Dual Monitors, Best Way To Connect?

[CastleRice]

I have 2 Asus VG248QE monitors on the way and this is going to be my first time doing a dual monitor set-up.

I have an EVGA GeForce GTX 780 Dual FTW with ACX Cooler graphics card.

The graphics card has one DVI-I, DVI-D, and HDMI port. (Also has a Display Port, but I don't think I'd be using that).

My question is what would be the best way to set-up these monitors? I always thought HDMI was the best choice, but after some research, DVI is the same in terms of Video quality. I was thinking of connecting my main monitor to HDMI and my second monitor to DVI-D. What do you guys think?

 

[ronintexas]

HDMI and DVI are identical signals for video - the HDMI just combines the audio connection into the cable. If you aren't using the audio on the monitors, DVI and HDMI are the same thing - I would go with the least expensive cable....(If you have them already - utilize what you have first).

 

[Kari]

hdmi can't transmit 1080@120Hz or 144Hz so you'll need to use dual link DVI or DP to get the best out of the monitors. If both dvis on the card are dual link variants that would be nice... (DVI-I / DVI-D doesn't really matter as such, both carry digital signals which are needed)

 

[CastleRice]

hdmi can't transmit 1080@120Hz or 144Hz so you'll need to use dual link DVI or DP to get the best out of the monitors. If both dvis on the card are dual link variants that would be nice... (DVI-I / DVI-D doesn't really matter as such, both carry digital signals which are needed)

So I'm thinking that I can buy a DVI-D dual link cable and hook it up to my main monitor.

Then I can hook up my second monitor with a DisplayPort Cable.

If this is the best way to set up my monitors, then will these two cables do the job?

http://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-Gold-Plated-DisplayPort/dp/B005H3Q59U/ref=lh_ni_t?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A1AMUYYA3CT6HJ

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000X0VCY/ref=gno_cart_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

 

[James Mason]

Display port is actually an improved version of HDMI (more or less) that has a higher max resolution and also supports audio. The difference between DVI-I and DVI-D is that DVI-D is necessary for monitors that have two monitor panels inside them to get a bigger/wider screen (it's complicated and you can't actually tell there is two panels in there anyways) the monitors themselves will determine what connection they want.

And yes those cables should work, assuming your PC is right under your desk or right on the side of it, the cables are only 6 feet long, which is perfectly fine unless your computer is far away from your desk, or you do extensive cable management (tying them all up to be orderly ect).

You could also do a HDMI and DisplayPort cable so you can get sound coming from either monitor.

 

[CastleRice]

Display port is actually an improved version of HDMI (more or less) that has a higher max resolution and also supports audio. The difference between DVI-I and DVI-D is that DVI-D is necessary for monitors that have two monitor panels inside them to get a bigger/wider screen (it's complicated and you can't actually tell there is two panels in there anyways) the monitors themselves will determine what connection they want.

And yes those cables should work, assuming your PC is right under your desk or right on the side of it, the cables are only 6 feet long, which is perfectly fine unless your computer is far away from your desk, or you do extensive cable management (tying them all up to be orderly ect).

You could also do a HDMI and DisplayPort cable so you can get sound coming from either monitor.

I have a 5.1 sound system set up, so I don't use the speakers in the monitor, haha.

And yes, my computer is going on the floor next to my desk so that I can fit both monitors on my table. This helped a lot! Thank you!

 

[k1114]

Saying dp is an improved version of hdmi is like saying the ps4 is an improved version of a xbox 360. Dp and hdmi are developed by different companies and are really rivals. And hdmi is pushing out new versions to keep up.

 

[James Mason]

Saying dp is an improved version of hdmi is like saying the ps4 is an improved version of a xbox 360. Dp and hdmi are developed by different companies and are really rivals. And hdmi is pushing out new versions to keep up.

Okay yeah technically, but currently, DP is the better technology until HDMI 2.0, and then DP 2.0, ect. HDMI runs higher resolutions slower (but for 1080P it's fine), and they're the same price basically.

Oh and one more thing, your new monitors should be coming with HDMI and DVI cables as well, so you might not need to buy any... I hope it's not too late.

 

[k1114]

Hdmi has never and will never be better. Hdmi 2.0 just brings it up to current dp 1.2 but in a couple months dp 1.3 will be out and be almost double the bandwidth and support 8k. It's not a fair battle.

 

[CastleRice]

Saying dp is an improved version of hdmi is like saying the ps4 is an improved version of a xbox 360. Dp and hdmi are developed by different companies and are really rivals. And hdmi is pushing out new versions to keep up.

Okay yeah technically, but currently, DP is the better technology until HDMI 2.0, and then DP 2.0, ect. HDMI runs higher resolutions slower (but for 1080P it's fine), and they're the same price basically.

Oh and one more thing, your new monitors should be coming with HDMI and DVI cables as well, so you might not need to buy any... I hope it's not too late.

Just to ease your mind, no, I haven't bought the cables yet, haha. I will wait until the monitors arrive then look into these cables if I need them.

 

[Kari]

HDMI runs higher resolutions slower (but for 1080P it's fine),

no it is not if you want to use the monitors like they are meant to be used at 120/144Hz, HDMI simply wont do it...

also the difference between DVI-I and DVI-D is that I-version has both digital and analog signals in it (so you can use simple adapters for VGA (D-Sub15)) while D-version is purely digital.

Dual headed monitors are currently using Display Port connections and the Multi Stream tech inherent to DP to transmit info to the 2 screens, not DVI-D...

 

[James Mason]

Why is everyone suddenly forgetting I previously said DP is better than HDMI >_>
And I currently use two monitors with display port cables as well...

I didn't go into the exact specifics of how HDMI works because that would be a waste of time.