[malcolm]

Hi -
I know I can connect my old Titanium powerbook (400MHz) to one of the new Displays, if I get a VGA-DVI adapter (I can't believe they're $300 but that seems to be the case) - - but if I go this route, will I end up with a much-compromised screen display, because of my slowish processor and/or the VGA signal converter?
Or will it be fine?
Thanks to all those (and there are so many of you on this forum) who help with these questions. I really appreciate it (as I try to reach a purchase decision).
Malcolm

[Luca]

It's not worth it. There are lots of really, really cheap LCDs that connect via VGA. NewEgg has an Acer 17" LCD with a VGA connector for a little over $200.

Oh and this doesn't have much to do with Apple's products... I'd file it under purchasing advice since you're asking about a possible purchase.

[Mister Black]

Yeesh a $300 adapter to connect to a $1000+++ display? Might as well get a new powerbook with a dvi port instead.

[Koodari]

Assuming you are in the US, the Dell 2005fpw that has the same panel than Apple 20" costs between $550 and $700, depending on how good rebates and deals you find. It has VGA. (Also DVI, SVGA, composite)

There are many, many competitors to the 23" and all of them have VGA as well.

[malcolm]

Thanks for the advice about other displays. Aside from the fact that there are better deals elsewhere, I'm kinda curious re the technical side of things - - if you have to go through a VGA-DVI converter, do you lose something in the process... whether it's something to do with pixels or whatever - - is the image compromised by this conversion process?
Malcolm

[Luca]

It's just tough to convert between analog and digital signals. Converter boxes are a helluvalot more expensive than simple pin converters. The reason going from a DVI port to a VGA monitor is easy is because the analog signal is actually contained within the DVI port, so you can use a DVI-VGA adapter to just swap the pins around and make it work. VGA ports don't have a digital signal, though, so you have to use some kind of a converter box in order to connect a DVI monitor to a VGA port.

[Alcibiades]

Wait, I thought most powerbooks come with a DVI to VGA adapter, as one of the reasons I'm getting a powerbook is to attach it for my VGA CRT monitor. There is no wait I'm shelling out around $400 (cdn) for a tiny ass adapter...

[Luca]

You're confusing a DVI to VGA adapter with a VGA to DVI adapter. DVI to VGA means it takes a DVI port, which already contains an analog signal, and converts it to use the analog signal in the form of a VGA connector. Those are cheap and often ship with video cards and computers that have a DVI port.

A VGA to DVI adapter is that converter box I was talking about. It connects to a VGA port on a computer and lets you use a DVI monitor with it. Very expensive.

Generally when talking about adapters, the end that connects to the computer is mentioned first.

[Kestrel]

Alcibiades: PowerBooks do come with a DVI-to-VGA adapter. We're talking about a VGA-to-DVI adapter, which is much more complicated and expensive. malcolm's PowerBook has a VGA port, not DVI.

Converting digital to analog and back again always results in some quality loss - how much you lose depends on the environment (electromagnetic "noise"), how well the VGA cable is shielded, how long the VGA cable is, and the quality of the analog-to-digital converter that the VGA->DVI box uses.

Also, it is quite likely that the VGA-to-DVI adapter you are considering does not provide output in the Apple display's unusual native resolution, which result in an even worse picture.

So the answer is that the image is severly compromised by this process, and you're going to be way better off getting either a monitor that natively supports VGA or (as Mister Black suggested) a newer PowerBook.