Computer

HDMI, DisplayPort, mini DP, USB-C, DVI, which one is better for your monitor?

For this reason, today we are going to see the different types of connectors for a monitor, which ones are used, which ones are not, and of course, which one is best suited to our PC.

HDMI

This type of connector has become the one that usually comes by default in the vast majority of monitors on the market (unless it is an exceptionally low-end model, of course). This type of connector has been going through different versions which, although they are all compatible with each other, have improved certain functionalities of this connector on the monitor. The main improvement is in the possibility of employ VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) on the monitor, instead of always having the same fixed vertical refresh rate on our screen. Although this functionality did not begin to be applied until the arrival of revision 1.4 of this connector. The most modern version is HDMI 2.0.

If in a monitor we have only the HDMI connectorplus the other two above (either one of them or both at the same time), the best connector what you can use is HDMI. That, apart, has the advantage of being able to receive the audio signal from the computer.

HDMI-2.1

Mini-HDMI

It is much less used than its older brother, but there are some monitors on the market that use it, although due to the push of the larger version it does not seem to have much time left to live as such, and even less if we take into account that it is not supporting the latest standards in terms of versions and speed.

Although it must be named, because some of you need to know the port, either for personal or professional reasons in your sector.

display port

The DisplayPort connector was supposed to be the replacement for the HDMI connector for computer monitors, whether desktop or laptop. However, its initial price made its initial acceptance quite restricted and, therefore, its arrival in this world is still quite limited. This type of connector for the monitor was the first to support the VRRas well as HDR10.

A peculiar feature of the DisplayPort standard is that it allows concatenate the connection of several monitors, being only the first of them connected to our computer. Of course, it is necessary for the monitor to have both an input connector for DisplayPort and an output connector.

In general, if your monitor supports HDMI and DisplayPort, the Better option is that you use the connector display port. Even more so if it is a gaming monitor with high vertical image refresh rates and compatible with AMD FreeSync or NVIDIA G-SYNC.

DisplayPort Header 2.0 UHBR

mini-DisplayPort connector

This connector is no more than a Reduced version in connector size display port original. It was initially developed by Apple for its laptops, although it is currently being developed simultaneously with the full-size DisplayPort connector.

USB-C

This type of connector is a fairly recent arrival on the computer monitor market. In performance, it is very Similary to connector display port that we have seen above. And it also allows the concatenation of monitors that the DisplayPort standard allows. But its advantage over the rest of the connectors that we have seen before is that this type of connector is capable of feed also to Monitor. This allows users to have fewer cables to deal with at their desk, should they want to connect a second monitorto your personal computer.

Currently, there are not many monitors or graphics cards that support the USB-C standard in them. And these types of connectors are usually only seen on fairly high-end monitors.

USB-C cable

Disused types of monitor connectors

As we explained at the beginning, there are connectors that in the vast majority of cases are no longer used and some have even stopped being implemented in the industry, leaving only a few models in production that are already more than veterans.

But there are users and companies that need them because there are PCs or GPUs that are in them that must include one of these monitor connectors to continue working, since this is closely linked to a certain program and machinery in the vast majority of cases.

vga

Probably the oldest connector in use on today’s monitors. This connector was already used with the old CRT-type monitors. The kind of sign that you receive from the graphics card is analog (It is the only connector that still uses analog signal) and must be transformed into digital by the monitor itself. The image resulting from this transformation lacks a lot definitionand should be avoided by enthusiasts at all costs.

Connector-VGA

DVI and its versions

This connector should have replaced the VGA connector years ago, but it took a long time to implement. The sign of video you receive is digital full and maximum resolution that it is capable of representing is 2560 x 1600 pixels (if a Single Link cable is used) or 3840 x 2400 pixels (if a Dual Link cable is used).

Even so, it is a type of connector that suffer quite with the rates vertical Refreshment, to the point that, for resolutions higher than WQXGA, the maximum vertical refresh rate is 60 Hz, while for WQUXGA resolution, the maximum rate is only 30 Hz.

DVI differences

A disadvantage of the DVI connector is that it is not able to receive the sound signal on the monitor as well. The DVI connector can be used perfectly in monitors whose resolution does not exceed WQXGA, although it is more common to see it in monitors with full HD resolution.

The connector Micro-DVI it was so residual that, honestly, it did not arrive as such in our country in volume and everything that came was imported. In fact, the industry quickly pushed it out of the market, but as in the case of Mini HDMI, it had to be named.

DVI connectors differences

What are the best connectors to use with our PC monitor?

In general, we can tell you that both the VGA and DVI connectors are outdated connectors, so it is better that you do not use them. The HDMI It is a good all-terrain connector that will serve you very well in almost all circumstances.

USB-C, at the moment, is a fairly niche connector, which we don’t know if it will end up becoming very popular. So, the best connector to use with your monitor is the DisplayPort, in case you have it. In the case of lacking this, the HDMI connector will serve you perfectly.

Connectors-monitor-for-PC

Keep in mind that in most cases these last two are present in almost all monitors and in fact VESA specifies different uses for each of them. In terms of performance, DisplayPort is superior to HDMI, at least in its last two versions of the standard when comparing DisplayPort 2.0 vs HDMI 2.1 as such.

The first is focused exclusively on PC, while the second is off-road. Due to the market niche in which we find ourselves, DisplayPort is the way to go if what you want is the best performance in any scenario, leaving HDMI for consoles and other less demanding devices.

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *