USB to VGA vs DVI/VGA PCMCIA/AGP

In Mark’s last article he mentioned the USB to VGA converter. I had already wrote up most of this info when he had posted his article. Thankfully we both cover different aspects of this adapter. This converter allows you to hook up a VGA monitor to your USB port. You may ask yourself what the difference is between this converter and our PCMCIA video card or even our AGP video card. If you are looking for a high quality solution then you will probably want the PCMCIA video card if you have a laptop, or the AGP video card if you have a desktop. Although all three work great, the USB to VGA converter is not as powerful as the other two. You may find the adapter refreshing the screen at a slower speed than normal.

One good thing about this adapter is that it is less expensive than the PCMCIA solution. So, if you are connecting to a laptop, and you dont want to spend a pretty penny on the PCMCIA card, then you will be comforted to know that the USB to VGA adapter is over $100 cheaper. The AGP video card is the cheapest of the three and is a better quality than the other two.

Another benefit to using the USB to VGA adapter is that it wont take up any PCMCIA ports on your computer. If your laptop is already stuffed full of PCMCIA cards, then this adapter is the one for you.

In short, if you are looking for a quick, easy, and cheap solution for hooking up your laptop to a second monitor, then this cable will do the job.

If you want quality in that laptop to monitor connection, then get the PCMCIA video card. This card packs punch.

If your desktop computer needs a new video connection, then the AGP video card is both cheap, and has great quality. If you are unsure what an AGP slot is, or if your computer has one, then refer to our article on PCI slots. The diagram in that article has a picture of an AGP slot.