VGA to DVI converter doesn't work with DELL monitors?

[XiZiT]

Hey guys, I just bought a VGA Only Radeon 9600 Sapphire card but have a DVI cable connected with my 1702fp DELL LCD. I bought a VGA to DVI converter to connect my VGA card with the DVI converter but the monitor doesn't recognize it. Tried it with another DELL monitor too, doesn't work. Any reason?

 

[kyparrish]

I've heard of people using DVI video cards with an adaptor to a VGA monitor, but haven't heard of people using VGA output videocards to a monitor that's DVI....can you get a new video card?

 

[darkswordsman17]

Is that possible? I don't think that it can convert an analog signal to digital like that or can it?

Why don't you just use a VGA cable? Since its starting as an analog signal, its not like you're gaining anything by having it go through DVI.

 

[Matthias99]

Originally posted by: XiZiT
Hey guys, I just bought a VGA Only Radeon 9600 Sapphire card but have a DVI cable connected with my 1702fp DELL LCD. I bought a VGA to DVI converter to connect my VGA card with the DVI converter but the monitor doesn't recognize it. Tried it with another DELL monitor too, doesn't work. Any reason?

There's no such thing as a "VGA to DVI converter". DVI-I->VGA adapters just move some pins around on a DVI-I output to give you a VGA output. You can't actually change a DVI-D signal into VGA or vice versa without a VERY expensive transcoder.

 

[XiZiT]

Originally posted by: Matthias99

There's no such thing as a "VGA to DVI converter". DVI-I->VGA adapters just move some pins around on a DVI-I output to give you a VGA output. You can't actually change a DVI-D signal into VGA or vice versa without a VERY expensive transcoder.

You're right, its an adapter not converter. But why isn't my Dell monitor allowing the adapter to work? I just bought it at A&R, so it's not total crap.

And the reason I want to use it is because its a Radeon 9600 Sapphire 128mb card (which i got for only $70) so it's a nice card. Is there any noticeable difference between DVI and VGA?

 

[CSMR]

Er, think for a moment.
What is the card outputing, analog or digital?
What is the monitor input expecting, analog or digital?
You should see the problem.

 

[XiZiT]

Originally posted by: CSMR
Er, think for a moment.
What is the card outputing, analog or digital?
What is the monitor input expecting, analog or digital?
You should see the problem.

But what's the point of an adapter than? I bought it so the monitor can accept the VGA into its DVI port?
Ah, I guess it'll be easier to just buy a VGA cable, but again what is the noticeable diff between the two anyway?

 

[Matthias99]

Originally posted by: XiZiT

Originally posted by: CSMR
Er, think for a moment.
What is the card outputing, analog or digital?
What is the monitor input expecting, analog or digital?
You should see the problem.

But what's the point of an adapter than? I bought it so the monitor can accept the VGA into its DVI port?

We're trying to explaing that there is no way to possibly hook it up like that. You have a VGA-only card, and so you have to use VGA. The adapter is so you can take a videocard with DVI-I out and hook it up to a monitor with a VGA input.

Ah, I guess it'll be easier to just buy a VGA cable, but again what is the noticeable diff between the two anyway?

DVI is better (at least theoretically), because it's a digital signal feeding a digital display (rather than going digital->analog->digital with VGA). Why did you buy a video card without DVI out if you have an LCD monitor with DVI in?

 

[XiZiT]

Originally posted by: Matthias99

Originally posted by: XiZiT

Originally posted by: CSMR
Er, think for a moment.
What is the card outputing, analog or digital?
What is the monitor input expecting, analog or digital?
You should see the problem.

But what's the point of an adapter than? I bought it so the monitor can accept the VGA into its DVI port?

We're trying to explaing that there is no way to possibly hook it up like that. You have a VGA-only card, and so you have to use VGA. The adapter is so you can take a videocard with DVI-I out and hook it up to a monitor with a VGA input.

Ah, I guess it'll be easier to just buy a VGA cable, but again what is the noticeable diff between the two anyway?

DVI is better (at least theoretically), because it's a digital signal feeding a digital display (rather than going digital->analog->digital with VGA). Why did you buy a video card without DVI out if you have an LCD monitor with DVI in?

Point #1, I understand what you're saying about the VGA to DVI thing, but at any computer store they sell both a DVI card > VGA Monitor and VGA card > DVI Monitor adapter, I specifically told them I have a VGA card that I need to hook up to a DVI monitor and that is what they gave me.

Point #2, I bought this card at a substantially lower price then the retail, and I figured I can just convert VGA to DVI, but I guess not.... in fact, something about this card is making my PC freeze some apps, maybe a coincidence though.

 

[batmanuel]

LCD flat panels have a DVI-D inputs on them, which means that they ONLY accept digital signals. The convertor that you have works with a DVI-I connector on a graphics card. DVI-I ports carry both a digital video signal and an analog video signal. The adaptor you have is designed to adapt the DVI-A pins in the DVI-I port so they can be connected to a monitor with a VGA connection (usually a CRT). Since your monitor has a digital-only DVI-D input you can't use the adapter to do what you want to do.

The monitor you have should also have an analog VGA plug in next to the DVI-D. All you need to get is the necessary cable to connect that VGA port to the port on your card. Most computers stores ought to have those cables. Also, since Dell usually sends out both DVI and VGA cables with their dual input LCD monitors, there are very likely quite a few 2001FP and 2005FPW owners on eBay or FS/FT that are just using the DVI cable and would be willing to sell their VGA cables for a few bucks, if you didn't want to pay full retail for a cable.

 

[XiZiT]

Originally posted by: batmanuel
LCD flat panels have a DVI-D inputs on them, which means that they ONLY accept digital signals. The convertor that you have works with a DVI-I connector on a graphics card. DVI-I ports carry both a digital video signal and an analog video signal. The adaptor you have is designed to adapt the DVI-A pins in the DVI-I port so they can be connected to a monitor with a VGA connection (usually a CRT). Since your monitor has a digital-only DVI-D input you can't use the adapter to do what you want to do.

The monitor you have should also have an analog VGA plug in next to the DVI-D. All you need to get is the necessary cable to connect that VGA port to the port on your card. Most computers stores ought to have those cables. Also, since Dell usually sends out both DVI and VGA cables with their dual input LCD monitors, there are very likely quite a few 2001FP and 2005FPW owners on eBay or FS/FT that are just using the DVI cable and would be willing to sell their VGA cables for a few bucks, if you didn't want to pay full retail for a cable.

Ok thanks for further clarifying the situation. Buying the cable is not a problem, it just stinks that I dropped $80 on this video card and won't be able to use it with my PC (I'd prefer to keep my DVI GeForce 4200 and sell the VGA Radeon 9600).

 

[Matthias99]

Point #1, I understand what you're saying about the VGA to DVI thing, but at any computer store they sell both a DVI card > VGA Monitor and VGA card > DVI Monitor adapter, I specifically told them I have a VGA card that I need to hook up to a DVI monitor and that is what they gave me.

Then they're idiots (or they're trying to rip you off). The only way a "VGA card -> DVI monitor" adapter could work is if your monitor has a DVI-I input, which no current LCD monitors do (every one I've ever seen has a separate DVI-D and VGA input).

They sold you a cable like this, right? This is a DVI-I->VGA cable, which will not convert VGA to DVI-D. Because no monitors take DVI-I in, the only thing it is useful for is going from a video card with DVI-I out to a monitor with a VGA input.

 

[XiZiT]

Originally posted by: Matthias99

They sold you a cable like this, right? This is a DVI-I->VGA cable, which will not convert VGA to DVI-D. Because no monitors take DVI-I in, the only thing it is useful for is going from a video card with DVI-I out to a monitor with a VGA input.

No,
THIS is what they sold me or maybe this. Both of which I see is not what I needed.

 

[Matthias99]

Originally posted by: XiZiT

Originally posted by: Matthias99

They sold you a cable like this, right? This is a DVI-I->VGA cable, which will not convert VGA to DVI-D. Because no monitors take DVI-I in, the only thing it is useful for is going from a video card with DVI-I out to a monitor with a VGA input.

No,
THIS is what they sold me.

That's the same thing, just as an adapter block rather than a cable. :disgust: