Type of connecting cable from laptop to monitor question

I use a Hp laptop that has VGA, USB and HDMI connections. I was looking at the Dell UltraSharp U2412M 24" LED LCD Monitor, but the thing only has VGA, USB and DVI cables.

I can use VGA, but I hear from some it downgrades the signal to convert to analogue, others say you can't really tell. I have seen DVI to HDMI cables, but no nothing about them. Is this monitor a no go? How would you connect, or what should I be looking for (other than a better laptop- this thing does have a nice video card I use for AutoCAD though).