Here are some video connections that I have come across when building or supporting systems.

Ports
DMS-59 – Female
DP – Female
DVI-D – Female
DVI-I – Female
HDMI – Female
USB – Female
VGA – Female

Cable
DMS-59 – Male
DP – Male
DVI-D – Male
DVI-I – Male
HDMI – Male
USB – Male
VGA – Male

DMS-59
DMS-59 is often seen on video cards with AMD GPUs shipped by Dell and requires a Male-Female adapter cable and can split the image between a monitor and a secondary target such as a projector. When there is a “No Signal” issue, I have to check and see if it the video cable or the adapter itself as they often get damaged or loose due to the way they are made.

DP
DP will fasten to the source and target unlike HDMI will and does support audio and video. Be mindful that there are many audio support versions so do your research.

DVI
DVI comes in two flavors. DVI-D (digital signal only) and DVI-I (both analog and digital). When buying video cards, I make sure that it supports DVI-I so that I can use it with old equipment and is not limited to using a DVI-D cable only.

HDMI
HDMI carries both audio and video so most users choose to buy lard TVs and use it as a computer monitor for their work and play. Please note that HDMI cables do not fasten to the source or target and will become loose so if there is a display problem, check the connections first. For simplicity, if make the HDMI target a second display.

USB
USB has made connecting devices easily so there is no surprise that it would not be used in an attempt to carry audio and video signal. On an old laptop with a broken LCD, I have utilized a USB port to connect to an HDMI TV making the laptop useable until a replacement screen arrived.

VGA
VGA will not provide audio but there are lots of new and old monitors that support it. If getting an SFF video card, VGA may be missing so HDMI and DVI can be primary but will have pins on the board to connect and VGA output which will take up a second slot in the computer,

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Stephan Pringle

Chief Executive Officer at Sipylus

About The Author: Stephan Pringle is an Information Technology Specialist. He covers hardware and software and provides tips for you to troubleshoot and repair issues on your own. In his spare time, he writes articles about the State of New York on his Hackintosh and HackBook and that has helped him to become the top contributor of the New York City section of Yahoo! Answers.

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