Cables for your new PC
Before your new PC arrives, please take the time to double check you have the correct video cables to connect your new PC to your monitors.
Important: If you have questions about video connections, please email support@orbitalcomputers.com with your monitor model numbers and we’ll reply back with the correct cables for your application. Email is highly preferred over phone calls for these questions so we can match up your monitor model numbers and send a link to the correct cables.
The video cable requirement is determined by the ‘Video Card’ option you selected.
Step 1: Find out what video outputs are available on your new PC:
Look at your invoice attached to the order confirmation email and match up your ‘Video Card’ option with the options listed below to find the correct video outputs.
Desktop Workstation Video Card Options:
(All available connections can be active at the same time to drive 4 displays at once.)
(All available connections can be active at the same time to drive 4 displays at once.)
Nvidia Quadro T600, T1000, RTX A2000: 4x Mini DisplayPorts
Nvidia Quadro RTX A4000, RTX A5000: 4x DisplayPorts
Nvidia RTX 3050: 2x DisplayPort, 2x HDMI
Nvidia RTX 3060, 4060, 4070 Ti, 4080, 4090: 3x DisplayPort, 1x HDMI
Nvidia RTX 3060, 4060, 4070 Ti, 4080, 4090: 3x DisplayPort, 1x HDMI
Laptop Video Card Options:
RTX 4060, 4070, 4080, 4090 – 1x HDMI, 1x Mini DP, 1x Type C
Trading Computers Video Options:
3-Monitor Display System – 1x DVI, 1x HDMI, 1x DisplayPort
4-Monitor Display System – 4x Mini DisplayPort
Nvidia GTX 1660 4GB GDDR5 – 4-Monitor Display System: 3x DisplayPort, 1x HDMI
3-Monitor Display System – 1x DVI, 1x HDMI, 1x DisplayPort
4-Monitor Display System – 4x Mini DisplayPort
Nvidia GTX 1660 4GB GDDR5 – 4-Monitor Display System: 3x DisplayPort, 1x HDMI
8-Monitor Display System – 8x Mini DisplayPorts
12-Monitor Display System – 12 Mini DisplayPorts
Step 2: Find out what connections are available on your monitors:
- The best way to find what connections your monitors have is to look up the model number online and find the specifications page on the monitor manufacturer’s website. Look for ‘Inputs’.
- Alternatively, look at your monitors and match up your inputs with the pictures below.
Step 3: Get the appropriate cable
Some general rules of thumb:
- The best connections available today are DisplayPort, Mini DisplayPort, and HDMI. Use these connections first if possible. Followed by DVI. Use VGA last, only if there are no other options.
- For 1-2 monitor setups, 6 foot long cables should be adequate. For 3+ monitor setups, use 10ft long cables. Don’t get unnecessarily long cables as quality and reliability can degrade as cable length increases.
- Generally speaking, DP, MiniDP, and HDMI can all do 4K resolution (3820×2160) and can also transmit audio over the cable. DVI can do up to 2560×1440 resolution, without audio.
- However, special consideration must be taken for 4K TVs being used as monitors as they require 4K at 60Hz which may need a special cable setup (see below).
Here are some cable options:
Mini DP to HDMI (Buy this if your Video Card from Step 1 has Mini DP outputs and your monitor has an HDMI input) – https://www.amazon.com/Rankie-Mini-DisplayPort-Cable-Ready/dp/B01HXNCN0Q/
Mini DP to HDMI (Buy this if your Video Card from Step 1 has Mini DP outputs and your monitor has an HDMI input) – https://www.amazon.com/Rankie-Mini-DisplayPort-Cable-Ready/dp/B01HXNCN0Q/
DP to HDMI – https://www.amazon.com/Rankie-DisplayPort-Cable-Resolution-Ready/dp/B01HXOU4Y2
Mini DP to 4K 60Hz TV (not monitor) – Use this combo when you have a Mini DP video card from step 1 above and a 4K 60 Hz TV being used as a monitor:
1x: https://www.amazon.com/Cable-iVANKY-Speed-18Gbps-Ethernet/dp/B07RKJKJGC/
1x: https://www.amazon.com/Mini-DisplayPort-HDMI-Adapter-Thunderbolt/dp/B07BBFR1FJ/
You’ll need 1x of each of the above cables per 4K 60 Hz TV.
Recommended cables can be purchased off Amazon or most other online retailers. If you are going to try to purchase them in store, make sure to call ahead to see if they are in stock. Amazon Basics, Rankie, and Cable Matters are all excellent brands. To find the correct cable, search Amazon in terms of your (Video Output) to (Monitor Input) (X) ft. For example “Mini DisplayPort to HDMI 10ft”.
If you have additional questions please email (instead of calling) – support@orbitalcomputers.com.