So I'm going through my Stash of spare parts looking for extra monitors to re-use, and testing them all. I had the thought that I should make up a test-rig to test components, so I'd like to know if there has ever been a graphics card that had ALL the types of connectors - VGA, DVI, HDMI and DisplayPort, etc. I have a bunch of converters, but I'd like a card with as many different types natively as possible. The power and speed of the card is irrelevant - all I'll be doing is testing monitors and other components, not gaming or mining. The most important thing is the maximum number of different outputs. So, what's the maximum number of different outputs on any card, ever?
3 out of 4 is easy but I think you'll struggle to get Display Port and VGA on the same card in actual port form. That said, I really wouldn't fear adaptors. DVI-I (DVI-A) to VGA is native support for VGA. Those flavours of DVI include pins for analogue video compatible with VGA. The same is true of DVI-HDMI (and vice versa). Other than audio they are pin compatible. It is native support. Usually the same passive (i.e. native) support works for DP-HDMI too (see DP++), but not in reverse. If on the other hand you really do want all physical ports attached on the machine then I think the best bet would be a common DVI, HDMI and DisplayPort sporting card with a cheap USB to VGA adaptor (under a tenner).
I wanted to avoid add-on passive adaptors because they stick out, and I was thinking of a compact open breadboard rig or (better) a small old case - configured as a Back-To-Front case. The outputs on the expansion slots are at the new front (old back), the PSU is in the old 5.25 drive slots with mains cable going the CD drive slots. Mount a momentery switch with a Molly-Guard on a spare expansion slot blanking plate along with USB and front panel ports and possibly rivet a suitcase type handle in the top for carrying. Reverse all the fans and mount the whole case on the shelf over my workshop bench. Looking Super Ghetto is extra points. The design goal is that I can plug in any cable without having to reach around the back (that's what she said) and just test any monitor. So, since it is ONLY for testing stuff, the card can be old, slow and hopefuly, cheap. Maybe if i could find a Low-Profile card with HDMI & DP on the card and DVI via a cable to the next door expansion port cover, I could the use a spilter to have both DVI and VGA on the second cover.... Hmmm....
No AMD or Nvidia reference design has ever had all 4. You might be able to find some weird niche chinesium GTX 6xx / GTX 7xx era card somewhere that had all 4... but honestly, it would be easier to live with a DVI to VGA adapter. Also many of the early cards with HDMI didn't have real HDMI but mini HDMI instead and by the time they dropped that stupidity... well VGA was long dead.
As suggested, probably the best you will get is DP, HDMI, and DVI on a single card. If you're really against adapters at the PC end, can you not just put the adapter at the monitor end for DVI-VGA, and just remove that when testing DVI?
DMS-59 was halfway to solving this, but again, you're juggling adapter cables with that too. The neat thing about it was you could get a variety of splitter cables to go from e.g. one DMS-59 to two DVI, or a DVI and a VGA, or two VGA. However they stopped short of displayport + HDMI/DVI on one splitter, so you'd still need a little passive adapter to turn a DP into an HDMI. You could do it though. Especially because the HD3450 DMS-59 often goes for about £5. Two of them, a dvi/vga splitter, a 2xDP splitter and a DP-HDMI stubby adapter and you've got all 4 connectors permanently hanging 10cm down from the back (front) of the machine ready to use. This assumes a) you're willing (and able) to have 2 cards in the board and b) you're as happy plugging the monitors into short splitter cables that dangle down as you would be plugging them straight into the IO area itself. Edit - I just realised, if you're willing to to 2 cards, you may as well do any 2 cards and get the result without buying all the splitter cables, but oh well it was fun to write.
