# Can I connect a Dell Desktop with a Gateway Destination monitor? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 7, 2003, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-connect-a-dell-desktop-with-a-gateway-destination-monitor/186818 "2003-07-07T17:35:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2003, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-connect-a-dell-desktop-with-a-gateway-destination-monitor/186818/1 "2003-07-07T17:35:28Z")
I posted a few weeks back about my hard drive slowly dying a nasty death…well, it’s finally kaput. I want to borrow my brother’s Dell–, it’s got both XP and Windows 98 operating systems – but can I hook it up to the HUGE Gateway Destination monitor? Or will I have to buy some cables? Or MUST I use his monitor, too? I think his Dell may be a workstation Precison – 350, 360, 450 – something like that. ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2003, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-connect-a-dell-desktop-with-a-gateway-destination-monitor/186818/2 "2003-07-07T17:40:12Z")
The VGA cable is standard, and most modern monitors have the cable permanantly built in. You shouldn’t have any problems. ---
**Author:** ![Bongmaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Bongmaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bongmaster)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2003, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-connect-a-dell-desktop-with-a-gateway-destination-monitor/186818/3 "2003-07-07T17:40:41Z")
IBID ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2003, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-connect-a-dell-desktop-with-a-gateway-destination-monitor/186818/4 "2003-07-07T17:42:00Z")
SHouldn’t be a problem. Let us know how it goes. ---
**Author:** ![Sofa\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@Sofa\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofa_King)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2003, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-connect-a-dell-desktop-with-a-gateway-destination-monitor/186818/5 "2003-07-07T18:08:26Z")
Don’t cannibalize that [Dell power supply](http://165.193.123.52/articles/upgrade3_01_01.asp) without using an adaptor, though. It will ruin your day. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2003, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-connect-a-dell-desktop-with-a-gateway-destination-monitor/186818/6 "2003-07-07T21:29:42Z")
Check XP to see if it’s supported under monitor types. cause you’d want the correct monitor driver for it. ---
**Author:** ![spinky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@spinky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spinky)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2003, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-connect-a-dell-desktop-with-a-gateway-destination-monitor/186818/7 "2003-07-07T23:13:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by handy \* > Check XP to see if it’s supported under monitor types. cause you’d want the correct monitor driver for it. Check where? Is this usable advice? To the OP: the general answer is that if there are properly-shaped plugs for both ends of the cable to go in, it’ll work fine, and you don’t need “monitor drivers.” Almost any monitor you encouter is going to either have a VGA (analog) connector, which is D-shaped and has 15 pins in 3 rows of 5, or it’ll be DVI, which is a bigger rectangular connector with lots of little pins. If your monitor and your video card have the same kind of plug and you’ve got a cable to connect them, you’re pretty much set. (although if your monitor takes both kinds of inputs, you might have to switch between them manually) ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2003, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-connect-a-dell-desktop-with-a-gateway-destination-monitor/186818/8 "2003-07-08T01:02:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sofa King \* > \*\*Don’t cannibalize that [Dell power supply](http://165.193.123.52/articles/upgrade3_01_01.asp) without using an adaptor, though. It will ruin your day. \*\* Slightly OT: thanks for that post! I used to recommend Dell to otherwise technically savvy folks who didn’t want to build their own PCs. No more. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2003, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-connect-a-dell-desktop-with-a-gateway-destination-monitor/186818/9 "2003-07-08T14:57:30Z")
“Check where? Is this usable advice?” On the XP disk of course. It should have a hardware compatibility checker list/& program. I couldn’t be more specific cuz I don’t have the specific monitor model number, see? ---
**Author:** ![spinky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@spinky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spinky)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2003, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-connect-a-dell-desktop-with-a-gateway-destination-monitor/186818/10 "2003-07-08T17:27:36Z")
If you were really trying to be helpful, you could come up with something better than “check on the XP disk.” If you know about some hardware compatibility checker on the disk, you should be able to tell him how to use it without knowing the model number of his monitor. If you don’t, then what are you talking about? Here’s a monitor: Planar 160MP. Now, how do I “check on the XP disk” to find out if this monitor is supported?