HDMI vs. VGA vs. DVI?

[tomminater]

Im building a new gaming computer and im figuring out which monitor to get. That's why i was wondering if there is any real difference if i connect my computer to the HDMI or VGA or DVI port. Which one is better for gaming and WHY?

 

[cl-scott]

HDMI and DVI are, for all intents and purposes, the same thing. The only difference of any note is HDMI does audio. One of those two would be preferable to VGA, since VGA is an analog signal. While LCD monitors today have made huge strides in image quality over VGA, the fact remains that the video card generates a digital signal, that then has to be converted to analog for VGA, then back to digital at the monitor. So if you look closely enough, you will be able to see a difference between VGA and DVI/HDMI.

The choice between DVI and HDMI is really just a matter of convenience. If want to run audio through speakers on the monitor, then HDMI lets you do it with only one cable instead of two (or more). Otherwise, if you have a spare DVI cable laying around, maybe that's easier, or maybe you'd prefer HDMI for whatever reason. Doesn't matter so much which, just pick one of the two: DVI or HDMI.

 

[ko888]

Get a monitor with a DVI, HDMI and DisplayPort input ports.

VGA support will be completely dropped by the major manufacturers in 2013.

DVI support will be dropped in a couple of years.

HDMI and DisplayPort are the standards that you should make sure that your new monitor supports.

 

[blazorthon]

DVI being dropped doesn't matter even if it is true because there are many DVI-D/HDMI adapting cables and they'll still be around.

 

[edogawa]

All you need to know is:

VGA: Analog
DVI/HDMI: Digital (HDMI will carry audio.)

As long as the monitor has DVI/HDMI your fine, which any modern monitor should have. You won't see any difference.

HDMI carries audio which is a plus, the latest Nvidia graphics cards have an audio pass-through to carry audio through GPU to your TV/Monitor.

If you play first person shooters get a good TN panel with 2ms response time or a 120hz monitor.

Something like this would be great: http://www.amazon.com/BenQ-XL2420T-Professional-Gaming-Monitor/dp/B006HIKIG0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1353356760&sr=8-1&keywords=benq

If you are not into first person shooters than a high-resolution IPS panel will be good(anything above 1920x1080p) for colour reproduction and clarity. Asus has plenty of great IPS monitors for sale.