DVI vs VGA vs HDMI need advice

[mastermind1297]

I have a 20" monitor with max resolution of 1600x900.

My video card is an 8600gt with two DVI outputs.

The problem is that my monitor only has a VGA or a HDMI input.

Currently I have the VGA hooked up through a DVI to VGA adapter and my question
is if spending 30+ dollars on a DVI to HDMI would give a quality improvement for some
gameplay or movie watching?

 

[gamerk316]

DVI and HDMI use the same exact signal, the only difference is the input. (Im surprised the card didn't come with a DVI/HDMI Converter...)

DVI/HDMI are digital and VGA is analog, so DVI/HDMI will generally give a clearer picture.

 

[Kewlx25]

HDMI signal can be encrypted and will be required to watch any HD videos on your computer

edit: you can still watch a HD video with no HDMI, but Windows will down-convert the stream to lower quality, so it won't be HD anymore.

 

[BroHamBone]

i think this is what you may need

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812191031&cm_re=dvi_to_hdmi_adapter-_-12-191-031-_-Product

 

[KidHorn]

My experience is there's not much difference between VGA and DVI. I know many people say DVI is better because it's digital, but my own experience is I can't tell much of a difference.

Also DVI and HDMI can look different. I had a LCD TV hooked up via DVI on my cable box and when I switched to HDMI, it looked better. Who knows why. Maybe it was the cables or TV circuitry. The only way to know is try each one and see for yourself.

 

[mastermind1297]

Best answer selected by mastermind1297.

 

[elaidlejr]

I couldn't disagree more. I'm a web designer and gamer. If the PC-end is VGA, you'd definitely see a quality difference in your picture by going DVI to HDMI. I can't say the difference will be as dramatic as mine was, but I bet you'll notice.

Example: I have a 42" TV with VGA and HDMI hook-up. My GFX cards (Nvidia GTX260, 8800GT) both show improvements.

HDMI-VGA: At it's native resolution it looked good and text was legible from a distance for the most part.

HDMI-DVI: I got a new cable from a friend and thought I'd try it out. I hadn't done anything like this before and thought the results would be something like hooking up S-Video or something, so I didn't expect much. When I booted up Windows (Vista at the time) and saw the login I literally said "W...T....-" My eyes got bigger as I logged in and saw how vibrant and crisp everything was. Small text, previously illegible, was easily seen from across the room.

*If you can get it locally, don't be afraid to try it out and return it if it isn't satisfactory.