BNC cables? "High Quality" VGA cables?

[brikis98]

I just got a 24" widescreen CRT (fw900) and heard that the image quality could be improved by using either a "high quality" VGA (D-sub) cable or VGA -> BNC cables (as this monitor has BNC hookups).

1. How can you tell between a "high quality" VGA (D-sub) cable and a not-so-high quality cable?
2. Would there be any perceptable difference using either of these?

I run the monitor at 1900x1200 and use my computer for games (FEAR, HL2, Oblivion), DVDs, photoshop, etc.

 

[Peter]

With BNC cable, you'll get slightly better shielding of the signals against each other, but you'll lose the monitor plug&play. So before you do it, install the monitor's specific .INF "driver" file (just a descriptive file, actually).

But usually, today's VGA cables are quite well made too, so it'll hardly make a difference. I wouldn't bother.

 

[brikis98]

Originally posted by: Peter
With BNC cable, you'll get slightly better shielding of the signals against each other, but you'll lose the monitor plug&play. So before you do it, install the monitor's specific .INF "driver" file (just a descriptive file, actually).

But usually, today's VGA cables are quite well made too, so it'll hardly make a difference. I wouldn't bother.

thx for the reponse. i do have the monitor drivers installed, but i think the VGA cable is at least 4 years old.

any1 else have experience with this, esp at high resolutions?

 

[Golgatha]

Originally posted by: brikis98

Originally posted by: Peter
With BNC cable, you'll get slightly better shielding of the signals against each other, but you'll lose the monitor plug&play. So before you do it, install the monitor's specific .INF "driver" file (just a descriptive file, actually).

But usually, today's VGA cables are quite well made too, so it'll hardly make a difference. I wouldn't bother.

thx for the reponse. i do have the monitor drivers installed, but i think the VGA cable is at least 4 years old.

any1 else have experience with this, esp at high resolutions?

Colors and clarity of the picture seemed better on my old Eizo T766 monitor. I gamed with it at 1920x1440 and it was awesome. ATI has a utility in CCC to set the maxium resolution and refresh when using BNC cables. It will default to 60Hz at first and you'll have to set it back with every driver version you upgrade to. Takes less than 30sec to do this though once you've done it a time or two. When I had a nVidia 7800GT, I just used a little program called Refresh Force to get the monitor to refresh at it's maximum rate correctly.

Refresh Force Homepage Link

Disclaimer: I have Monster Cable VGA to BNC and custom DVI-A to BNC cables I could sell you.

 

[Peter]

Exactly this manual setting of resolution and refresh rate is why you need the monitor's specific driver. Else you'd be able to set parameters that the monitor doesn't support. From the obvious and harmless effect of losing the display, this might also damage the monitor - permanently.

 

[Golgatha]

Originally posted by: Peter
Exactly this manual setting of resolution and refresh rate is why you need the monitor's specific driver. Else you'd be able to set parameters that the monitor doesn't support. From the obvious and harmless effect of losing the display, this might also damage the monitor - permanently.

The INI file just makes it more convenient to use Refresh Force or ATI's built-in utility. You can use either of them with the generic Windows VGA driver however as long as you know the limitations of your monitor. That said, I used the INI just because I liked seeing Eizo T766 on Radeon blah blah blah under video properties.