x200 Display Port quality?

The Dell 2009WA (using native res. of 1680x1050) is a fantastic monitor and I've been happily using it with the VGA connection of my x200. I've been completely satisfied with the picture quality till I built my file server/gaming box (see sig) which has an ATI 4850 w/ DVI. I connected that to the 2209WA via DVI and the picture quality is MUCH better with everything looking sharper, the colors more vibrant, the text clearer, and it's gotten to the point where I get a little annoyed when I switch back to my x200.

Is this difference because of the 4850 vs the X4500, because of the DVI vs the VGA connection, or some mixture of both? Because if it's predominantly due to the connection, I'm fairly tempted to go and buy the Ultrabase for the Display Port.

 

VGA quality also has to do with the monitor's VGA input itself. A digital output will be more consistent from one graphics card to another so it might be well worth it to you. Also the other uses of the ultrabase . Also having the ultrabase enables you to have 2 displays (one digital through the displayport and one with the VGA).

Alternatively you could look into Lenovo new USB modules that will have DVI output. Though I believe those will be decently expensive so the added benefits of the ultrabase might be worth it for a bit more.

http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/...-category-id=F518DEACD67248538629B17343AFFB25

$129 for the USB to DVI.

 

Thanks for the input jaredy, now I'm determined to get a digital signal to my 2009WA from my x200. Those new USB modules look interesting because of their portability vs the ultrabase, but I wonder, even though it says capable of HD video playback, if it can really handle 720p and 1080p. Has it been confirmed by any forum members?

 

I'd probably suggest the UltraBase vs. the USB modules. The name of the technology is DisplayLink ( info), but it's still pushing data over a USB bus (480Mbps) vs. a high bandwidth connection (DVI-D Single Link = 3.96Gbps, DisplayPort = 8.64Gbps). A quick calculation (1680x1050x3bppx60fps) shows your monitor requiring 3.17Gbps. Therefore, a fair amount of compression has to be going on.


Generally speaking there is little to no variance between graphics cards in terms of 2D output visual quality. Therefore, the UltraBase is likely to fix your problem.

 

Ya, I'd like to try one of the adapters to see how it is.

 

To add on to what jon said.. All that compression/processing going on will DEFINITELY add a bit of lag. The 480Mbit/sec USB 2.0 bus is really not that fast for these type of applications, especially after all the overhead and the high latency..

USB display adapters are only good for office work, nothing else.

PS. I doubt this can handle HD video playback. Maybe at 2-3fps or with very visible compression

 

I thought so. Thanks for the input guys, looks like it's an Ultrabase for me.

They still seem to be at the $200ish price range they were at a few months ago when I first bought the x200. I'll probably end up buying one now but I'm curious, at what point in time do dock prices go down?

(I'm kind of annoyed that the only way you can utilize the digital display capabilities is by purchasing an Ultrabase)

 

ashura:

Try to order it from the EPP site with the current coupon offers and see if you can get the price a little lower.

It always ends up cheaper if you buy it with the laptop btw.. I was lucky because my sister wanted an X200 as well, so I ordered one with her system and it was $170, and then there's currently a 20% coupon for the X200 so it basically comes to $136.

I'm in Canada btw, so i'm talking Canadian dollars

 

There are some good deals with x200's...the problem is getting them by themselves.

I got mine with ebay cash back through live (now bing) back when it was like 30%.

 

The CPP price for the Ultrabase with X200 purchase is a ridiculous $85 right now. I thought there would be no need for an Ultrabase when I bought my X200, it's my number 1 accessory want right now.

 

Maybe you could beg someone to buy it and sell it to you cheap, heh.

 

Okay, I've decided to go ahead and buy an Ultrabase next week. One last Q: I've never actually used or seen in person an x200 docked on the Ultrabase. When it's docked, are the Thinkpad's 3 side USB ports useable or are you limited to the 1 side, 3 back USB ports of the Ultrabase?

 

You can use all USBs on the computer as well as the ones on the docking station. I've had an ultrabase since day one with my X200, and it's SO worth the money (esp. if you bring the computer with you places).

At first I used a VGA cable to connect my LG227 monitor, but am it's now connected to the DisplayPort via a DisplayLink/DVI converter. Makes all the difference in the world!

 

Holy crap! The Ultrabase is on Lenovo CPP for $140! I'm all over it!

EDIT: novi84, thanks for the confirmation.

 

Got the Ultrabase today and man, it makes the x200 feel like a tank! Hooked up the 2209WA via DisplayPort -> HDMI -> DVI and it looks fantastic compared to VGA. The image quality issue is officially resolved.

I'm having one other issue though and I'm 99% sure it has nothing to do with the Ultrabase, but I thought I'd check in with you guys just to be sure. Here's how I planned to have everything set up (the following are all Monoprice product links): Ultrabase -> DisplayPort Male to HDMI Female -> HDMI Cable -> HDMI 4x1 switch -> HDMI Male to DVI Male -> 2209WA. When I hooked it up this way, lower resolutions were fine but I kept on getting artifacts at higher resolutions, especially at 1680x1050.

When I removed the switch altogether and set it so that Ultrabase -> DisplayPort Male to HDMI Female -> HDMI Male to DVI Male -> 2209WA, everything's fine. Picture quality at 1680x1050 is perfect.

Now, I'm assuming my problem stems from a defective switch because I'm having other issues with it like only getting an image to the monitor through only one port and not the rest, but I wanted to be certain: are there any obvious incompatibilities that I'm not aware of between DisplayPort connections and HDMI switches in general?

I don't want to go through an RMA or, if it comes to it, buy other HDMI switches if it turns out that they wouldn't work to begin with.