09/14/2026
A very import item to look at now when dealing with refurbished and used computers, or even a new computer, what video connection does it have?
Now why is this important?
As you go from older technology to newer ones, the video capabilities changed, and the newer systems have adapted to newer standards, and different connections.
Now it is possible to buy adapters to make your older hardware work, but the picture quality will not be there, and some older screens do not support the newer refresh rates, so you get a blank screen.
Also some of the new connections like HDMI also deal with the audio part in their cable, so your older screen would not suppot that as well.
What You Loose:
Audio: VGA only carries video, so standard adapters drop sound unless they include a separate audio input jack or USB audio hookup.
Native Digital Quality: Converting an analog signal into a digital one does not add detail, and conversion can introduce minor fuzziness or lag.
High Resolutions and Refresh Rates: VGA struggles with high-definition limits, often capping your screen at lower resolutions or standard 60 Hz refresh rates.
Plug-and-Play Simplicity: Because converting analog to digital requires active processing power, these adapters can require a an extra USB power cable to function correctly.
So when you decide what you are going to replace your current computer with, you can then decide if your old screen will work, or if a new screen would be better in the long run.
Below is a picture of most of the current video connections.
