Are all modern laptops compatible with an external monitor?

My GT70 dragon's 17inch monitor and keyboard is too pitiful for me, I'd like to just buy a 23inch asus IPS monitor and an external keyboard to help me enjoy.

However I'm wondering if it will be compatible? Should I just use any 5 buck HDMI cable?

 

The cool thing about digital cables like HDMI is that it either works perfectly or it doesn't work at all. A $5 HDMI cable will work just fine; the only thing you'd need to worry about is how long of a cable you need.

 

As long as you have the right video output port, yes. There is no such thing as incompatibility with a monitor as long as you have a port to output video, be it VGA, DVI, HDMI or Display Port. Using a USB adapter can be wonky, but even that usually works.

 

Spend the $13 and get an active HDMI cable from Monoprice. That's all I get now because they've lasted more than 6 months (compared to all other HDMIs I've ever bought).

 

Most HDMI cables you've bought don't last more than 6 monthes?!

I don't even remember for how many years the HDMI cable on my TV has been there. And it's not just sitting there. I love to play games on the couch console style so I switch between TV input and laptop all time.

 

Im using regular elcheapo hdmi cables on my tv. One is constantly plugged into my tv, while other is used for plugging into various devices like egpu, rigs i get for fixing, wii when my gf gets zomba madness. So cheapest cable is now over a year old and survived at least 5 replugs/week this year.

 

I actually bought a $2 HDMI cable that would work and lose signal at random times. I then bought a $6 cable with no signal loss ever.

 

As noted by Plur spending more doesn't equal to better...so one needs to look closer now cheap cheap will be cheap performance...don't need something like Monster Cable if a $6 cable does the same or better.

 

I've gotten the $40 monster cable before. It lasted only a few months. I've also used the free cables from the cable company. Only lasted a few months as well. Something about the Monoprice slim cable makes them last much longer for new. And I doubt do anything strenuous with them. Once they're plugged in, they stay plugged in.

I've never understood it. I don't do anything hard with them. But they just don't last for me.

 

Crazy family members might have something to do with it?

 

Also if you decide to use for example an HDMI to DVI cable be wary of the differences between DVI-I and DVI-D, they look similar but the pins are slightly different so you can't shove in a DVI-I cable into a DVI-D port for example.

 

No...they very well leave all the hardware and wiring to me. That they know better.

Its just one of those things I can't understand or explain.

I would go thru HDMI cables once every few months, and TOSLink cables once a month. Once they were plugged in, no one would touch the cable box, av receiver, or TV. But God Almighty, those cables wouldn't last. The Monoprice ones have lasted almost 2 years now. With no signal drops or signs of failure (knock on wood).

 

I buy HDMI cables with locking connectors. Too many times the connection became loose and had garbled video, especially with the vertical orientation of the connector to my TV. They cost a bit more, but better than constantly having to jiggle the cable into place and have video drop out in the middle of a video.

 

Ah so I'm not the only one that has trouble with HDMI connectors with such low quality they might be as well made out of paper. I didn't know there were locking HDMI cables. I'll have to get some and see if that solves the cable jiggling.
Thanks HT.

~Aeny

 

Actually, it does equals better quality in material and workmanship. In this case, you can think like a power cord. Sure a cheap one will work just as sure as one costing many times more.

However, the quality one will offer much better resistance to wear and tear and/or the environment. Sometimes that's not important. But if it is, spend the extra few bucks and enjoy the extra piece of mind.

Nor I. Although typical for pro connectors, along with higher quality material and much heavier construction.

 

Well, yeah, but the pricing of some of those cables are just plain ridiculous. 40$ for a 4 ft HDMI cable?

 

Personally, I don't see the point in spending so much on a digital cable, of any type, even if the quality actually is better. Cheap cables are cheap enough so that I would still come out ahead if I had to replace it with another cheap cable vs buying an expensive cable; that said, I've never had any issues with cheap cables (other than one time my cat chewed one, but an expensive cable wouldn't have helped either ).