# HDMI vs. VGA - Why does VGA show significiantly clearer text



## csinchicago (Nov 14, 2009)

I just built a new PC with the following specs:
GIGABYTE GAMA785GM-US2H mobo
AMD Athlon II x4 630
Samsung LCD 23" TV
Windows 7 64-bit

When I use the VGA input the text is relatively crisp but when I use the HDMI it significantly less clear and crisp. I tried changing the resolutions and the text size but nothing made it better. I would prefer using the HDMI so I can get audio through the TV. Any thoughts? If you need any additional info, let me know.

Thanks in advance!


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## Mynaras (Mar 1, 2009)

I just recently found out the difference myself. VGA is analog while HDMI is digital. Analog is crisper because it isn't limited to set values like digital is. At least, the Geek Squad guy told me that when I got an analog to digital adapter text would be fuzzier. I think that this is normal, but I'm not an expert or anything.


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## Phædrus241 (Mar 28, 2009)

Not really the case. A high fidelity digital signal can be as clear as or clearer than analog. Does the graphics card have native HDMI, or are you using a converter?

Don't listen to GeekSquad, by the way. They just aren't very reliable for anything much more complicated than the basics. A friend of mine worked for Geek Squad. He was less technically inclined than me, and was still the most competent person on the team.


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## Mynaras (Mar 1, 2009)

Ok. At least they were skilled enough to take apart my laptop and blast the dust out of it before putting it back together  I'll take their advice with a grain of salt from now on.


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## csinchicago (Nov 14, 2009)

I don't know if it has native HDMI - How can I tell? It is the onboard GPU, which is an ATI Radeon HD 4200. Does that help?


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## Phædrus241 (Mar 28, 2009)

I mean, are you connecting directly into an HDMI port or are you using a VGA-HDMI converter?


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## csinchicago (Nov 14, 2009)

Directly connecting. The motherboard has a DVI, HDMI, and D-Sub (VGA) output. I am not using any converters.


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