Do cables make a difference?

[Dropmachine]

So, I have a dual monitor setup with a 24" Dell and a 19" Viewsonic. Vid card is a1950xt.

What I want to know is, do cables make a difference in image quality? Is there a difference from VGA cables with adaptors on them to dedicated DVI cables? What about choosing the cables themselves?

Thanks

 

[Dropmachine]

Nobody knows? Really?

 

[Kirby64]

DVI will look better.

You won't see a major improvement from VGA to DVI on the 19" but the 24" should see a fairly significant increase in clarity by switching to DVI.

As for what type of cables: Just get some off monoprice.com

 

[onlyCOpunk]

Yes there is. DVI=Digital VGA=Analog Digital always trumps analog.

 

[dandragonrage]

Yes, DVI is definitely better, and I second the monoprice recommendation. I also recommend that for people still using VGA, get a nice SVGA cable from Monoprice as well. The quality IS noticible at higher resolutions - I use my monitor at 1600x1200 and the cable that came with it had ghosting while Monoprice's has been great.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Native connections are always better and provide the best quality. When you start talking about a $100 monster cable vs a $30 store brand well, I don't think I need to tell you that it's a waste of money to buy a cable for the name.

 

[Dropmachine]

Thanks for the advice. Just ordered a set of DVI gold plated (why not?) cables from monoprice. Can't wait to see what difference they make.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Originally posted by: Dropmachine
Thanks for the advice. Just ordered a set of DVI gold plated (why not?) cables from monoprice. Can't wait to see what difference they make.

Gold plating on cables has been around for quite some time, Gold conducts the electronic signal better than the typical silver plating (nickle? anyone know?). This provides better signal strength and less degredation and interference. There is not much price difference to get gold plated connectors on your cables. My point was related to branding. You can buy a store brand cable with gold connectors for say $30 (just making up a number). Would you really feel it's worth it to spend $100 on the monster cable brand because they claim to provide a better quality? Is it a $70 difference really? I wouldn't think so.

In short gold = good but overpriced name = bad (IMO)

 

[Dropmachine]

I know what you mean about the name.

There was an article somewhere comparing monster cables to no name stuff. The concensus was that as long as the cables are short, the differences are nearly invisible. Its only when the cables get longer that the differences are noticable.

The cables I ordered are 3 feet long. I think I'll be ok.

I just want to ditch the wierd circles I get in some gradients.

 

[Kirby64]

Originally posted by: cmdrdredd

Originally posted by: Dropmachine
Thanks for the advice. Just ordered a set of DVI gold plated (why not?) cables from monoprice. Can't wait to see what difference they make.

Gold plating on cables has been around for quite some time, Gold conducts the electronic signal better than the typical silver plating (nickle? anyone know?). This provides better signal strength and less degredation and interference. There is not much price difference to get gold plated connectors on your cables. My point was related to branding. You can buy a store brand cable with gold connectors for say $30 (just making up a number). Would you really feel it's worth it to spend $100 on the monster cable brand because they claim to provide a better quality? Is it a $70 difference really? I wouldn't think so.

In short gold = good but overpriced name = bad (IMO)

Actually, you're wrong about gold conducting electricity better.

Gold conducts electricity worse than copper or silver. (Maybe nickel too?) The only reason gold is used is because it is very hard to corrode in normal environments. Over time, copper/silver (silver especially) will corrode and turn into their oxide forms (Silver oxide and copper oxide) which doesn't conduct electricity well at all. Gold almost never corrodes, so it has the advantage of keeping a high electrical conductivity far longer than copper, nickel, or silver.

In reality, gold on the connectors doesn't matter very much. The gold will eventually wear off after plugged it in and out multiple times. (Because the layer of gold plating is extremely thin) Then you're left with whatever layer is underneath that. (Probably nickel or copper) Beyond that, straight up copper connections won't really corrode very fast, so unless you keep them in harsh environments (High heat, humidity, dunk them in acid...) they won't be that much worse conductivity-wise over time.

At any rate however, the gold plating for the cables on monoprice is hardly any price difference, so it doesn't matter in the end.

Just remember: Friends don't let friends buy Monster cables.