PC Monitor Question

[StopTheGrays]

Which monitor type is better for gaming, analog or digital? I would think digital but if there is no difference I can pick up a cheaper monitor by going with analog.

[K Frame]

I've had both and haven't been able to tell much of a difference, but I'm not really playing the latest and most powerful games.

My suggestion is to try going to one of the big box stores and see if they have dig & ana monitors set up in their gaming area.

[AJ Dual]

If you're going to buy a large high-quality monitor, and you intend to keep it through a few computer systems, or through a lot of upgrading I would go with a digital monitor as the analog SVGA/XGA port will eventualy fall by the wayside over the next few years.

The analog output from an older video card has to be converted into digital by the flat-panel, so the PC takes digital video data, converts it into an analog signal meant for a CRT monitor, and then the LCD panel has to read the signal, and decide digitaly where to place the pixels.

So you can see how the whole thing is rather Rube-Goldberg, but in practice most people won't notice the difference. However, all-digital video to an LCD is a bit crisper, and the pixels have a better response time, since there's no lag for analog-to-digital conversion.

[StopTheGrays]

If you're going to buy a large high-quality monitor, and you intend to keep it through a few computer systems, or through a lot of upgrading I would go with a digital monitor as the analog SVGA/XGA port will eventualy fall by the wayside over the next few years.

The analog output from an older video card has to be converted into digital by the flat-panel, so the PC takes digital video data, converts it into an analog signal meant for a CRT monitor, and then the LCD panel has to read the signal, and decide digitaly where to place the pixels.

So you can see how the whole thing is rather Rube-Goldberg, but in practice most people won't notice the difference. However, all-digital video to an LCD is a bit crisper, and the pixels have a better response time, since there's no lag for analog-to-digital conversion.

Thanks for the info. FWIW- My PC has an ATI Radeon X600 (256 RAM) with both analog and DVI outs on it.

[Iain]

I'm usually the last person to make statements about 'needing' the upgrade, usually I can't tell the difference between two stereo systems. But, when I got my digital monitor it came without a DVI cable so I just used the analogue for the first couple of months despite having a DVI capable card. I then borrowed a DVI cable and  went right out and bought one. I'd noticed a grainy flickering in the menu of QIII (black background) which the DVI cable 'cured'. Maybe not a big deal, but then I didn't spend big money on the DVI cable, which I'm sure some will claim was a mistake.