HDMI ports are one of the common display interfaces used widely in almost all electronic devices. Several PC motherboards are also seen with HDMI ports to support an integrated graphics CPU. But do all the motherboards have HDMI ports in them?
If we knew why some motherboards come with HDMI ports built-in, then we can understand their purpose. Therefore, in this article, we are going to explore whether all motherboard models have HDMI ports and how to add these ports.
Do All Motherboards have HDMI ports?
It is not a condition that all motherboards will have HDMI ports. Whichever board supports a CPU with integrated graphics, you can find them to have an HDMI port. Because the HDMI provided on board needs a graphic processor to run which is provided by an iGPU. If you are using a board that doesn’t support an iGPU, then you have to use a discrete graphics card that will have ports on them.
Display connectivity is popularly done through interfaces like VGA, HDMI, DisplayPort, DVI, etc. Among these HDMI and DisplayPort are the most popular interfaces these days. You can find HDMI ports in many monitors, PC motherboards, GPUs, etc. While DisplayPort is found mostly in GPU and gaming monitors.
But you cannot find HDMI ports in certain motherboards. Because the board will not be supporting a CPU that has an integrated graphics processing unit within it. So, having an HDMI port without video processor support is useless. In such cases, you need to install a discrete graphics card unit that will have display interfaces to connect monitors.
Why HDMI port is necessary for a Motherboard?
You cannot always afford a graphics card. Because they tend to be costly and particularly in this current situation, they are way costlier than what common people can afford. So, in such cases, when you cannot use a discrete GPU, you have to depend on a motherboard with HDMI ports.
Integrated Graphics that utilize the cores of the CPU have improved a lot these days. You can do tasks that demand mid-level graphics performance with iGPU. So, when you cannot buy a separate GPU, you can go for a motherboard that supports iGPU too.
If you look at motherboard compatibility, only a few of them doesn’t support GPU chips. Many Intel and AMD processors have integrated GPUs and if you get a motherboard that works with any one series of it, you will get an HDMI port with it.
For example, if you get an ASUS TUF Gaming Motherboard, it supports all Ryzen series chips including the G series chips that have iGPU in them. So, you can use an iGPU processor as well as use a discrete GPU when needed.
The advantage here is that when you don’t have a graphics card, you can make use of the motherboard ports. When you get a discrete card, you can connect the monitors to the card’s ports.
Another benefit is some GPUs will only have DisplayPort support or they will not have more than one HDMI port for multiple monitor connectivity. In such cases, you can connect an HDMI monitor to the motherboard port and access your display.
Therefore, in any case, it is always safe and better to have a motherboard that has at least one HDMI port access.
How to add more HDMI ports to Motherboard?
There isn’t a separate HDMI card that you can insert in a slot on your motherboard. Either you have to use a discrete GPU which has multiple HDMI ports or you need to change the motherboard that has one. As for adapter connectivity, you can use a USB to HDMI adapter which can provide you with an HDMI port with your PC.
Adding a discrete GPU is a better choice because it can perform well than your iGPU. Even the cheapest GPU card on the internet can be used for upgrading your display interface option to HDMI since it has a discrete graphic processing unit.
These discrete cards can provide you with higher display quality and they can perform graphic-related tasks better than your iGPU. If you are looking forward to having multiple HDMI ports and need better graphic processing, then getting a discrete card, even a cheap one can be a wise choice. They also aid you with multiple monitor connectivity.
Another method to add an HDMI port to your PC is to use a USB-to-HDMI adapter. This adapter can connect to the USB port of your PC and you can connect an HDMI cable to this adapter to enable a monitor.
If your PC has a USB Type-A port with USB 2.0 or 3.0 support, then you can make use of these adapters and get an HDMI interface for your PC.
Only with these methods, you can add an HDMI port to your PC. You cannot add a device specifically for an HDMI interface with your motherboard.
Do adding more HDMI ports have a problem?
Before adding HDMI ports, you must take into consideration the capacity of your iGPU. Most iGPUs will have a small video memory and they cannot handle more than one or two monitors. So, according to the number of monitors you are going to connect and the capacity of your integrated graphics, you must add the ports. Otherwise, it may be worthless.
If you add HDMI ports more than the iGPU capacity, you will not get output and your CPU will be overloaded. The output quality will be very low and it will not produce output in the extra displays.
So, adding more HDMI ports to an iGPU is not recommended. If you require several HDMI ports for multiple device connectivity, then go for a discrete GPU.
Conclusion
Most of the motherboards in the recent era come with HDMI ports. Only a few models are devoid of display interfaces. It is better to choose a board that can support both iGPU and an external GPU so that you will have an HDMI port built into it. Otherwise, you have to go for a discrete graphics card for a display interface.
