How much of a loss is DVI->VGA plug REALLY?

[Srezic]

Well, i thought I had set myself on the 6800GT, but I am just so drawn in by the great 7800 benchmarks. And with SLI available, it makes me drool.

Anyway, I was all set and ready to switch over to a 7800 for about 160 more than the 6800(money on the graphics card is not an issue).

I am really wondering how the data loss works in a DVI->VGA plug.

Currently I have a 17" CRT, which obviously uses a VGA plug. As far as I know, the best 7800's dont have a DVI/VGA plug option, only 2xDVI's. I know there is sometimes data loss, and a slower transfer when using a converter cable, but i'm wondering whether going from DVI on the card to VGA on my CRT would really be that much of an issue.


Opinions are appreciated!

Thanks,

~Ryan

 

[Saga]

To be completely honest I only notice ANY visible difference when I hook a CRT up to my 7800 with the VGA-DVI adapter.

I have two LCD's. A 19" Samsung 915n which ONLy has VGA, and a Dell 2005fpw. I notice NO difference in the quality when using the 7800 on maxed settings on BF2 with the Dell using DVI and the Samsung using VGA-DVI adapter. Actually, I personally don't like the bigger resolution offered by the dell, and have swapped it out for the Samsung 915n as my main gaming monitor.

 

[Deinonych]

Originally posted by: Izusaga
To be completely honest I only notice ANY visible difference when I hook a CRT up to my 7800 with the VGA-DVI adapter.

Same here. You're more likely to see ghosting or artifacting with an analog connection on a digital display (i.e. LCD) than a CRT.

 

[Saga]

There is no data loss per se. It just uses the analog portion of the digital connector. You aren't actually converting the video, you're just not fully utilizing all of the capabilities of the cable. Sort of like taking a 24 PP video card and underclocking it to 23 PP. Are you going to notice any visual difference? Probably not. Will there be a small decrease in FPS? Yes. However in the case of video I have never seen a decrease in performance or visual using the VGA-DVI adapter with LCD's.

So in essence, if you are using a LCD, the answer to your question is no.

 

[So]

The DVI/AGP adapter is just doing a pin conversion from the Analog signal already output by the DVI-I jack, so, the only loss is a fraction of an ohm of resistance added by the adapter. Assuming the adapter is properly built, there should be no noticable loss of signal quality.

 

[blckgrffn]

Originally posted by: So
The DVI/AGP adapter is just doing a pin conversion from the Analog signal already output by the DVI-I jack, so, the only loss is a fraction of an ohm of resistance added by the adapter. Assuming the adapter is properly built, there should be no noticable loss of signal quality.

Don't you wish we had the check mark for the "correct answer" here like in forum issues? That would be really nice.... Some of these questions do in fact have a correct answer, even in the Video forum

Nat

 

[Srezic]

Alright, thanks a ton for the responses.


So, I think because there is such a small loss of quality, I will end up getting the 7800 SLI(now to choose which brand heheh). Because of the 7800's increase in FPS, I dont think a few-month decrease in FPS will be even noticable.

I will eventually be getting an LCD, i'm just not sure when though(probably within 6-8 months).



Thanks again for the responses, I will have to go do my 7800 research now!

~Ryan