MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
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Sorting out my home office and trying to decide how best to connect external monitors.
One monitor is using the HDMI port via a VGA connector. I also have a couple of USB C ports and mini display port. Is there any practical difference between the two? I'm not gaming or photo editing or doing anything that requires great quality. I don't currently have cables for either. Is there anything else to consider?
Or should i just buy a shiny 4k monitor to go with 4k laptop screen so i don't have to keep messing about with the resolution and text size?
Personal experience
1. Check your USB-C support video, some do, some don't (mine didn't 🙁 ), or possibly it was because I was trying to do it via a USB-C dock, I forget now, it was last year sometime.
2. I have not yet managed to get my mini display port to work, 2 different cables (mini DP - HDMI) & 3 different monitors
Luckily I was only trying it because it was a "nice if this works, not a disaster if it doesn't"
This was on a now 14 month old laptop.
How are you getting an analogue VGA out of the computer to a digital HDMI on the monitor or am I misunderstanding?
Displayport should not cause any issues with the right adapter. We use them into monitors, projectors and seamless switchers with no issues. The adapters we use will support HDMI, DVI and VGA out.
Running 3 monitors at the moment with one of them connected via a little Kensington DisplayLink adaptor that goes from (normal) USB on laptop to DisplayPort on monitor. I have a similar one at home that goes from USB to DVI. So that's always a handy option to consider.
VGA is lower quality I believe. We use USB-C now at work for everything, but that goes to a docking station and then connects to two monitors via HDMI. Some people do a lot of video or photo analysis so quality is required there. No complaints that I've heard.
Docking stations are great when they work.
I would always have two screens over one flashy one
Short answer: It doesn't matter unless you're into really high-end applications. The single best thing you can do here is get shut of the VGA component and use something else - VGA is analogue so you're converting a digital signal to analogue and back to digital again, which is a bit silly.
Longer answer: USB-C in and of itself isn't a display standard, but it can be used to transport HDMI or DisplayPort signalling (and a bunch of other stuff). You're not gaining anything here over the other two, at best it's the same standard, and it may in fact be restricting bandwidth.
DisplayPort may be higher bandwidth than HDMI but this really depends on what version of each you've got in your laptop, they're constantly evolving. In any case, as I said, this is unlikely to be a concern unless you're driving multiple screens at 4K or more.
HDMI has features more targeted at the AV world, so things like CEC (where one device can control another, like turning up the volume or switching on). DisplayPort by contrast is aimed at computer users so you can do things like daisy-chain four screens together over one DP port.
TL;DR - In theory DisplayPort > HDMI > USB-C > DVI-D > VGA, in practice it's unlikely to matter for most users. Just kill VGA with fire.
How are you getting an analogue VGA out of the computer to a digital HDMI on the monitor or am I misunderstanding?
Bad phrasing on my part, one monitor is plugged into the HDMI port on the laptop via a HDMI to VGA converter.
TL;DR – In theory DisplayPort > HDMI > USB-C > DVI-D > VGA, in practice it’s unlikely to matter for most users. Just kill VGA with fire.
One of the existing monitors only has a VGA input (as do pretty much all the hot desks in the office I go to so i already have the adaptor), so it's that or lose a monitor.
Wow. Not even DVI?
I think the last time I saw a VGA-only monitor it was a CRT.
Or should i just buy a shiny 4k monitor to go with 4k laptop screen so i don’t have to keep messing about with the resolution and text size?
Yes - but bear in mind unless its 32" or above you will likely need to resize to 125%
There's very little difference between connectors. HDMI is pretty ubiquitous - and is fine for signal quality - it's not the strongest or most robust connector mind but unlikely to trouble you.
DisplayPort > HDMI > USB-C > DVI-D > VGA
I'd roughly go with that - certainly in terms of legacy. Display port has sort of farted itself into existence but it does have a good locking feature which HDMI doesn't have.
Wait. The ones at work, do they "only have VGA" or do they only have VGA cables? There's probably an unused DVI port sitting on the back of them (and HDMI > DVI conversion is trivial).
Yes – but bear in mind unless its 32″ or above you will likely need to resize to 125%
Should've gone to Specsavers. (-:
Yes – but bear in mind unless its 32″ or above you will likely need to resize to 125%
When not plugged into a monitor i have 4k on my 15.6" laptop screen 😀
Wait. The ones at work, do they “only have VGA”
They only have VGA/D-sub ports, as does one of my monitors at home. I was told to not let my HDMI to VGA connector out of my sight!
https://www.lg.com/za/monitors/lg-W2243S-PF-widescreen-computer-monitor
Should’ve gone to Specsavers. (-:
Getting that way.
My 27" Dell AIO 4K job is a bit on the keen side.
When not plugged into a monitor i have 4k on my 15.6″ laptop screen
That's not right - spidey vision.
That monitor is like 10 years old as far as I can gather. It owes you nowt, I'd be fixing it with a new one.
Why does it matter whether a screen is connected to the laptop or not? Are you mirroring the display? Extending it instead should avoid you having to touch resolution / display settings.
If the laptop is set at 4k then the text size needs to be 200%, this means only about 3 words fit on the external monitor.
USB-C to HDMI adaptor did the trick. Can eek a bit more life out these monitors yet.
Look away now if mismatched screens offend!
That monitor is like 10 years old as far as I can gather. It owes you nowt, I’d be fixing it with a new one.
If it works and performs well enough for the OP why would you create more landfill?
1 of my monitors is an old Sony 19" 4:3, it must be at least 12 years old, it works perfectly fine and actually gives quite a decent picture on DVI.
Wow. Not even DVI?
I think the last time I saw a VGA-only monitor it was a CRT.
London Cycling Campaign office bought some LG monitors *in the last 6 months* that are VGA only - I was dumbfounded when I tried to connect to them and found that was the only connection, amazing that anyone is still building them. DVI superseded VGA 20 years ago FFS.