VGA
Direct Answer
VGA (Video Graphics Array) uses a 15-pin DE-15 D-subminiature connector, introduced by IBM in 1987 alongside the original PS/2 computer. As a purely analog standard with no enforced resolution ceiling, its practical maximum depends on cable and DAC quality, though 2048x1536 @ 85Hz is commonly cited as a practical limit.
Source: IBM PS/2 VGA (1987)
Specs
| Connector | DE-15 (15-pin D-subminiature, 3 rows of 5) |
| Introduced | 1987 (IBM) |
| Commonly Cited Practical Max Resolution | 2048x1536 @ 85Hz |
An Analog Standard With No Hard Ceiling
VGA's 15-pin connector is technically called DE-15 under the D-subminiature naming convention, though it's commonly (if less precisely) called HD-15 or DB-15HD. IBM introduced it in 1987 alongside the original PS/2 line of personal computers, replacing earlier digital standards like CGA and EGA with an analog signal capable of a much wider range of colors and resolutions.
Because VGA is fully analog, there's no standard defining a required signal quality at each resolution the way digital standards specify exact bandwidth ceilings -- a display's actual usable maximum resolution depends on the quality of the cable, the source's digital-to-analog converter, and the display itself, which is why VGA's practical resolution limits are described as commonly-cited norms rather than hard specification limits. VESA later extended VGA with DDC/EDID, letting a monitor report its supported resolutions back to the source over the same connector's otherwise-unused pins.