will be answering this age-old question: ‘what is the cord that connects a computer to a monitor?’ in context to you getting the 4k resolution that you’ve always wanted or the computing prowess for your gaming.

Of course, the answer to this question will be either a computer cord or cable connectors. But the main question here that we would be answering is which computer cord or which cable connectors.

You can also connect an external monitor to your existing desktop or laptop but before investing make sure to check the back of your computer or the sides of the laptop for the right ports. The most common ports you’ll find on your desktop are VGA, HDMI, and DVI whereas laptops have limited options with Thunderbolt, USB A port, or an HDMI port only.

Let’s say your monitor has a VGA connection and so does your computer, then you can connect the two with a VGA cable. Same goes if both the equipment have HDMI ports.

This is easier when the specs of ports match on the both pieces of equipment but what if your monitor has VGA connection but your laptop has only a HDMI port. How will you connect them then?

So, let’s discuss it in detail.

Computer Cords, Cable Connectors, And Adapters

HDMI Cables

HDMI cables should be your choice if you want better and clearer results. They support all kinds of video output, standard, enhanced, and high-definition. Despite being great, these cables do have one major limitation. The output of HDMI 1.4 connections is 3820 by 2160 resolution and 30fps; so, if your PC has this version of HDMI then you’ll be limited to that output even if you invested in a 4k monitor to connect to your PC. And not only that, its previous versions and their respective output also come with this limitation. The only way to overcome this limitation is to invest more in your hardware game.

HDMI versions don’t get updates frequently but when they do, they leave some of the hardware obsolete. So, make sure you are up to date with the latest news on HDMI cables when creating your work from home station.

HDMI connectors come in three variations: Mini, Micro, and Standard.

Mini: This variation has a smaller connector which makes them perfect for smaller sized gadgets like camcorders, DSLR cameras, and tablets.

Micro: This one provides video and audio combined in an interface that is small enough to connect to mobile devices, smartphones, and tablets.

Standard: As the name suggests, this variation is responsible to handle the common connections and applications.

DVI Adapters And Connectors

They are the newer versions that offer better and sharper displays compared to VGA ones and carry both analog and digital signals. You can easily differentiate them from VGA connectors based on their colors as DVI comes in white while VGA comes in blue.

VGA Connectors And Adapters

Since we’ve already mentioned VGA connectors and adapters in the previous points, let us introduce them properly and talk about their actual use. They are the oldest ones and only transmit analog signals. They use an HD15 connector to make connections between two pieces of equipment like a monitor and a laptop.

Thunderbolt

Let’s move to the fancy cables and connectors.

It is the brand name of a hardware interface standard developed by two tech giants; Intel and Apple. There are three variations: Thunderbolt 1,2, and 3. Thunderbolt 1 and 2 both use the same connector as Mini DisplayPort, whereas the third variation uses USB-C. Thunderbolt 3 has the clearest display of all as it is a superset solution.

DisplayPort

These connectors are known to have 20 pins and come in two sizes, there’s standard DisplayPort and then there’s Mini DisplayPort. Again, there are many versions of DisplayPorts available in the market but its version 1.3 is known to support all basic 3D video formats along with delivering enough bandwidth to carry video resolutions at a refresh rate of 60Hz of up to 3840×2160 pixels.

Which one to choose?

After reading this article, you should be able to pick just the right one for your connection. And if you think your choice is limited to the port options available on your hardware then that’s where you are wrong. You can easily buy an adapter to convert a connector.

Pro Tip: In case you are in the market to find a cable that allows you to transmit both audio and video, then HDMI cables are your best option.

At SFCable

We have all the above-mentioned computer cords and cable connectors to simplify your process of connecting your monitor with your computer. In case you are still confused, you can reach out to us from here.

Source: https://www.sfcable.com/blog/choosing-right-cable-for-connecting-monitor-to-computer