I have a bfg 7800gt oc and plan on ordering a Samsung 940b from newegg this week, which from the reviews doesnt come with the dvi cable. i was hoping to save on the $5 shipping for the cable so I went to radio shack. They carry a dvi-d single link and a dvi-i dual link. I picked up the dvi-i 12 ft. for $12.49 because I figured the ability to carry an analog signal also would be good.

Poking around the internet tonight I came across something that said if your monitor and video card both support digital signal than use the dvi-d cable so only a digital signal will be used. Even though my video card has a dvi-i connector, I think I will switch to the dvi-d cable, for the above reason and the fact that the monitor specifications on newegg list dvi digital, which means the dvi-i cable wouldnt even plug in. OK, on to my main question.

In order to save the shipping and get the cable from Radio Shack I would have to go with the single link, as they dont carry a dvi-d dual link, which is what newegg carries.
I found this on the net:

The dual link effectively doubles the power of transmission and provides an increase of speed and signal quality; i.e. a single link 60-Hz LCD can display a resolution of 1920 x 1080 (enough for HDTV) , while a dual link can display a resolution of 2048 x 1536. There is some confusion as to dual link cables being superior to single link cables. A single link cable is 100% as good as a dual link cable for single link equipment which covers about 99.5% of current equipment, including HDTV's, Projectors, Plasma Screens, and High Definition Set top Boxes

Since the Samsung has a resolution of 1280x1024, I think I'll get the single link dvi-d from radio shack (which has gold connectors). Just looking for reassurance that I dont need the dual link dvi-d from newegg for $6 more.

Thanks for bearing with me here. I know its only a $12 part but I get a little anal over trying to undertand things and make the right decisions, and I was afraid that a single link cable would have an inferior picture.

All of this because Samsung wanted to save a few dollars and not include the cable.

thanks a bunch guys
Trenz

I'm pretty sure the max on the 940b is 1280x1024! So, as long as you have a DVI cable, whether it be dual or single link, it will make NO difference in picture quality, assuming that it has the ability to maintain signal integrety and shield it from interference. In fact, unless you NEED to buy a cable, I wouldn't worry about it, (I think samsung might not include a DVI cable ) then purchase whatever is cheapest that will do the job. I had to buy a longer DVI cable for my mom's computer. I ended up pyaing $20 for a DVI-D 5m cable from MCM.

Thanks. I am going to exchange my dvi-i cable for this one Radio Shack DVI-D cable. Just wanted reassurance that single link would be ok.