Dell U3011 - Displayport or DVI?

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I just purchased a Dell U3011 and I am wondering if there is any discernible difference or reason to use Displayport over DVI.

Right now I'm running a Monoprice 6ft 24AWG DVI cable and I am just curious if its better to get a nice Displayport cable. My graphics card is an MSI GTX 680.

Disclaimer - I am not one of those Headfi guys that thinks replacing my headphone cables with oxygen free pure gold conductors makes a noticeable difference and I'm going to be using this monitor for gaming, surfing the internet, and watching movies/TV shows. There will not be any photoshopping where color accuracy and whatnot is critical. I just want to make sure I'm not missing out on anything by using DVI.
 
You're missing out on the easy plug/unplug of display port, which is awesome, quite frankly. We should have done away with those fucking screws forever ago.
 
Only major difference I've found between DP and DVI is that when you turn off your monitor it actually disconnects as a plug and play device. This can cause issues/weirdness if you have a multimonitor setup and you normally power off the monitors (speaking from experience with a setup containing a U3011)
 
Neb said:
Only major difference I've found between DP and DVI is that when you turn off your monitor it actually disconnects as a plug and play device. This can cause issues/weirdness if you have a multimonitor setup and you normally power off the monitors (speaking from experience with a setup containing a U3011)
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Is there any way to coutner this? It drives me nuts on my multi display setup.
 
There is no difference unless you are working with a video card that supports 10bit output. Even then this is only useful in certain programs like Photoshop and the u3011 isn't truly a 10bit panel but it could still help gradients appear smoothly. In normal circumstances there are no differences. I'm unsure whether or not the 7970 or 680 support 10bit color but moninfo reports 10bit on my 7970+u2711 over display port.

If anything DVI is better as I notice lots of bugs with displayport on the 7970.
 
It is usually no difference, unless you have a dp cable of higher quality than the dvi cable. Which sometimes is the case with stock cables.
 
Q1DM6 said:
I've never seen one of these supposed "bugs". Like what, exactly?
I've run dp to dp and mini-dp to dp with no problems.
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Ever since I started using DP my monitor will not go into sleep mode unless I power off my receiver which is on my HDMI output which never happened with DVI, also the power off issue mentioned here.
 
Murzilka said:
It is usually no difference, unless you have a dp cable of higher quality than the dvi cable. Which sometimes is the case with stock cables.
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Can't agree with that statement. DVI and DP are digital, there is absolutely no loss therefore cable quality is meaningless unless you are running 15+ metres of cable.

1000
 
1000 said:
Can't agree with that statement. DVI and DP are digital, there is absolutely no loss therefore cable quality is meaningless unless you are running 15+ metres of cable.

1000
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That's possible. But I swear I can see difference between dp and dvi connection on the zr2740w...
 
I've always had little annoying issues with DP on numerous different graphics cards. I have had zero issues with DVI.
 
I have a U3011 and an NVIDIA GTX 680, before this card I had a GTX 570. With either card and using DP I have a black screen during bootup untill windows comes up and from then on everything is fine. With DVI I can see the whole boot process (BIOS stuff, hard drives, memory, etc...) Any ideas? If I can't figure this out I may go back to DVI.
 
I don't understand your explanation: do you say monitors are plug and play that is, you can connect/disconnect them while the system is running? It seems you are saying this depends on the connection type. If so, which one is plug and play: DVI or DP?

I always thought monitors are not plug and play though I hadn't tried to find the answer from experts before.


Neb said:
Only major difference I've found between DP and DVI is that when you turn off your monitor it actually disconnects as a plug and play device. This can cause issues/weirdness if you have a multimonitor setup and you normally power off the monitors (speaking from experience with a setup containing a U3011)
Click to expand...
 
Q1DM6 said:
You're missing out on the easy plug/unplug of display port, which is awesome, quite frankly. We should have done away with those fucking screws forever ago.
Click to expand...

Amen brother. God how I hated those screws, sometimes they would get stuck in the VdieoCard, or the nightmare of undoing them from a monitor in a hard to reach spot :rolleyes:
 
So the general consensus is, there is no difference between DVI or DP, under normal circumstances (gaming/movie)? And if you have to ask, then you most likely aren't taking advantage of it anyway?
 
jcvjcvjcvjcv said:
How can you take advantage of something that isn't there?
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Well, display port has been available on consumer video cards since atleast the ATI's 4000 series. I've also heard of some nVidia 8000 series cards having display port. So it's not all that not there.
 
raminux said:
I don't understand your explanation: do you say monitors are plug and play that is, you can connect/disconnect them while the system is running? It seems you are saying this depends on the connection type. If so, which one is plug and play: DVI or DP?

I always thought monitors are not plug and play though I hadn't tried to find the answer from experts before.
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jcvjcvjcvjcv said:
He sees DP as plug and play, but in this case that would be a negative.
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Officially speaking, the Display Data Channel is the Plug and Play standard for monitors; it was included into the Plug and Play spec after VESA ratified the DDC standard. The formatting for the data is standardized into the extended display identification data structure. This is how a monitor tells a video card what it's capable of.

The method with which Microsoft detects a Plug and Play montior is that Microsoft has a "Plug and Play Monitor" driver which reads the standard EDID info and tries to format your display accordingly. Though not perfect, it's usually good enough that you'll get some sort of working image without issue if you plug in your monitor. As long as a monitor complies with the EDID/DDC standards, it is said to be "plug and play compatible".

Displayport includes this EDID info (I believe DP uses EDID v1.4) so it is effectively a plug and play monitor. Both DVI and DP are Plug and Play, though DisplayPort has a significantly more complex two-way handshake process.

suiken_2mieu said:
Well, display port has been available on consumer video cards since atleast the ATI's 4000 series. I've also heard of some nVidia 8000 series cards having display port. So it's not all that not there.
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He's referring to the original question, which is whether there's any discernable difference in image quality between DisplayPort and DVI. The answer is that there's no difference :)
 
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dukenuke88 said:
So the general consensus is, there is no difference between DVI or DP, under normal circumstances (gaming/movie)? And if you have to ask, then you most likely aren't taking advantage of it anyway?
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I think if you are able to make the switch, do it. DVI is a legacy port whose spec is dead and no longer updated. It'll be discontinued in the 2013-2015 time frame, and its legitimate successor is DP anyway which fully committed to by VESA. So the real question is, why wouldn't you go for DP?

You do have to watch out for 3rd party DP cables, though. I own a Dell U2711 and switched from DVI to DP about a year ago. when I did so, I encountered the dreaded sleep mode bug. After a lot of researching around the web, I determined it was due to the $4 3rd party cable I was using and not my U2711 or HD7970.

http://www.necdisplay.com/documents/Miscellaneous/DisplayPort_Notice.pdf

And so I bought an NEC DP-to-mDP cable and have been in DisplayPort bliss ever since. Zero issues, and works every time. Apparently, some 3rd party manufacturers 'skimp' on the cable specs and this causes the handshaking issue from GPU to monitor, and thus induces sleep mode.
 
What's this sleep mode bug that you're talking about?

edit:Nevermind, I read the NEC advisory. Haven't had that problem, luckily enough :)
 
gan7114 said:
I think if you are able to make the switch, do it. DVI is a legacy port whose spec is dead and no longer updated. It'll be discontinued in the 2013-2015 time frame, and its legitimate successor is DP anyway which fully committed to by VESA. So the real question is, why wouldn't you go for DP?

You do have to watch out for 3rd party DP cables, though. I own a Dell U2711 and switched from DVI to DP about a year ago. when I did so, I encountered the dreaded sleep mode bug. After a lot of researching around the web, I determined it was due to the $4 3rd party cable I was using and not my U2711 or HD7970.

http://www.necdisplay.com/documents/Miscellaneous/DisplayPort_Notice.pdf

And so I bought an NEC DP-to-mDP cable and have been in DisplayPort bliss ever since. Zero issues, and works every time. Apparently, some 3rd party manufacturers 'skimp' on the cable specs and this causes the handshaking issue from GPU to monitor, and thus induces sleep mode.
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I am using the original DP cable for the U3011, I have sleep mode issues, also eveytime I turn off the monitor, the screen disconnects it self from the computer throwing all my shortcuts ( multi monitor setup) all over the place, also during some games if I let the game running and turn the monitor off, windows crashes and I need a restart. This is only happening with the DP cable supplied by dell with the monitor.

Moral of the story, DP or how windows handles DP is bugged right now, if you don't have to use DP, go with DVI-D never andy problems, not loss of nothing, proven excellent platform.

Oh and those screws are there because good quality thick dual link dvi cables with a lot of copper in them are heavy with bulky heads. In some situations they can easily come off after extended use without those screws, so they are mandatory. Deal with it.
 
Andyk5 said:
I am using the original DP cable for the U3011, I have sleep mode issues, also eveytime I turn off the monitor, the screen disconnects it self from the computer throwing all my shortcuts ( multi monitor setup) all over the place, also during some games if I let the game running and turn the monitor off, windows crashes and I need a restart. This is only happening with the DP cable supplied by dell with the monitor.
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Do you have an ATI card? Also it looks like the sleep mode issue is not the turning off monitor DP disconnect issue, going from that NEC advisory.
 
Andyk5 said:
I am using the original DP cable for the U3011, I have sleep mode issues, also everytime I turn off the monitor, the screen disconnects it self from the computer throwing all my shortcuts (multi monitor setup) all over the place, also during some games if I let the game running and turn the monitor off, windows crashes and I need a restart. This is only happening with the DP cable supplied by dell with the monitor.

Moral of the story, DP or how windows handles DP is bugged right now, if you don't have to use DP, go with DVI-D never andy problems, not loss of nothing, proven excellent platform.

Oh and those screws are there because good quality thick dual link dvi cables with a lot of copper in them are heavy with bulky heads. In some situations they can easily come off after extended use without those screws, so they are mandatory. Deal with it.
Click to expand...

It sounds like you have multiple conflicts going on. From the stand point of using multiple monitors, I'm of the opinion that you should use one connection type for all. If you're using DVI, then use DVI for all. If you're using DP, then use DP for all (either each one direct from the GPU, or daisy chaining from monitor to monitor- must be DP 1.2 though). Same goes for HDMI. I am not a fan of using different connector types with multiple monitors, or for that matter, different connector types across multiple monitors with different resolutions. But that's just me.

As for Dell's DP cable, I can't vouch for it. It could be made by a 3rd party, but I've never used it. If I recall correctly, the DP cable that came with the U2711 was DP-to-DP, not DP-to-mDP. The HD7970 has mDP ports. I loath dongles of any type, and so any cables I use have the applicable connector types. I bought a cheap one from Monoprice, and I literally got what I paid for with the sleep mode issue. I then bought NEC's cable and the issue went away completely. Of course, NEC only guarantees the cable's compatibility with their monitors, but a spec is a spec, and NEC is a 1st rate company, so I didn't expect any problems- and haven't had any.
 
gan7114 said:
It sounds like you have multiple conflicts going on. From the stand point of using multiple monitors, I'm of the opinion that you should use one connection type for all. If you're using DVI, then use DVI for all. If you're using DP, then use DP for all (either each one direct from the GPU, or daisy chaining from monitor to monitor- must be DP 1.2 though). Same goes for HDMI. I am not a fan of using different connector types with multiple monitors, or for that matter, different connector types across multiple monitors with different resolutions. But that's just me.
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U3011 isn't capable of DP 1.2 so daisy chaining is a moot point for the monitor. I agree with you that using the same connector is optimal but that's just not possible for some configurations (such as my own).

What exactly are you referring to when you say sleep mode issue? I see people referring to that as a couple different issues while the NEC document itself has a few different issues listed as well.
 
Neb said:
U3011 isn't capable of DP 1.2 so daisy chaining is a moot point for the monitor. I agree with you that using the same connector is optimal but that's just not possible for some configurations (such as my own).

What exactly are you referring to when you say sleep mode issue? I see people referring to that as a couple different issues while the NEC document itself has a few different issues listed as well.
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I think the majority of those that this has affected are relating to the same thing; i.e. their monitor enters sleep mode and cannot resume from that state. This was my own experience, and 9/10 times it was from start up. My computer would boot, post, and enter Windows 7. I knew this based on sound alone. What did not happen was my monitor functioning properly. Even before post, the monitor would show a message saying "No connection detected. Entering Sleep mode."

DP essentially works like HDMI (ala HDCP) where it does a handshake between two devices. In addition to both devices, the cable must also be capable of carrying the handshake without incident and properly telling the device with DP-out (your GPU) what device(s) with DP-in (your monitor) is connected to it. This is important because DP is also capable of powering devices. Obviously, you don't want your GPU (and by proxy, your computer) to be trying to power your monitor; it would be overload, and your monitor and/or GPU would be damaged in the process. After doing some reading, it states within the DP spec that should this happen, a 'fault' is basically tripped and this sends the monitor to sleep so that power doesn't flow to it over DP. From what I've read, this is due to a cable not properly recognizing what devices it is connected to.

After my troubles and reading the NEC notice, it would seem that not all DP cables are being manufactured equally, with some skimping out on essential protocols like the power one just mentioned. Don't get me wrong, I'm not one of those people who goes out and buys $50 HDMI cables (quite the opposite). But with DP, it seems that paying a little more really did get more more.

For public knowledge, the cable which didn't work at all from Monoprice was $4. The cable which has worked flawlessly from NEC was $30.
 
gan7114 said:
I think the majority of those that this has affected are relating to the same thing; i.e. their monitor enters sleep mode and cannot resume from that state. This was my own experience, and 9/10 times it was from start up. My computer would boot, post, and enter Windows 7. I knew this based on sound alone. What did not happen was my monitor functioning properly. Even before post, the monitor would show a message saying "No connection detected. Entering Sleep mode."
Click to expand...

I've never had that issue even with my monoprice cables. My U3011 and U2711 both come up fine from sleep mode without any problems; the only issue that seems to occur with regularity is if I power off the monitor, then the OS reassigns the desktop monitors to the remaining monitors. When I power the monitor back up it re-detects it and the desktops show up again.

I don't believe it's the cable causing this but I'm going to pick up a NEC cable just to see for myself.

DP essentially works like HDMI (ala HDCP) where it does a handshake between two devices. In addition to both devices, the cable must also be capable of carrying the handshake without incident and properly telling the device with DP-out (your GPU) what device(s) with DP-in (your monitor) is connected to it. This is important because DP is also capable of powering devices. Obviously, you don't want your GPU (and by proxy, your computer) to be trying to power your monitor; it would be overload, and your monitor and/or GPU would be damaged in the process. After doing some reading, it states within the DP spec that should this happen, a 'fault' is basically tripped and this sends the monitor to sleep so that power doesn't flow to it over DP. From what I've read, this is due to a cable not properly recognizing what devices it is connected to.
Click to expand...

DP cables have no active logic in them, so a DP cable is incapable of "telling" or "recognizing" anything. Just wanted to point that out as the way you have it worded there implies that the cable is an active device in the chain, when it isn't.

That being stated, I went ahead and read the full NEC notice. A more accurate way of describing the issue is that the DP spec allows for power to be provided via the Sink and Source, in case there is a device between them that requires power. However that's not a valid usage case with a monitor to display connection, so the power pin for a DP monitor cable is not supposed to directly connect the power line. Faulty cables directly connect them, so it causes issues.

Improper wiring is the root cause of your issue, while my issue appears to be completely different. I have yet to experience any of the issues listed on the NEC advisory.

jcvjcvjcvjcv said:
One again the DRM Fascists are making life miserably for everyone. HDCP shouldn't even exist.
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Yeah, it'd be nice if we didn't have HDCP...but you and I both know the media conglomerates would have never allowed Blu-Ray to exist without it.
 
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Neb said:
I've never had that issue even with my monoprice cables. My U3011 and U2711 both come up fine from sleep mode without any problems; the only issue that seems to occur with regularity is if I power off the monitor, then the OS reassigns the desktop monitors to the remaining monitors. When I power the monitor back up it re-detects it and the desktops show up again.

I don't believe it's the cable causing this but I'm going to pick up a NEC cable just to see for myself.

DP cables have no active logic in them, so a DP cable is incapable of "telling" or "recognizing" anything. Just wanted to point that out as the way you have it worded there implies that the cable is an active device in the chain, when it isn't.

That being stated, I went ahead and read the full NEC notice. A more accurate way of describing the issue is that the DP spec allows for power to be provided via the Sink and Source, in case there is a device between them that requires power. However that's not a valid usage case with a monitor to display connection, so the power pin for a DP monitor cable is not supposed to directly connect the power line. Faulty cables directly connect them, so it causes issues.

Improper wiring is the root cause of your issue, while my issue appears to be completely different. I have yet to experience any of the issues listed on the NEC advisory.

Yeah, it'd be nice if we didn't have HDCP...but you and I both know the media conglomerates would have never allowed Blu-Ray to exist without it.
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You're better with words than I am :). That said, improper wiring can cause any number of issues when dealing with 20 pins. Out of curiosity, what cable(s) are you using? My issue was with mDP-to-DP. Oddly, the pin assignment in a DP connector head is different from the pin assignment in an mDP connector head, specifically the hot swap detect pin among others. I could very easily see how some 3rd party manufacturers don't follow spec and just assign the same pins, which would make for a faulty cable.

Your issue sounds more like it has to do with how either your OS or GPU driver is set up and is handling your extended desktop, since it's moving your desktop over and then back. Then again, if it's detecting your monitor each time, it could be a faulty pin within the cable. I have a hard time believing the problem lies with either the monitors or GPU card itself.
 
Some folks have said it seems to be an ATI card/driver issue, but I have yet to see any confirmation that it's the case. Both my U2711 and U3011 exhibit the same behavior when hooked up to my 6970 when hooked up via mDP to DP cables.
 
Neb said:
Yeah, it'd be nice if we didn't have HDCP...but you and I both know the media conglomerates would have never allowed Blu-Ray to exist without it.
Click to expand...

Yeah, and they will carry that into their grave....

As of today, if you have a wideband internet connection, it's much more easy to download a 1080P *.mkv and play that than buy a BD and get it to work.

In my country downloading pirated movies isn't even illegal :D. There is a price premium on empty DVD's to 'compensate' the artists (in reality: corruption, bribes, waste and some money to the big names). But when burning pirated movies on DVD was hot, we got the DVD's from Germany. They only recently closed that route, but these days nobody is burning pirated movies on DVD. HDD is a lot cheaper. :D
 
I have a NEC pa271w and was connecting via displayport. I had constant sleep-mode problems -- with the NEC OEM cable; an overpriced off-brand from microcenter; and a start-tech displayport. I was connecting to a 5770, and a 6950, and experienced the problem with both graphics cards. I contacted NEC, and was on the phone with a tech for about half an hour. They gave me lots of "fixes", none of which worked -- installing the specific monitor drivers, some of NEC's anciallary usb utilities.

I ended up just switching to DVI, and using both the 6950 and 5770 to drive monitors. The final straw was actually an obnoxious HDCP issue. I have a couple of NEC 2090 monitors, and they aren't HDCP compliant, regardless of connection. I use WMC and a silicon dust cablecard tuner -- WMC doesn't recognize HDCP over displayport, so with two 2090 monitors (DVI) and a PA271 (displayport), I was completely incapable of watching protected content on WMC.
 
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