what's the difference between a DVI single and dual-link cable?

(sorry no punchline)

Hi

I have used VGA monitors for years and only switched to DVI with the purchase of my Mesh PC last year which I specced with a 7900GTX.

I recnely moved my system from under my desk to the side of it to ensure that the side and rear fans arent obstructued (as the temps went a little high last summer)

I was a little concerned about the strain on the leads so I bought USB extensions for my keyboard and mouse and ordered what I thought was an extension for my DVI (thinking about it now I should have just bought a long cable)

When said cable turned up I found it wouldn't plug into my graphics card as it had too many pins.

So before I buy another, can anyone advise what the difference between the cables and their connectors is please?

Cheers

pctechxp

Dual Link dvi is higher bandwidth, for very high res displays (30" cinema displays etc.). Nearly everything has dual link sockets, even if it isnt dual link capable.

Have you perhaps got confused with DVI-A/DVI-D connectors? A connectors have a block of 5 (may be a different number than 5) Which would make it not fit, theres a good illustration here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dvi#Connector
should be able to do a simple compare to see which you need.

Thanks herulach.

Its a DVI-I single link I need, I can see that now.

No problem, i know ive done the same thing when it first came out, its stupid to have so many connectors that arent physically compatible, unless youre a cable manufacturer of course.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by pctechxp

(sorry no punchline)

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One's fussy about what it hooks up with, the other'll hook up with anything



sorry :embarrassed:


Bringing this topic back up though because I have a question: what's actually inside those DVI to VGA converters? And how come, with some monitors, if you have the DVI converter plugged in to the VGA cable of your monitor, and you remove the whole thing from the output of your graphics card, the monitor often thinks that it's still connected? Noticed that this doesn't happen on all monitors, but a couple of my screens do that.

Dear oh dear

You're obviously a fan of the carry on films then.

You have a real interesting question there, perhaps your monitors have some sort of switch which the connector is keeping depressed and so the monitor thinks that its still connecred?

Or you may have some really strange monitors because as far as I know most obviously detect connectivity status by the presence or absence of current. unless the converter is storing some current.

Very strange.

Don't DVI to VGA converters just work as an adapter for the DVI analogue signal?

Well that's what I thought... Because all it's doing is rerouting the analogue signal, right? But you can never be too sure, can you :/

Anyway, I tried a couple of my VGA-DVI converters I have here on my older CRT, and you know how you can tell what status the monitor is in by the colour of the LED on the front - well, when I unplug the CRT from the DVI socket, the screen blanks but the light stays green, then after about twenty seconds it then flicks into the suspended mode (the mode it goes into immediately if you put the computer into suspended mode)... However, it doesn't show the "no signal" on screen message it shows if you unplug the monitor cable from the DVI converter.

If you unplug the monitor, unplug the monitor cable from the DVI converter, wait a few seconds then plug the cable back into the DVI converter (but not back into the PC), the "no signal" message disappears but the screen stays blacked out... So what gives? Very odd.

The monitor is Logix-branded - actually given to me by my neighbour because his own parents didn't need it any more. Saved my life for a year when I was at uni (with no monitor!). It's something I've noticed with other screens too (the similar pattern of behaviour when plugged into a DVI converter)... Surely there's not some sort of circuitry inside them which spoofs a graphics card output? I can't crack any of mine open because they're sealed plastic units.

I think it's something to do with having something connected full stop - I know my LG DVI/VGA monitor won't even try to switch to VGA unless there's a cable connected - even if the other end is waving about.