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Its a regular monitor cable that has BNC connectors at the end that go into the monitor. I hear it makes images in higher resolutions more crisp and vibrant and seeing how I need a longer monitor cable to reach to my computer (since I'm movin' it to another part in my room) I figure I might as well get a better monitor cable rather than simply buying a longer one.
You can get a regular 15pin-15pin 10' VGA cable for ~ $22 at CompUSA.
BNC cables are normally more expensive than you regular cable and they only really show an advantage on better monitors and higer resolutions when you have a good video card (Radeon, GF3 Ti) which delivers sharp 2D.
$50 isn't to bad for a 10' BNC cable, quality BNC can easily cost that much even at 6' ...
I have an NEC FP950 19" which is their professional series. It's a nice monitor, running it on an AIW Radeon. I don't know how much of an advantage BNC would make as I've never personally used it. But I thought it would be nice to try; I've heard how it makes text much clearer (I run my desktop at 1280x1024) and how colours are more vibrant. Dunno, just thought I'd give 'er a shot, but at $50, thats a pretty penny for me right now. I'm still tryin' to save up for my HT sub
Though, if you seriously don't think it would make much of a difference, then I'll consider just goin' the cheap route and getting a longer monitor cable.
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Just get a 10' VGA cable locally, if the picture is fuzzier then before take it back and get e BNC cable. You could even get a BNC cable and see if the image is sharper and then just return the one that meets your needs best. Just keep an eye on possible restocking fees
I run my 21" Sony CPD-G500 (0.24mm Aperture grille pitch) at 1600x1200 on my Ti200 using a BNC cable and the desktop is razor sharp. Best possibly picture quality was worth it for me. It's not a difference like night and day ... but it might make a bigger difference for those using an el cheapo 15-pin VGA cable.
I have been wondering the same question myself, I hear some slaim that it makes a difference, but some said it's waste of money.
and what's the actual difference between a regular bnc vga cable that you see on ebay and pccables.com and those super expensive ones.
Maybe it's just me, but radio shack is the last place on earth you want to shop for computer stuff. they are expensive in general. It will cost you an arm and a leg just to buy a fan for your computer.
I decided I'm gonna try it, once I find a decent place local that I can get it from. Radio shack doesn't carry it in the store, only online and I would rather have it local so that if it ain't much of a difference then I can take it back. I checked best buy and compusa tonight (along with radio shack since it was close) and had no luck. I might just have to buy it online....
Anybody know of any good sites? I have yet to check some of my regulars, but it's not a hot item so to speak.
[edit] and like Celery101 said, whats the difference from those el cheapo ones compared to those $50+ ones? Just quality? I was looking at best buy and radio shack as I said earlier and best buy had a thinner VGA extension for $15 and radioshack had a thicker one with gold ends for $25. I was about ready to buy the $15 and just use it 'till I got somes BNC connectors but decided against it....
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I run a Mitsubishi 900U with a BNC cable ...
I love it. It frees up the 15pin for when I build computers, I can switch back and forth without an extra monitor on my desk.
CompUSA carries them. Got mine online awhile back....not sure where
A thicker cable means better shielding of the whole cable itself and the single wires inside = better quality.
Radio Shack is expensive at times and prices of BNC cables can vary a lot ... like the 10' Belkin BNC cable that is $78 ( F3X029-10 ) on Belkins webpage can be found in other online shops for ~$30 ... though one better checks on reseller ratings prior to purchase. Just try google with -> F3X029-10
I would say a high quality 15-pin cable delivers the same picture quality as an el cheapo BNC cable. My BNC cable was one of the more expensive ones (the 6' Belkin and I didn't search online for cheaper prices a few years ago when I bought it locally) and it's even slightly thicker than the 15-pin that came with my Sony Monitor (and I doubt that 15-pin is el cheapo quality). It makes a difference for me, but as I said, you better try before you buy.
A good test would be a word or text file where you write a few lines with decreasing font size for each following line. That'll make it easier to compare sharpness.
I also use both video inputs on my Monitor, the BNC on Ti200 from my mainbox and the 15-pin on Radeon on my Linux box. I use VNC most of the times to remote access my Linuxbox from my main PC but sometimes I have to work on it directly, so I only have to switch the input source ... my Sony has an extra switch for that on the front, very nice feature.
Hipnotic_Tranz:
You could get a (short) BNC cable locally at a shop that has no restocking fee and check if it makes a difference to your 15-pin cable and return it the next day. Make your decission and buy the cable that suits your needs.
p.s. I can bet that the thicker 15-pin cable will deliver a better picture than the thinner 15-pin.
Thanks for the replies. Yeah my monitor has a button on the front so I can switch from DB15 or BNC on the fly, I can see that comming in handy
I'll do a search for the model you suggested. Seems most of these places don't carry them in the store Only online... Oh well. I just picked up two belkin PS/2 extensions for my keyboard and mouse. Now I need one for my monitor, heh. Kinda sucks movin' my computer but it looks nicer and frees up some room.
[edit]
Well, I can get a good DB15->DB15 for $25 or I can get a good BNC (model you suggested, F3X029-10) for $35 from Provantage.com...hmmm tough choice Might as well spend the extra $10...
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Wasn't really lookin' to spend that much (specially when I can get a 6' one <a href="http://catalog.symmic.com/viewProduct.c ... _id=398129" target="_NEW">here</a> for $12 + shipping).
Only online... Oh well. I just picked up two belkin PS/2 extensions for my keyboard and mouse. Now I need one for my monitor, heh. Kinda sucks movin' my computer but it looks nicer and frees up some room.