Cat 5e vs. VGA

**Eclipse2003** · 11-03-2008, 08:29 AM

I have a customer that wants to have a PC in one room and have a monitor in another room. It'll probably be a good 50 feet or so as just a guess. They are wanting to just run a VGA cable but I wanted to know first of all, what the longest run for VGA is without losing quality. I have read anywhere from 50-100 ft.

Also, I don't know too much about cabling so why can Cat 5e cables run longer than VGA without interference? What is the difference between the two?

**johnwill** · 11-03-2008, 12:51 PM

You need a video repeater, running a VGA or CAT5 cable won't do this trick. Try something like this: http://www.pcstockpile.com/product_i...ducts_id=18517

**Eclipse2003** · 11-03-2008, 02:00 PM

How come this won't work? Is the length the problem? If so, what is the longest length?

**johnwill** · 11-03-2008, 05:10 PM

I don't know offhand what the longest length cable that's practical for VGA, but I do know that I've tried VGA extension cables to run them around 30 feet and the quality degradation was noticeable. Since that device is pretty cheap, I'm not sure what your issue is.

**Eclipse2003** · 11-03-2008, 07:28 PM

No issue at all. Just want to get all of my facts straight before my meeting. Thanks for the help.

**johnwill** · 11-04-2008, 09:33 AM

OK, I thought you were swimming upstream.

~~blackbox_ns~~ · 11-26-2008, 09:42 AM

Generally speaking with a good VGA cable you can run a resolution of
800 x 600 at 100 feet, 1024 x 768 at 50 feet. A lot depends on the cable, the video card, etc.

**johnwill** · 11-27-2008, 09:42 AM

Like you say, a lot depends on the quality of the cable. For certain results, it's best to simply do it with a repeater.

11-03-2008, 08:29 AM	#1 (permalink)
Eclipse2003 TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Ohio Posts: 1,156 OS: XP	Cat 5e vs. VGA I have a customer that wants to have a PC in one room and have a monitor in another room. It'll probably be a good 50 feet or so as just a guess. They are wanting to just run a VGA cable but I wanted to know first of all, what the longest run for VGA is without losing quality. I have read anywhere from 50-100 ft. Also, I don't know too much about cabling so why can Cat 5e cables run longer than VGA without interference? What is the difference between the two?

11-03-2008, 12:51 PM	#2 (permalink)
johnwill Manager, Networking Forums Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: S.E. Pennsylvania, US Posts: 41,802 OS: Windows 7, XP-Pro, Vista, Linux Blog Entries: 1	Re: Cat 5e vs. VGA You need a video repeater, running a VGA or CAT5 cable won't do this trick. Try something like this: http://www.pcstockpile.com/product_i...ducts_id=18517 __________________ If TSF has helped you, Tell us about it! or Donate to help keep the site up! Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience

11-03-2008, 02:00 PM	#3 (permalink)
Eclipse2003 TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Ohio Posts: 1,156 OS: XP	Re: Cat 5e vs. VGA How come this won't work? Is the length the problem? If so, what is the longest length?

11-03-2008, 05:10 PM	#4 (permalink)
johnwill Manager, Networking Forums Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: S.E. Pennsylvania, US Posts: 41,802 OS: Windows 7, XP-Pro, Vista, Linux Blog Entries: 1	Re: Cat 5e vs. VGA I don't know offhand what the longest length cable that's practical for VGA, but I do know that I've tried VGA extension cables to run them around 30 feet and the quality degradation was noticeable. Since that device is pretty cheap, I'm not sure what your issue is. __________________ If TSF has helped you, Tell us about it! or Donate to help keep the site up! Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience

11-03-2008, 07:28 PM	#5 (permalink)
Eclipse2003 TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Ohio Posts: 1,156 OS: XP	Re: Cat 5e vs. VGA No issue at all. Just want to get all of my facts straight before my meeting. Thanks for the help.

11-04-2008, 09:33 AM	#6 (permalink)
johnwill Manager, Networking Forums Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: S.E. Pennsylvania, US Posts: 41,802 OS: Windows 7, XP-Pro, Vista, Linux Blog Entries: 1	Re: Cat 5e vs. VGA OK, I thought you were swimming upstream. __________________ If TSF has helped you, Tell us about it! or Donate to help keep the site up! Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience

11-26-2008, 09:42 AM	#7 (permalink)
~~blackbox_ns~~ Troubled Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Gone! Posts: 143 OS: Xp	Re: Cat 5e vs. VGA Generally speaking with a good VGA cable you can run a resolution of 800 x 600 at 100 feet, 1024 x 768 at 50 feet. A lot depends on the cable, the video card, etc.

11-27-2008, 09:42 AM	#8 (permalink)
johnwill Manager, Networking Forums Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: S.E. Pennsylvania, US Posts: 41,802 OS: Windows 7, XP-Pro, Vista, Linux Blog Entries: 1	Re: Cat 5e vs. VGA Like you say, a lot depends on the quality of the cable. For certain results, it's best to simply do it with a repeater. __________________ If TSF has helped you, Tell us about it! or Donate to help keep the site up! Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience