# HDMI and DVI for a dual monitor setup?



## SKreme (Jan 2, 2006)

I am looking to buy a new video card and a new monitor. I currently have a monitor with DVI output. I want to buy another with DVI output and make a dual monitor setup. But the video card I am looking at has HDMI and DVI. Will I be able to hook two DVI monitors up to that video card? (I think my motherboard also has DVI if that helps. Will the mobo and card DVIs work at the same time?)


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## computerguy1990 (Nov 17, 2009)

Ive heard people say they have managed to get onboard and a second installed video card working at the same time. As for the HDMI it would work provided you have a monitor that supports HDMI.

There not hard to find I got a 25" lcd at tiger direct last week for 200$ that has 2hdmi ports on it and a vga port so im going to run my xbox 360 through 1 hdmi and use the other hdmi on the monitor to go to my laptop with the cable that came with the monitor


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## fairnooks (Oct 1, 2007)

Mobo graphics and video card graphics, usually you can only use one or the other. The two port mixed graphics card should work fine though. I have an HDMI to DVI connection that works no problem. The only possible drawback is that while the DVI to DVI connection most likely supports any native resolution the monitor has, HDMI to DVI will only support up to 1920x1080, not 1920x1200, which is the native res of most larger computer monitors.


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## computerguy1990 (Nov 17, 2009)

Would that matter if the monitor came with hdmi ports? I would assume that if it came with hdmi ports it would be able to suppose those higher res? Or am I wrong in my thinking?

But you are right my new 25 inch only goes up to 1920 x 1080 should be good enough for me though, may be something Skreme will want to check when purchasing items.


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## SKreme (Jan 2, 2006)

My current screen is a 19" running right now at 1440 x 900 so I think 1920 x 1080 will be fine. Looks like I could just hook my 19" into the HDMI and the larger screen I am buying now could go DVI to DVI. Do I need to buy a special cable to hook a DVI screen into an HDMI port or will the new screen I buy come with it? Thanks for all your help!


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## fairnooks (Oct 1, 2007)

There is direct wire to wire conversion from HDMI to DVI (minus the audio) so all that's required is a cable with HDMI connector on one end and a DVI connector on the other, but a monitor will only come with matching connectors of whatever port(s) are on the monitor so it'll need to be purchased seperately. Also if its HDMI and VGA or DVI on the monitor, often only the VGA or DVI cable is included and the HDMI cable needs to be purchased seperately as well. Just read the "box includes" section carefully to see what it comes with.


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## computerguy1990 (Nov 17, 2009)

You will have to check to see if the screen you are getting comes with dvi to hdmi I know the one I got did but Im not promising you that the one you are getting will have it.

My monitor came with dvi to dvi dvi to vga and dvi to hmdi and I bought a seperate hdmi to hdmi cable for it.


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## SKreme (Jan 2, 2006)

I actually just realized that my KVM switch uses VGA. So if my vid card has HDMI and DVI ports, I guess I would just get a cable to switch VGA to HDMI and connect from the KVM to the computer with that cable. The second monitor would be DVI to DVI. Will this work?


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## SKreme (Jan 2, 2006)

Or else I could do a DVI to VGA connection I guess? Does that require a converter or just an adapter?


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## computerguy1990 (Nov 17, 2009)

dvi to vga is simply an adapter can get them for cheap usually under 10$

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/category/category_slc.asp?CatId=467

May want to go to the American Tiger Direct website I am canadian so that is the one I use.


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