Help identifying DVI type

[mcsmith1981]

Hey guys,

 

I am trying to pick up a XFX Core Edition Radeon R7 250 to give a little bit of gaming power to my ancient very small form factor integrated graphics desktop,

and I need to use VGA because that is all I have free on my monitor (the HDMI is taken up by my laptop).

 

Anyway, so in order to use this card http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150713 I have to use the low-profile bracket and loose the VGA port on the back of the PC, so I was looking for the DVI to be dual link with the four analog pins and the cross in the centre, which I believe is DVI-I (that's my current understanding, anyway) so that I can use an adapter to still connect my monitor via VGA. If you look at the image in the link of this card's bracket, that's what it seems to have, to my eye.

 

However, everywhere I can find calls it DVI-D Single Link. This confuses me a whole lot, since DVI-D, I believe, doesn't have those analog pins and has two groups of pins, rather than one continuous strip, neither of which is the case for the female port pictured on the back of that card.

 

Can someone help me / set me straight?

Thanks!

[swordsman247]

Yes, that dvi port can adapt to vga passively.

 

Edit: It's a DVI-I btw

[W-L]

4 minutes ago, mcsmith1981 said:

-SNIP-

As mentioned you can directly adapt to VGA on that port as it's a DVI-I output. 

Edited September 13, 2016 by W-L

[mcsmith1981]

Thanks. So is it really DVI-D or is their description wrong?

[swordsman247]

1 minute ago, mcsmith1981 said:

Thanks. So is it really DVI-D or is their description wrong?

Newegg has the wrong info here's the XFX output specs fro there web page.

 

DISPLAY OUTPUT

HDMI Ready : 1.4a

Max Supported Resolution (ANALOG) : 2048 x 1536

Max Supported Resolution (DIGITAL) : 1920 x 1080(DVI);4096 x 2160 (HDMI)

Output - HDMI : 1

Output - SL-DVI-D : 1

Output - VGA : 1

 

[mcsmith1981]

1 minute ago, swordsman247 said:

Output - HDMI : 1

Output - SL-DVI-D : 1

Output - VGA : 1

 

Isn't that wrong as well? Per the diagram above this looks like a DVI-I Dual Link connector, or am I missing something?

[swordsman247]

23 minutes ago, mcsmith1981 said:

Isn't that wrong as well? Per the diagram above this looks like a DVI-I Dual Link connector, or am I missing something?

...Gah Apparently. I had a moment there I guess. The pictures on the site show DVI-I.

 

http://xfxforce.com/en-us/products/amd-radeon-r7-200-series/amd-radeon-r7-250-core-edition-r7-250a-clf4

 

[mcsmith1981]

11 minutes ago, swordsman247 said:

...Gah Apparently. I had a moment there I guess. The pictures on the site show DVI-I.

 

http://xfxforce.com/en-us/products/amd-radeon-r7-200-series/amd-radeon-r7-250-core-edition-r7-250a-clf4

 

I'll pat myself on the back for working it out when the manufacturer couldn't, in that case :-) Cheers for your help.

[mcsmith1981]

On 9/13/2016 at 4:42 PM, swordsman247 said:

...Gah Apparently. I had a moment there I guess. The pictures on the site show DVI-I.

 

http://xfxforce.com/en-us/products/amd-radeon-r7-200-series/amd-radeon-r7-250-core-edition-r7-250a-clf4

 

 

Hey, little more info on this. I've just learned of another possibility, and I wondered if you had ever heard of this.

 

Apparently some manufacturers include the internals for DVI-D single link while having a DVI-I dual link port on the back of the card, and the irrelevant pins (the centre section for dual link and the four analogue pins for VGA) are just inactive. It was suggested that in such a case I would need an "active DVI-D to VGA" adapter to down-convert the digital signal to VGA.

 

Any idea?

 

I honestly can't believe how confusing the various permutations of this goddamn "standard" are!!

[W-L]

3 minutes ago, mcsmith1981 said:

-SNIP-

If a card only has digital output let it be HDMI, Displayport, DVI-D (digital only) then you will require an active DVI-D to VGA adapter as it will convert the digital signal to analog.

[mcsmith1981]

1 minute ago, W-L said:

If a card only has digital output let it be HDMI, Displayport, DVI-D (digital only) then you will require an active DVI-D to VGA adapter as it will convert the digital signal to analog.

I have to use the DVI port to VGA because the sole HDMI on the monitor is in use for a laptop and the monitor is too old for DP.

 

Do you know anything about cards that only support DVI-D SL but appear to have DVI-I DL in terms of the connector?

This is the one I'm referring to: http://xfxforce.com/en-us/products/amd-radeon-r7-200-series/amd-radeon-r7-250-core-edition-r7-250a-clf4

[W-L]

19 minutes ago, mcsmith1981 said:

I have to use the DVI port to VGA because the sole HDMI on the monitor is in use for a laptop and the monitor is too old for DP.

Do you know anything about cards that only support DVI-D SL but appear to have DVI-I DL in terms of the connector?

This is the one I'm referring to: http://xfxforce.com/en-us/products/amd-radeon-r7-200-series/amd-radeon-r7-250-core-edition-r7-250a-clf4

You could get an HDMI switcher just cycle between the source devices, but as for Dual link vs Single link the difference is only really what the max output resolution and refresh rate it supports since single link only can support a max of 1920x1200 (16:10) at 60Hz. 

[mcsmith1981]

14 minutes ago, W-L said:

You could get an HDMI switcher just cycle between the source devices, but as for Dual link vs Single link the difference is only really what the max output resolution and refresh rate it supports since single link only can support a max of 1920x1200 (16:10) at 60Hz. 

I could, yes, but what if I really want to convert this port? Is this a thing, where it seems to support DVI-I (inc. VGA) in terms of the connector but actually doesn't on the technology side? If they say in their specs. SL-DVI-D, should I assume that an active adapter will be necessary? Is this a situation you've come across in the past?

[W-L]

2 minutes ago, mcsmith1981 said:

I could, yes, but it's more complex and expensive. What if I really want to convert this port? Is this a thing, where it seems to support DVI-I (inc. VGA) in terms of the connector but actually doesn't on the technology side? If they say in their specs. SL-DVI-D, should I assume that an active adapter will be necessary? Is this a situation you've come across in the past?

Just wondering you said you lost the VGA portion, why not just get a replacement cable they sell them fairly cheaply, as for the DVI thing if it only a DVI-D signal and missing the components for a VGA output through the DVI connector then you will need an active adapter. 

 

Usually from what I've seen they will physically get a DVI-I or DVI-D connector to differentiate but it's not unheard of for them to using a DVI-I and not have VGA integrated. 

[asand1]

Low profile cards generally come with two low pro brackets, one relocates the VGA hence the ribbon cable interface.

 

[mcsmith1981]

1 minute ago, W-L said:

Just wondering you said you lost the VGA portion, why not just get a replacement cable they sell them fairly cheaply, as for the DVI thing if it only a DVI-D signal and missing the components for a VGA output through the DVI connector then you will need an active adapter. 

 

Usually from what I've seen they will physically get a DVI-I or DVI-D connector to differentiate but it's not unheard of for them to using a DVI-I and not have VGA integrated. 

I can't use the direct VGA port on the card because I'm installing it in a low-profile configuration with only a single slot available, so I'm going to lose that card's VGA out altogether. I don't mean that I misplaced a component, I mean that when this card is configured like I need, it only has HDMI and DVI-D (that looks like DVI-I physically in this case, it would seem).

[mcsmith1981]

4 minutes ago, asand1 said:

Low profile cards generally come with two low pro brackets, one relocates the VGA hence the ribbon cable interface.

 

Yes, I know, but I don't have another free slot. If I did I'd be installing a 750 ti. This is a very small ancient gateway mini tower with two PCI slots (one of which is already in use). This seems to be the most powerful card I can actually fit into this thing. Picking it up used for ~$40. Thanks for the input anyway.

[W-L]

4 minutes ago, mcsmith1981 said:

I can't use the direct VGA port on the card because I'm installing it in a low-profile configuration with only a single slot available, so I'm going to lose that card's VGA out altogether. I don't mean that I misplaced a component, I mean that when this card is configured like I need, it only has HDMI and DVI-D (that looks like DVI-I physically in this case, it would seem).

Just a thought but one could always modify the PCI-E bracket to allow the ribbon cable to come through the rear  

 

About the 750Ti they do make one that is half height and uses one slot but physically has a taller cooler:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127836

[mcsmith1981]

LOL, not quite ready to go "full ghetto" yet!

 

I'm trying to work out if I can cram in the MSI LP card - thanks! Annoyingly the x16 slot is crammed right at the top of the case, so the fans will be firing into the top. I suppose if it proves unworkable I at least shouldn't have any problem reselling it. It seems a very popular card still.

[W-L]

1 minute ago, mcsmith1981 said:

LOL, not quite ready to go "full ghetto" yet!

 

I'm trying to work out if I can cram in the MSI LP card - thanks! Annoyingly the x16 slot is crammed right at the top of the case, so the fans will be firing into the top. I suppose if it proves unworkable I at least shouldn't have any problem reselling it. It seems a very popular card still.

Fair enough, and yeah that card is a nice one I've seen it used in a SFF NES console build which was amazing.