Spring RTS Engine

looking at monitors and TVs again, something lolhuge to connect to my comp and use as a second monitor.

my graphics card is okay; GeForce 9600 GSO. (bought it about 6 months ago, for $80... all i really cared about at that point was running spring, which it does, very very nicely.)

however, it only has DVI-D and S-video output.

i'm looking at TVs and monitors, many of them use only HDMI and S-video and RCA inputs, im having trouble finding one that uses a DVI-D input.

my options here appear to be :
1) buy a TV/Monitor, and use either the DVI-D or S-Video connector.
2) buy a TV/Monitor and use a DVI-D to HDMI conversion cable.
3) buy a TV/Monitor AND a new graphics card.

any thoughts or input are welcomed. what will i lose by using the conversion cable? what will i use by connecting via S-video? is it worth the money to grab another card to use instead of these options... and if so, which card would you suggest?

schpanks in advance.

KaiserJ wrote:any thoughts or input are welcomed. what will i lose by using the conversion cable? what will i use by connecting via S-video? is it worth the money to grab another card to use instead of these options...

Conversion cable, although expensive, is cheaper than a new card. You'll lose no data as it's digital (although there is a possibility of some blu-ray crap that might not work properly, I'd have to look that up). And buying a monitor just to use S-Video? That's crazy talk.

well... yeah, i figured it was pretty crazy.

Svideo is 640x480, no?

and that's good to hear that i can just use the conversion cable without loss... i wouldn't worry about blue ray, that's about 15 years ahead of most of the technology in my home. (im guessing my laserdiscs of bladerunner and total recall will look pretty snazzy)

how about response time? will i even notice? im stoned out of my melon most of the time when im sitting in front of a monitor

2) buy a TV/Monitor and use a DVI-D to HDMI conversion cable.

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.2703

No loss if you use this instead of the [analog] svideo

Yeah - when not looking at the copyright mechanisms HDMI and DVI are the same just with different plugs...

Not entirely true.

DVI transports video only. HDMI transports Video and sound.

Just use a converter and you'll be a-ok, kai

KaiserJ wrote:im stoned out of my melon most of the time when im sitting in front of a monitor

Hardware Anti-Aliasing!

Don't buy a DVI to HDMI cable, buy a converter plug thingie. DVI on one side, HDMI on the other. That way when DVI goes out of style in a year or two, you won't have a useless cable.

Display Port is the latest "standard". It offers no benefit over HDMI or DVI, but is like HDMI in that Monster Cable thinks $150 is a reasonable price for a 2-meter one, and like DVI in that it does not carry audio.

Woohoo for pointless standards.

Caydr wrote:Don't buy a DVI to HDMI cable, buy a converter plug thingie. DVI on one side, HDMI on the other. That way when DVI goes out of style in a year or two, you won't have a useless cable.

You mean an adaptor? I'm willing to bet you won't find an adaptor for less than the cost of the cable in Peet's link ($10).

Just found one in my drawer, bitch. How you gonna beat free?

Seriously though, if you or anyone you know has bought a graphics card recently, they usually come with an adapter. Just ask. I've got about 8 of them...

Caydr wrote:Just found one in my drawer, bitch. How you gonna beat free?

Seriously though, if you or anyone you know has bought a graphics card recently, they usually come with an adapter. Just ask. I've got about 8 of them...

Stupid PNY was supposed to give me a DVI -> HDMI adapter with my 9600GSO. They gave me a DVI -> Analog adapter instead. Asshats.

I went to Maplins and saw a gold plated 5m DVi -> HDMI cable for £65.99

20 minutes later

I went to Amazon and saw a gold plated 10m DVi -> HDMI cable for £4.99

I then found much cheaper cables goign all the way down to £1.20 on amazon. Get the cable anyway, its cheap enough to hand off elsewhere if you dont need it anymore.

The one downside is the audio issue, since hdmi has both audio and video, not figured that out yet but ym TV was always close to ym speakers which I just plugged into my computer anyway

I got a dvi -> hdmi cable for free-99 with my motherboard, my 9600gso has hdmi out, and my monitors all have dvi in anyway

CarRepairer wrote:

Caydr wrote:Don't buy a DVI to HDMI cable, buy a converter plug thingie. DVI on one side, HDMI on the other. That way when DVI goes out of style in a year or two, you won't have a useless cable.

You mean an adaptor? I'm willing to bet you won't find an adaptor for less than the cost of the cable in Peet's link ($10).

You are now my wholly-owned subsidiary.
http://www.eforcity.com/pothhdmimdf1.html $3.99

Or if you're not INSANE and don't want the gimpy little HDMI plug breaking off inside your display:
http://www.eforcity.com/pothhdmifdm1.html $3.99