About Monitor Connectors

Over the years there have been many standards for the cables and ports that connect computers and monitors. Below is an explanation of the most common connectors for both analogue and digital and a basic outline of which connections to use with your computer.

If you want to determine what monitor outputs your computer has the best approach is to refer to the manual/specifications of your machine. All our monitor pages have a specifications page listing the available monitor inputs.

If you do need help with this, the best thing to do is take some quick but clear photographs of both your computer's outputs (all of them) and the monitors inputs (all of them!), and we can then tell you your best connection options. Also, supplying full model numbers for both your monitor and computer can be very helpful for us!  Then send these to us.

Notes:

We deliberately don't get into versions of the connections below (Thunderbolt 3 vs 4 or HDMI 1.4 or USB-C 3.2 Gen1 or whatever) - as we're trying to keep thing as clear as possible below.

This is an evolving article, updated every year or two - so the information about older connections (DVI, VGA etc) - is likely a bit out of date, but left here for those folks still using legacy equipments

The connections below are listed in the order of most desirable to least desirable - that is → work your way down this list from top to bottom, and use the first connection type that is available to you.

Of course, you'll need to check both what outputs are available to you (at the computer end of things) and what inputs are available to you (i.e. on your monitor).

If at all possible, and especially when initially trying to get things working, use a direct connection from the computer to the monitor - i.e. this means do not use adaptors or docks unless this is absolutely necessary.

The signal between monitor and computer is a LOT of complex data - being sent across the cable 60 times per second (or more!) - so it's really best to keep things as simple as possible. 

(Something like 50% of all reported monitor issues are in fact cable issues, so getting this right is important for everyone's sanity!).

Digital Video, Data & Audio Connection

Thunderbolt and USB-C (see below) - look identical in terms of the physical connector.

But, looks are deceiving here - electrically, they are NOT the same thing.

Fortunately, Thunderbolt ports and cable connectors are usually (but not always!) specifically labelled as such - with a Thunderbolt logo and often also a version number (we're up to V4 in 2024).

At any particular point in time, Thunderbolt tends to be superior to the current version USB-C - offering faster data transfer and more power delivery, for example.   So if you have a Thunderbolt option (and specifically this means at both the computer and monitor end) - then you should use a direct Thunderbolt connection.

Fortunately, most Thunderbolt monitors come with such a cable in the box.  As ever, use the cable in the box if you can, as this will have been tested with your particular monitor.

Note, though, a special case → if you only have Thunderbolt on the computer end, and not at the monitor end (e.g. you have a Mac from about 2012 to 2017 era, and a monitor with a DisplayPort input) - then you actually should NOT use a Thunderbolt to DisplayPort cable, as these often don't work - specifically you want a USB-C to DisplayPort cable in that case.  See:

If your computer has a USB-C output, and your monitor has a direct USB-C input, then connection is in theory very easy - but make sure you take care to use a display compatible USB-C cable (some usb-c cables are data/charging only).  Check the listing to make sure it explicitly mentions display compatibility, and up to the resolution and speed you need (normally 3840 by 2160 @ 60Hz).  This has become such a quagmire, we have a separate article on what to look for in USB-C cables.

If your computer has a USB-C output, and no other video output, and your display does not have a direct USB-C input, this means you must use an appropriate USB-C to video adaptor for your needs.  You should check the specifications of your machine to see what forms of video output it offers from this port - for example, Mac specifications typically say something like: 'Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) with support for DisplayPort.

The best option is then usually a USB-C to Display Port direct cable, although depending on your monitor, you might need a USB-C to HDMI (and again, only if your USB-C output supports this). 

DO NOT BUY A USB-C TO THUNDERBOLT cable/adapter (as the Apple 'Geniuses' will probably advise you to!) - these adapters/cables are NOT display capable & will NOT work.

We have not one but two further dedicated articles on this:

Digital Connection, Video and Audio

(Found on most Macs circa 2012 to 2017ish (in the form of a Thunderbolt/Mini-DisplayPort port), and most modern PC Video Cards)

(See blow for Mini-Display Port)

Analogue or Digital Connection, Video Only

Until around 2015 or so, the most popular digital connection was DVI, and almost any PC of that era will easily handle a 24" or smaller monitor, using a DVI output.

If you're buying a 27" monitor, or bigger - you will need to check your video output can handle the high resolution of these monitors. This will be listed in the specs for your machine/video card. These monitors usually connect with a Dual Link DVI cable or via DisplayPort.

Almost any modern PC video card from the last 4 years will also drive up to a 30" monitor at 2560 by 1600. It's generally only laptops and all-in-one machines that can have limitations still, although most models now do support larger external monitors.

DVI comes in a few different forms, so check your specs in your manual for the supported resolutions of the external video output.

DVI-A

Analogue only version of this connector. Not very common at all.

DVI-I

Can accept an analogue signal or a digital signal, so you can plug a cable with a VGA end into your laptop and a DVI-I end into your monitor. These exist for backwards compatibility.

DVI-D

Supports ONLY a digital connection (up to a maximum practical resolution of 1920 by 1200), so your video card must output a digital signal for this to work. You would use a DVI-D to DVI-D cable.

Dual Link DVI (I or D)

Needed for monitors with a resolution above 1920 by 1200. Despite the name, only one cable is still used, it just has a different number of pins, but it looks much the same. For this to work, the video card must have a dual link output, support the appropriate high resolution for the monitor, and the monitor must have a dual link port. Of course it will have one if it supports that high a resolution otherwise it would be pretty pointless! Both Analogue and Digital versions of this exist.

DVI connectors are typically, but not always, white, and are a little bigger than VGA connectors. Almost all modern video cards have at least one digital DVI output and many modern laptops do now too, If you only have VGA in your computer it is worth considering upgrading the video card to get at least a DVI digital connection for the best quality of display.

Want to know more? There is an article about Analog and DVI Connections on How Stuff Works here