Confused about cable types for monitors

[meckstroth14]

So, I just upgraded to this monitor for my PC: http://www.amazon.com/Acer-R240HY-bidx-23-8-Inch-Widescreen/dp/B0148NNKTC/ref=sr_1_3?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1458441164&sr=1-3&keywords=monitor


Some people are saying that I need an HDMI cable or something for this monitor to work. I really don't know the difference between VGA and HDMI cables or whatever other types there are. This is a picture of the current cables connecting my current monitor to my computer: http://imgur.com/oNlKYV3

Would I need to purchase any different cables for this new monitor to work?
Any help is appreciated

Sorry i'm a bit nooby when it comes to monitors 😛

 

[Solandri]

That pic looks like a DVI to VGA adapter. If you remove the cable and adapter from your computer, does the connector on the video card look like this? Then it's DVI.

http://tommynation.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/DVI-Connector-Chart-DVI-D-DVI-I-DVI-A.png

Your new Acer monitor accepts DVI, HDMI, and VGA input. So the cheapest solution is to just take your existing cable and plug it into the VGA input of the monitor.

VGA is analog and inferior to DVI and HDMI though (both digital). The picture will be slightly softer, and colors can be a bit off. You can also get interference (static or "vibration" in the image). So the best solution is to buy a DVI cable (assuming your video card has DVI out). Remove your current monitor cable and adapter, and replace it with the DVI cable.

If your video card has HDMI out, you could use that. But it'd be somewhat pointless since the only advantage of HDMI is that it can also carry sound, and as best as I can tell your monitor doesn't have built-in speakers. HDMI cables are more common though, and you may have extra one lying around the house. So that could make it a better choice than buying a DVi cable.

 

[meckstroth14]

That pic looks like a DVI to VGA adapter. If you remove the cable and adapter from your computer, does the connector on the video card look like this? Then it's DVI.

http://tommynation.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/DVI-Connector-Chart-DVI-D-DVI-I-DVI-A.png

Your new Acer monitor accepts DVI, HDMI, and VGA input. So the cheapest solution is to just take your existing cable and plug it into the VGA input of the monitor.

VGA is analog and inferior to DVI and HDMI though (both digital). The picture will be slightly softer, and colors can be a bit off. You can also get interference (static or "vibration" in the image). So the best solution is to buy a DVI cable (assuming your video card has DVI out). Remove your current monitor cable and adapter, and replace it with the DVI cable.

If your video card has HDMI out, you could use that. But it'd be somewhat pointless since the only advantage of HDMI is that it can also carry sound, and as best as I can tell your monitor doesn't have built-in speakers. HDMI cables are more common though, and you may have extra one lying around the house. So that could make it a better choice than buying a DVi cable.

Yes, the monitor is currently plugged into a DVI slot on my graphics card. I just looked and there is an HDMI spot, so if I use that I won't even need anything else plugged into my graphics card besides the hdmi spot?