subject: Monitor Cable Types of Cables [print this page] There are many different types of cables that are used in modern desktop computers, and being able to tell the difference between them is crucial if you are setting up your own system or if you are trying to troubleshoot your computer. A monitor cable is a crucial part of any desktop computer (that is, a computer composed of several separate parts, rather than a laptop computer, which is all one piece), and ensuring that the monitor is correctly hooked up is important for the computer to function properly. The monitor refers to the screen that the computer uses to display information, which comes in a variety of different styles and sizes. Here, we will go over some of the ways to recognize monitor cables, as well as how to differentiate them from other types of cables.
A monitor cable is typically made from blue or black plastic with two wide, plastic ends. These ends often have metal ridges surrounding two rows of metal pins. These ends or heads of the cable are male because they have pins, rather than holes, and will also generally have a small screw on either side of each head in order to secure the cable to its respective locations.
Monitor cables can be separated from other cables because they tend to be thicker and more difficult to bend. They also tend to have small ridges running the length of the cable itself, giving it a unique texture. The important things to recognize are the heads on the cables, which ensure that they can only be plugged into monitor video inputs (which are generally located next to the power input on the monitor itself) and video cards, which have their opening at the back of the computer. The head of a monitor cable features three rows of five pins each, with the centre row offset to the side by the distance of one pin from the rest.
A monitor cable is rather unique, and should therefore be relatively easy to spot in a bundle of cables. Perhaps the most noticeable feature of the cable is that the interior of the section in which the pins are located, and often the entire heads themselves, are painted blue in order to make it more obvious what type of cable it is. This blue colouring corresponds to the video input plug on a monitor and the video output plug on a video card.
