I just picked up a new RTX 3070 graphics card, but I've hit a snag: it doesn't have any DVI ports, and my monitor is strictly DVI-D. My monitor can display up to 1440P at 60 Hz, and I really don't want to ditch it—it's a fantastic IPS panel from some no-name brand that used to be popular 15 years ago. The contrast and colors are still amazing, and there are no dead pixels. Given this situation, should I go for an HDMI to DVI adapter or a DisplayPort to DVI adapter?
3 Answers
DisplayPort tends to be more adaptable with digital signals, so it might work better overall, but in the end, both interfaces are designed for digital output, so the difference is minimal.
To connect your DVI monitor at 1440P 60Hz, you’re going to want a dual-link active DVI adapter. HDMI can technically connect to single-link DVI, but that only supports up to 1920x1200 at 60Hz. My old monitor ended up in the recycling bin because of issues with adapters, so I recommend getting a used AMD GPU with DVI-D DL output. Just plug it alongside your 3070 and set it as the high-performance GPU in Windows. It’s a cheaper solution than a good adapter and is likely to work better.
You're probably looking at needing an HDMI adapter, but I'd suggest picking up a couple of cheap adapters for both HDMI and DisplayPort to see which one works best considering color accuracy and refresh rates.
Definitely avoid HDMI if you can. You really need an active DisplayPort to dual-link DVI adapter for the 1440p.
You make a good point, but they could also just use an active adapter with their DisplayPort. Here's a solid option I found: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00A493CNY. It’ll save some hassle!