Does using a DVI-to-VGA (instead of DVI-to-DVI) cable affect performance?

Question

When connecting a PC to a monitor, are there any significant performance penalties when using the various types of monitor cables? e.g. Should I expect different performance between the following:

• VGA-to-VGA
• DVI-to-VGA
• VGA-to-DVI
• DVI-to-DVI

I know that the pure DVI cable is better because the computer doesn't have to translate the signal from analog to digital. But is that really of concern nowadays?

Answer 1

I can't see there being a performance hit as the converter is just modifying the signal coming out of the computer, and the signal processing is done in real-time.

In a previous job dealing with real-time 3D graphics we made extensive use of extension cables and splitters and never noticed any performance issues (lag, reduced frame rate etc.).

Answer 2

No, this doesn't matter. The output of your graphic cards is always digital and is converted to plain old analogue vga by a "dumb" converter which has no influence to the rest of your pc.

There's one thing to keep in mind: When using DVI-D to DVI-D on a HDCP (High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection) enabled monitor there may be an impact to the performance. You'll need an HDCP-enabled display to playback blu-ray etc., theres some encryption being applied to your output.