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Best way to plug a monitor and tv to my desktop.

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  • Monitors
  • Cable
  • HDMI
  • Graphics
Last response: in Graphics & Displays
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November 18, 2013 12:05:19 PM

Hi. This might be a dumb or newby question but Im a little confused and searching hasn't yielded any answers tailored to my particular predicament.

I purchased a 25 foot hdmi cable to go from my computer to my tv, I currently already have a 6 foot or so hdmi cable connecting my pc to my monitor (all through gfx card obviously, its a 7870 XFX). So now I have 2 hdmi cables I need to connect to a graphics card with only one hdmi slot. It's obvious probably that I didnt think this one through. I don't want to have to unplug/plug the cables manually everytime I want to switch displays so what do I do?

Purchase some kind of hdmi to something adapter and utilize the other display ports on my card? Get an hdmi splitter (probably not a good option) or what?

(The gfx card has 2 tiny ports, not sure if they're micro hdmi or what they're called but I could get an adapter to switch my hdmi to those connectors right? I'm not sure what these ports are even called though, or if they're the same quality as hdmi)


Thanks for the responses.

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a b C Monitor
November 18, 2013 12:11:36 PM

Those little ports are mini display port, and have both sound and display, and can be chained. Display port is better than HDMI. You should have two other DVI ports, which are exactly the same quality as hdmi, but don't carry sound.

Just so you know, there really isn't any worry when it comes to video connection "quality" any more. As long as it's not VGA, you're fine. Display port and Thunderbolt have the bandwidth to be able to chain multiple displays to each other, but that requires displays that support that.
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November 18, 2013 12:24:54 PM

DarkSable said:
Those little ports are mini display port, and have both sound and display, and can be chained. Display port is better than HDMI. You should have two other DVI ports, which are exactly the same quality as hdmi, but don't carry sound.

Just so you know, there really isn't any worry when it comes to video connection "quality" any more. As long as it's not VGA, you're fine. Display port and Thunderbolt have the bandwidth to be able to chain multiple displays to each other, but that requires displays that support that.


Hmm. I always though mini display port was like an apple thing. I've never had to fool with displays before.

So to the other guy who linked the newegg item and to you would something like this work?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B002HU629E/ref=mp_s_a_1_6...

By the way, not going to be using the displays at the same time, just going to switch the main display between the two occasionally, I can do that with the adapter and having them both plugged in right?

Again sorry for the dumb questions, thanks for the help.
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a b C Monitor
November 18, 2013 12:27:58 PM

Nope, thunderbolt is the apple thing; display port is just really cool tech.

No, that would not work; that's mini display port to VGA... you need mini display port to HDMI, since you already have that cable.

Yes, you can do that with the adapter and both of them plugged in no problem.
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November 18, 2013 12:30:50 PM

DarkSable said:
Nope, thunderbolt is the apple thing; display port is just really cool tech.

No, that would not work; that's mini display port to VGA... you need mini display port to HDMI, since you already have that cable.

Yes, you can do that with the adapter and both of them plugged in no problem.


Apologies. Linked the wrong one.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B008X6C4I4/ref=mp_s_a_1_4...

I hate to pay over 7 bucks for an adapter (my cable was only like 7.25) but I guess it's the best option.
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a b C Monitor
November 18, 2013 12:37:14 PM

That should work fine, yeah.

You could also just pick up a cheap DVI cable to run to your monitor, unless your only source of sound are the speakers built into your monitor.
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November 18, 2013 1:59:42 PM

DarkSable said:
That should work fine, yeah.

You could also just pick up a cheap DVI cable to run to your monitor, unless your only source of sound are the speakers built into your monitor.


Yeah I get sound and picture from my hdmi.
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a b C Monitor
November 18, 2013 4:35:17 PM

vgamedude said:
DarkSable said:
Nope, thunderbolt is the apple thing; display port is just really cool tech.

No, that would not work; that's mini display port to VGA... you need mini display port to HDMI, since you already have that cable.

Yes, you can do that with the adapter and both of them plugged in no problem.


Apologies. Linked the wrong one.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B008X6C4I4/ref=mp_s_a_1_4...

I hate to pay over 7 bucks for an adapter (my cable was only like 7.25) but I guess it's the best option.

This should definitely work! Buy it and tell us how it goes!

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