How to Connect Your Monitor to Your PC

DVI can come in 2 flavors: DVI-I and DVI-D. DVI-D is more common, while DVI-I is able to work with DVI to VGA adapters NOTE: As of the Nvidia 10 series cards, DVI-I connectors are no longer used or supported, so DVI to VGA adapters will not work.

HDMI is the most common connection type. HDMI is able to do video as well as sound, and HDMI 2.0 can do 4K video at 60Hz. Newer cards, such as the Nvidia 10 series and AMD Vega series, are HDMI 2.0 compliant. If you are unsure if your card has HDMI 2.0, check the manufacturer's website.

DisplayPort is a newer connection type that looks similar to HDMI, except with one side squared off. Unlike HDMI, DisplayPort connectors have a locking mechanism to keep the connection in place. You will need to press down on the latch to pull the connector out. DisplayPort is ideal for driving high resolution, high refresh rate monitors such as a 4K monitor at 144Hz. The newest version is DisplayPort 1.4, which can push up to 8K resolution and has the widest range of color accuracy as well as the highest quality audio. If you are doing some high end gaming or advanced video and photo editing, DisplayPort is the best choice.

Mini DisplayPort is functionally identical to full size DisplayPort, just with a smaller, more square connector.

For connecting multiple monitors, it is strongly suggested you plug all video connections into your video card. Depending on your configuration, you may have a dedicated video card with several connectors as well as video out connectors on your motherboard. While it is possible to use these in tandem with, or even instead of, the video card connections, this is something we do not recommend. If the issue is not having enough connections for HDMI, DisplayPort, etc., then we recommend either buying adapters or upgrading to a better video card. If you need help setting up multiple monitors, see our guide on how to do that.

Once you've determined the type of connection you need for your setup, it's time to start making those connections. First, make sure the system is powered off before connecting any cables. Then, connect your system to your monitor via the appropriate cable and power it on. Older monitors may not auto detect the right input source so you may need to press a button to manually switch inputs. Once the system powers up, you should see the Velocity Micro logo on your screen. If you need to adjust resolution and scaling, you can do so in the Windows Settings.