DVI to VGA

[Dwiel]

Hello, I was wanting to get a new video card that had dual VGA out so that I could connect my monitor and projector up simultaneously... They seem to be hard to come by... I have found many VGA/Svid/DVI cards though... So I looked online for a DVI - VGA converter.... I found this:

http://store.kayye.com/kayye/dvitovgacon.html

and this:

http://www.uaf.edu/library/media/equipment/cables/vga_dvi.html

The first one is $400!!! the second looks about $5... What is the difference?

Thanx a lot

 

[verbose mustafa]

All you need to do is get a new single input video card. You can use your old one and new one at the same time.

 

[Dwiel]

Yes I could. I have thought of that... the only problem is that I only have 1 AGP slot, as does every mobo.... that means I would need to get a PCI card.... PCI cards aren't going to be good.... It would also need to support dual monitor...

We'll see...

Thanx for the suggestion though

Dwiel

 

[zx3chris]

i am using a cheap dvi-vga converter i paid $5 for off some yahoo site.. its not even the wire like yours, more like a gender changing plug it looks like--and works fine---no idea why the first thing is $400!!

-chris

 

[tiroth]

Those are just adapter plugs. To actually go from DVI (digital) to VGA (analog) you need basically a video card. Hence $$.

Of course if your video card outputs both analog and digital on a single connector, you just need the correct plug.

 

[jcbklyny]

Side by side I bet you dont even notice a difference between AGP and PCI video cards.

If you dont believe me... try it and see for yourself. AGP MIGHT win out in 3D tests... but thats it!

 

[zx3chris]

SEE a difference?? no of course not---but the data rate speeds on agp ports is much much faster than pci---and with the speed of the newest agp cards---you need it to xfer all that data

-chris

 

[Lifter]

People. Those $5 things are adapters, not converters. DVI-I has analog VGA outputs as well as ditital (like the Radeon cards). The $400 thing actually converts digital DVI signals (DVI-D) into analog VGA. That is the difference, and a big one at that.

 

[Dwiel]

So most vid cards with DVi outputs will have analog DVI outputs... right?

I'll prolly just get a PCI card...

Still am interested in the DVI stuff though.

Thanx!

 

[verbose mustafa]

I think what he means is most DVI card also have analog outputs; you just need an adaptor. I could be wrong though. As for pci cards and dual monitors? I'm fairly sure most will work fine... I have a really old piece of crap video card in my computer for a second email checking monitor. Works great!

 

[Lifter]

Let me clarify this. Video cards, such as my Radeon 9500 Pro have a DVI-I output. This is a 29-pin connector.

Some of those pins output a digital signal. Some of them output and analog signal. Same connector. In order to connect it to an analog VGA device, you use a very basic cable or adapter. An adapter actually comes with the 9500Pro. If you wish to connect it digitally to a device that has a digital DVI input, you use a regular DVI cable.

The Radeon ALSO has another VGA-only connector on it. This is for a secondary display. Lemme put it this way. I have two analog VGA monitors. One is connected to the VGA connector. The other is connected to the DVI connecter via the cheapo adapter that came with it.

There are also cable adapters that can actually split the signals, allowing you to output digital and analog at the same time to two different devices.

EDIT: I just typed all that for no reason. Read this instead:
http://www.mycableshop.com/3rd_Level/Video-Flat.htm

 

[Dwiel]

Thanx

Thanx a lot for the help. Really clarified it for me. Not sure yet what I will go with... I might just use the s-video on my computer in conjunction with a VGA box so that I can also plug in video game consoles and things to it... anything else that supplies non-VGA signals...

Thanx again for the very helpful help 😛

Dwiel

 

[Overd0se]

In my current setup, I'm running an agp Radeon 8500 and a pci GeForce4 MX to connect two vga monitors and my projector's lcd pannel. Everything works great. Almost any pci card should be sufficient for just playing movies and such on your projector; however if you plan to play games on it I'd look into a dual display agp card.
Here are a few examples:
http://www.compgeeks.com/details.asp?invtid=G4TI4400-MSI
http://www.compgeeks.com/details.asp?invtid=G4TI4600-MSI
http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproduct.asp?DEPA=&submit=Go&description=N82E16814102271