You might have seen lots of different DVI ports on PC monitors.
The most common DVI ports that you can see in a wide range of monitors are DVI-I or DVI-D. But the question arrives which one is better?
Here is a complete guide on DVI-I VS DVI-D.
DVI stands for a digital visual interface that is developed by the Digital Display Working Group (DDWG).
It is responsible for displaying visual or video content on the monitor. Unlike the HDMI cable which delivers both visual and audio signals, it does not transmit auditory signals.
A DVI connection was first created when people started complaining about bad visual quality content and now it supports video resolutions up to 2048 x 1536.
Though they were created a while ago, and have now better replacements, some devices do still support DVI connections.
You can easily use a DVI cable to connect your computer to a projector or to a monitor.
It can easily establish a connection between devices without compressing or degrading the video quality. It transmits both digital and analog signals at the same time.
Now that you have some knowledge about DVI, it is also important to note that DVI has many types.
You can easily differentiate between its types by looking at the way the cable is shaped and how many pins are placed in it.
There are quite a few types, but we’ll be covering about only two types of DVI cables:
- DVI-D
- DVI-I
What is DVI-I?
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The ‘I’ in DVI-I stands for integrated. DVI-I supports both digital and analog signals depending on the connected display.
There are extra pins on the DVI-I connector which help carry analog signals. To be precise, the DVI-I single link connector consists of 23 pins, and the dual-link connector consists of 29 pins.
They make analog to analog connections as well as digital to digital connections but aren’t skilled enough to perform analog to digital signals.
What is DVI-D?
The D in DVI-D stands for digital. You will be able to find DVI-D cables almost anywhere because they are very commonly used to connect TVs with projectors.
Like its name, DVI-D cables transfer digital signals. It has two types of data rates called single-link and dual-link. There are 19 pins on a single link connector and dual-link connectors consist of 25 pins.
What Is The Difference Between DVI-I and DVI-D
The first difference is notable in their names themselves where DVI-D and DVI-I stand for D digital and integrated respectively.
They may not look any different when seen at first glance, but they actually have different numbers of pins.
DVI-D cables are capable of establishing a digital connection from the source to the display source and are widely used with LED, graphics cards, and PC screens.
Hence, the DVI-D cable can successfully display high-quality images on the monitor with quicker functionality.
DVI-I has an additional function where it supports both digital and analog signals, unlike the DVI-D cable. However, they can only transmit analog to analog and digital to digital signals.
Unlike the DVI-D, DVI-I is not commonly available or used in devices but they are easily available in electronic stores.
One advantage that DVI-D has over DVI-I is that DVI-I cannot fit into a DVI-D port whereas the DVI-D cable can easily be fit into a DVI-I port.
This video interface is also highly compatible with HDMI and DisplayPort through appropriate adapters.
Conclusion
So, which one is better and which one should I choose?
When it comes to asking about which one is better, then DVI-I takes the lead as it accepts both digital and analog signals making it a flexible option.
When it comes to choosing, then you first need to understand the benefits, meanings, preferences, and reasons for need before purchasing any one of them.
Despite DVI-I offering both types of signals, DVI-D is usually used in graphics cards and motherboards. It helps connect your PC to a digital monitor or even a CRT monitor.
Therefore, the choice is yours, it all boils down to the reason why you could need any one of them.
Meanwhile, Checkout our recommended buying guides on white gaming monitors and the best monitors for AutoCAD here.