Solved 2nd monitor

[nuge1010]

Hello all. So im trying to hook up a 2nd monitor to my computer for multi-tasking purposes and i guess im just confused about the different connections from monitors and what would be best for my setup. My first monitor is an Acer connected with DVI (i believe its DVI anyway) and the second monitor i just got is an HP. The HP only comes with an HDMI or VGA connection. Attached is a picture of the back of my tower where the first monitor is plugged in. Im thrown off by the slot above where my first monitor is plugged in, it has a different looking port with 5 pins on the one side as opposed to the first one that just has the one flat pin on the side. So my questions are: is the slot above where my first monitor is plugged in another DVI port? and if so, should i get an HDMI to DVI converter or can i just use the HDMI? I only plan on using the second monitor for surfing the web so quality isnt a huge issue, although i would like to have best possible connection anyways. Thanks in advance for any help you can give me!

System specs:
OS Version: Microsoft Windows 10 Home, 64 bit
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-4460 CPU @ 3.20GHz, Intel64 Family 6 Model 60 Stepping 3
Processor Count: 4
RAM: 8127 Mb
Graphics Card: AMD Radeon (TM) R9 380 Series, -1 Mb
Hard Drives: C: 111 GB (9 GB Free); E: 931 GB (711 GB Free);
Motherboard: ASRock, H97M Pro4

 

[Brvsfn01]

OP, I will answer your questions and give you a little history all in the same post. First since your computer has an HDMI output and your second monitor supports HDMI I would definitely use that route to get the 2nd monitor connected to your computer. HDMI stands for High Definition Multimedia Interface and is designed for use in Home Theatre and Computer scenarios. HDMI is a digital signal and is capable of full 1080P resolution (ie: Hi Res or Hi Def). An HDMI cable can also carry an audio signal. You can use a standard HDMI cable and you may have one laying around your house already so if you do you don't have to go buy one.

From looking at the photo you posted of the back of your computer it appears as if you have a 2nd video card installed which you do according to the specs you posted in your question. The White connector is a DVI connector and is digital also. DVI stands for Digital Video Interface and it was used in in Home Theatre before HDMI came out. Unlike HDMI DVI is video only and cannot carry an audio signal. Back in the days of DVI Home Theatre you had to have 2 sets of cables. One set for the video signal (ie: a DVI cable) and another set for the audio signal which is why HDMI was pretty much an instant success because when it came out both the video and audio signals could be carried on 1 cable. There are 2 protocols for DVI; DVI single link and DVI dual link. I believe both protocols are compatible with each other although if a person were to use a DVI single link cable on a DVI dual link interface they wouldn't get all the benefits of dual link. DVI dual link is only found on very high end and expensive systems running high end, high refresh rate video cards and monitors like 4K monitors and high end gaming systems.

Since you have 2 digital options available to you I would use both of them and not go the VGA (analogue) route. You don't need any adaptors or fancy cables. Just leave your first monitor hooked up the way it is and use an HDMI cable for the HP monitor and you should be all set. If you have any other questions please feel free to ask them. Good luck and enjoy your 2nd monitor.

** Edit: OP, in looking at the photo you posted the White video connector is DVI and I believe it is single link. From what you wrote I also believe that where you have your Asus monitor plugged in is also DVI but it is dual link. The connector immediately to the right of the open DVI connector is an HDMI connector and the connector to the right of that is a DisplayPort connector. This also is a digital video connector and is a Dell protocol used mostly in their laptops. Hope this helps. **

 

[nuge1010]

Appreciate the great response. Just the answer I needed. Surprisingly I do not have an hdmi cable laying around but I'll grab one tomorrow when stores reopen. Happy holidays.