Video Graphics Array
(redirected from VGA adapter)Video Graphics Array
(hardware)(VGA) A display standard for IBM PCs, with 640
x 480 pixels in 16 colours and a 4:3 aspect ratio. There
is also a text mode with 720 x 400 pixels.
IBM technical references define the *product name* of their original VGA display board as "Video Graphics Array", in contrast to the preceding boards, the "Color Graphics Adapter" (CGA) and "Enhanced Graphics Adapter" (EGA).
See also Super Video Graphics Adapter.
IBM technical references define the *product name* of their original VGA display board as "Video Graphics Array", in contrast to the preceding boards, the "Color Graphics Adapter" (CGA) and "Enhanced Graphics Adapter" (EGA).
See also Super Video Graphics Adapter.
This article is provided by FOLDOC - Free Online Dictionary of Computing (foldoc.org)
VGA
(Video Graphics Array) VGA is an analog interface between a PC and monitor that was widely used prior to DVI, HDMI and DisplayPort. VGA was introduced on the IBM PS/2 in 1987, replacing the previous digital CGA and EGA interfaces, which had lower resolution and fewer colors. New LCD monitors may include a VGA port for legacy PCs, and PCs may have a VGA port for legacy monitors. See DVI, HDMI and DisplayPort.Lots of Variants
VGA debuted with 640x480 pixels and 16 or 256 colors. This is still the mode PCs boot into, and it is also used in Safe Mode with the display driver disabled (in case the driver is the problem).
In a short time, non-IBM vendors boosted resolution and colors, calling them "Super VGA" (see SVGA). IBM later introduced XGA (1024x768), and over the years, more resolutions were added that were fractions or multiples of the total number of pixels in VGA and XGA resolutions. See IBM PS/2, screen resolution and XGA.
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| VGA on a Laptop |
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| The VGA port (middle) was commonly found on Windows PCs, and the same socket was used with all the VGA variations. This laptop has the modern DisplayPort interface (left), but VGA is provided for legacy monitors. |
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| Three Legacy Ports |
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| Using D-sub sockets, VGA, serial and game ports were commonly found on the back of PCs for more than a decade. See D-sub connectors. |
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| Screen Resolutions |
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| Modern PC graphics cards support a variety of SD and HD resolutions. This illustration compares the viewing area for several of them. |
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| Screen Resolutions |
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| Modern PC graphics cards support a variety of SD and HD resolutions. This illustration compares the viewing area for several of them. |
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