You’ll be limited by the physical port options on your display and your source device, whether it’s a games console, desktop PC, a laptop, or something else entirely. There are a number of factors that go into choosing the best monitor cable type to connect to your display with. For newer standards like Thunderbolt, HDMI, and DisplayPort, it’s best to opt for the newest and most capable cables for maximum future-proofing.Ĭable Matters VGA Cable Why Cable Type Matters For A Monitor Cable Matters carries a large selection of cables in nearly every format mentioned so far. What Monitor Cable Do I Need?ĭepending on your choice of monitor cable types, you’ll need to buy a monitor cable as well. Other monitor cable types you may see included on some displays, include the legacy optical audio connector, or traditional USB-A ports to use the monitor as a USB hub. It can be useful for connecting older DVD players, or cable set top boxes.Ĭomposite – An older, lower resolution alternative to Component (though it can carry audio as well as video) this monitor cable type comes with red, white, and yellow connectors, and is largely used in older games consoles, VCRs, and set top boxes. Browse Thunderbolt CablesĬomponent – These red, green, and blue connectors are sometimes included on monitors to offer an analog video connection type that’s more capable than VGA. It can support audio, video, and data, and has some of the highest bandwidth of any monitor cable type. Thunderbolt 1 and 2 used Mini DisplayPort, where Thunderbolt 3 and 4 use USB-C. Thunderbolt – A proprietary monitor cable type that was until recently restricted to Intel-based systems, different versions of Thunderbolt used different connectors. USB-C monitors can, in some cases, also transmit power to connected laptops, while portable USB-C monitors can be powered entirely by a single USB-C from the host device. USB-C – The most versatile monitor cable type, USB-C can transmit audio, video, and data simultaneously, thanks to its support of the DisplayPort Alt Mode protocol. Since superseded by DVI, HDMI, and DisplayPort, it’s only typically found on older monitors. VGA – An older analog standard of video-only cable that gained prominence in the early ‘90s. Commonly found in DVI-D and DVI-I formats, it was also available as Mini-DVI and Micro-DVI for a time. Browse DisplayPort CablesĭVI – A video only cable type that is typically found on older monitors, desktop graphics cards, and laptops. You’ll also find the Mini DisplayPort cable type, which is a miniature version of the full-size port commonly found on laptops. DisplayPort cables have traditionally offered greater bandwidth than HDMI, though that’s not always the case. Browse HDMI CablesĭisplayPort – Another audio and video transmission cable that is more commonly found on desktop monitors. In some rare cases it’s available in mini form. HDMI – A mainstream audio and video transmission cable that’s been predominantly used on consumer TVs and monitors, games consoles, DVD and Blu-Ray players for well over a decade. The most common monitor cable types you’ll come across are: What Are The Different Monitor Cable Types? Whether you’re looking to buy a new display with a particular connector, or want to identify ones on an older screen, here’s a complete guide to monitor cable types and what they can do. Some can even handle power as well, while others let you do advanced daisy-chaining of multiple monitors on a single string of cables. Where older cables could only transmit low-resolution analog video, more modern cables can transmit digital video and audio. There have been improvements in bandwidth and reductions in latency, and hosts of new features introduced. The monitor cable types used to connect displays to desktop and laptop PCs have changed dramatically over the years. Facebook Twitter Google + LinkedIn Pinterest Email Share.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |