What does a monitor need to work

You might have all the tools you need for a monitor or you might be worried you are missing something. It can be daunting with all the cables and ports needed for a computer and computer monitor. Well you are in luck, our experts have done hours of research, so you do not have to! Below we discuss the items you need for your monitor to properly work.

Computer monitors

Things you will need for the computer monitors to work:

cables
connectors (connect a monitor)
adapters

Regardless if you have a gaming monitor, pc monitor, or a regular monitor, those three things above are needed for all computer monitors.

Computer monitor

Types of cables and ports

Power cable
HDMI ports and HDMI cable
DVI ports
VGA cable and VGA port
Displayport
USB-C port
Thunderbolt

The correct connector for your monitor

Below are the different type of ports your monitor might potentially have. You can check what ports and cables you need though. You can either go to the back of the monitor or go online and google your monitor to see the specs.

HDMI port and HDMI cable

The HDMI port and HDMI cable is the most common port and cable. HDMI is considered the standard for televisions and monitors. Some desktop computers do not have HDMI ports, so you will have to use an adapter. Most gaming monitors have a HDMI input.

Most new computer monitors do not come with HDMI cables, so you will have to buy them separately. They have three different types of cables.

Mini HDMI port, Micro HDMI port, and standard HDMI ports

Mini HDMI cables are used mainly for standard sized tablets and cameras.
Micro HDMI cables are used for smartphones and other mobile devices.
Standard HDMI cables are used for monitors and televisions.

DVI port and DVA cable

Does not transmit audio
It is the standard video only connection for windows and macs.
Compared to VGA cables, DVI cable have a sharper and better display for a computer monitor.

VGA cable

older analog video only format
Oldest connectors
Makes a connection between a computer and a monitor

If you have an older computer with a new monitor, you will need to have a hdmi to vga converter, so the computer can support a 1080p resolution or better.

Displayport

Two versions: displayport and mini displayport.

A displayport can use a monitor resolution of 3840 x2160 pixels at a refresh rate of 60Hz. This allows a higher screen resolution than a HDMI cable.

A gaming monitor might come with a displayport, but you can always buy a displayport to HDMI adapter. You should know that displayport cables can have a higher resolution or bandwidth than HDMI cables.

It connects a video source to a display device. It is compatible with DVI and HDMI cables through an adapter.

Mini displayport

You can use mini displayport cables with resolutiosn up to 4096 x 2160 pixels. The mini displayport is less commonly used with monitors because the thunderbolt cable replaced it.

USB-C

It is the same as the Thunderbolt 3

Thunderbolt

Apple and intel developed these hardware connectors. thunderbolt 3 uses USB-C. Older thunderbolts, like thunderbolt 1 and 2 have the same connector as mini displayport.

Types of Adapters

HDMI adapter to:

DVI cables
VGA cables
Displayport cables

Setting up your monitors after plugging it into a windows computer

Turn on the monitor and computer
Right click on the windows desktop
Select screen resolution
click on multiple displays within the drop down menu
click extend these displays
select ok and then apply

These steps should help you to see the external display of your computer monitor, so you do not have to go through the display settings. You can go through these same steps whether you have a gaming monitor or a pc monitor. It just has to be a windows pc for these steps to work.

Multiple displays

Other useful information

You can use your laptop screen as a second monitor

Some monitors have built in speakers and others do not. You can always get an audio adapter and connect external speakers to your computer monitor.