HDMI vs VGA on laptop

[kunfuzed]

So for a long time I've just been using my VGA port to run my SyncMaster XL2370HD Monitor, and just recently had the bright idea to use an HDMI cable instead, because digital is better... right?

 

Well anyways, doesn't look that way. Why would my VGA output look better than HDMI?  Looking at a windows explorer screen with the HDMI, I see faint horizontal lines, and the text is less crisp, almost a cartoonish look all around.  Have not tried my DVI port yet...

 

ATI mobility radeon hd 4500 card running the latest Catalyst Control Center software on Windows 7.  Dell XPS 16

[Reko]

Did you change your resolution? Mine is set to 1920 x 1080

[kunfuzed]

Yup.  1920 x 1080 on both.  I did have to change the underscan in the CCC settings to get rid of the black edges around the screen, but I hear that's common.

[jeff]

right click on your desktop, go to Display Settings, at the bottom is Advanced Display Settings, see if the Clear Type Text will make things better for ya

[crazy^millman]

I run Dual HDMI monitors from my Dell 6600 Laptop with no issues. One is DVI to HDMI and the other is HDMI to HDMI and never has an issue with the quality of the picture on either of them.

[kunfuzed]

Ya know, I hooked up a couple of cheap acer monitors the same way, DVI and HDMI to DVI and I don't see the same problem... :/

[Guest]

Might be a bad HDMI cable. I had that problem when I bought a cheap $13 cable at bestbuy to hook up a kindle to my television before screencast became a thing.

[kunfuzed]

Hmmm... maybe. I thought that being digital, cables don't matter. The signal is either there, or it isn't. Could be wrong though.