How to Use a Digital Monitor
In the days when everyone had a huge CRT weighing down their desks, nobody even thought about digital connections for video. The computer may have been digital, but VGA was an all analog standard.
What is a Digital Video Interface?
Digital interfaces became the standard shortly after the switch to LCD monitors. It simply didn't make sense to use an analog cable to bridge a digital computer to a digital monitor. While all digital interfaces produce the same image quality, because they all send the same instructions to the screen, there are differences between the standards:
- DVI: This was the first digital interface to see common use and still appears on many graphics cards. Single-link DVI is good for 1920 by 1200 pixels with dual-link hardware taking it up to 2560 by 1600 pixels. With its 144 Hz maximum refresh rate, it's often popular for gaming monitors.
- HDMI: HDMI commonly appears in TVs as well as monitors; its big advantage is that it defaults to carrying audio as well as video making it very suitable for watching full HD movies. HDMI 1.4 supports 4K video at up to 30 Hz, which doubles to 60 Hz for version 2.0.
- DisplayPort: DisplayPort, and the electrically identical Mini DisplayPort is the current leader in functionality. It supports daisy-chaining displays, resolutions up to 8K with compatible hardware and graphics adapters, and high refresh rates at all resolutions.
What Should You Look for in a DisplayPort Monitor?
There is no reason to use DisplayPort on an entry-level computer monitor because it can't really take full advantage of the specification. It's a better choice for AOC professional level monitors that require more than just lots of pixels in order to show off their better side.
- Connectors: Most monitors should also have HDMI and DVI-D as well as DisplayPort.
- Additional Features: Depending on your usage, you may want to look for other features ranging from built-in speakers, to a USB hub, and even wireless charging.
- Visual Quality: This involves more than just high resolution; you want color depth, refresh rate, and contrast to all measure up. Otherwise you just have a basic HD monitor.
Using a Monitor
To get the most out of your monitor you need to do more than just throw away your VGA cables. You should also decide whether you prefer a single very large monitor or would rather go with a multi-monitor setup that lets you organize different applications on different screens. Gamers will appreciate G-Sync or FreeSync, depending on their graphics card. People spend a lot of time looking at their AOC monitors, so it's important to get the right screen the first time. Almost everything you do on a computer depends on the display, so get the most out of it.
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