How do you connect self-built gaming pc to a monitor?

[davidbsmih12]

I just built a gaming pc and it was my first build. How do I connect it to a monitor? Is it through the motherboard or graphics card? If through the motherboard, what is the connection on the graphics card for?

 

[bignastyid]

You will want to connect or main monitor to the Gpu. The motherboard port is for those who aren't using a dedicated gpu or want to run extra monitors from a source other than the dedicated gpu.

 

[littleleo]

If you are not using a discrete video card you use the connection off the motherboard where the I/O shield you installed in the back of the case is. If you want better graphics you'll use a discrete VGA card and hook the monitor to it directly. Usually when you plug in a video card it disables the onboard video port but in some cases you may go into the BIOS and set the 1st Graphic device to PEG (PCI-E Graphic card).