WTF Dell!

[BouncingSoul]

Work got some new desktops, Dell T1500's. Full systems with monitor and all that jazz. I plug the monitor in, it lights up and shows the dell logo and says it can't find a VGA signal. Normal, since the system isn't on. I now see that the monitor has the vga cable already attached. So I go to hook the other end the tower and I see ... There is no VGA port on the tower. Why hook the thing up if you can't attach it that way? Dumb, but not a huge issue.

I take a few seconds and unhook it, attach my DVI cable to the monitor and tower, change the input on the monitor to DVI and fire up the system. Nothing. Monitor says no signal. I'm immediately afraid that I have a bad system. I unbox another, hook it up to the monitor, nothing. I think it must be a cable issue, so I grab another DVI cable, hook it up, nothing. Try another cable, nothing. In the end I unbox everything, monitors, towers and cables. Nope. Nothing. As near as I can tell, DVI is disabled on these systems.

I go through the box and find a DVI to DisplayPort adapter. I attach it and sure enough, we have video. I check the BIOS, there is no place in there where it says DVI is disabled. So I guess I'm forced to use a DVI to DisplayPort connection, which is ok I guess, but WHY? Why have all these other ports if they don't work? That is so freaking annoying. I understand that Dell is trying to force DisplayPort onto everything these days, but to cripple everything else as well? Wow. Just wow.

 

[Sazar]

What outputs do you have on your video-card and what ports on your display?

 

[BouncingSoul]

Everything is onboard. The PC has DVI and DisplayPort. The monitor had those plus VGA. I know the monitor can go with any system so I can understand why it has ports that not all systems can use. I just don't know how or why they would disable DVI on the system and then force you to use a DVI cable plus a adapter for DisplayPort.