- Connecting
- Need
- Answer
Cable for a 4K 120–144 Hz monitor
Get this
DP8K-certified DisplayPort cable (with DSC), Ultra High Speed HDMI, or Thunderbolt 4 / USB4 cable
Look for
- DisplayPort: VESA DP8K certification
- HDMI: Ultra High Speed certification label, and an HDMI 2.1 port on both ends
- USB-C: Thunderbolt 4 or USB4 40Gbps, 1 m or shorter
Avoid
- Uncertified DisplayPort cables: flicker at HBR3
- HDMI 2.0 ports: no 4K 120
The numbers: 4K 144 Hz 10-bit
| Link | Needs | Has | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| DP 1.4 | 39.19 Gbps13.06 with DSC | 25.92 Gbps | With DSC |
| HDMI 2.1 40G | 39.19 Gbps13.06 with DSC | 35.56 Gbps | With DSC |
| HDMI 2.1 48G | 39.19 Gbps | 42.67 Gbps | Fits |
| DP 2.1 UHBR13.5 | 39.19 Gbps | 52.22 Gbps | Fits |
| Thunderbolt 4 | 39.19 Gbps13.06 with DSC | 25.92 Gbps | With DSC |
How the numbers are worked out
Reduced-blanking timing (VESA CVT-R2)
3840×2160 active → 3920 × 2314 total pixels per frame
3920 × 2314 × 144 Hz = 1306.21 MHz pixel clock
1306.21 MHz × 30.0 bits per pixel = 39.19 Gbps
10-bit colour, full RGB/4:4:4: 3 × 10 = 30.0 bits per pixel.
"Has" is the link's usable rate after line coding. DSC is modelled as up to 3:1 compression. Full method.
Standards behind this answer
2016
DisplayPort 1.4
The current workhorse. 4K 120 Hz uncompressed, 4K 240 Hz and 8K with DSC.
- data: 32.4 Gbps
- video: 4K 120 Hz / 4K 240 Hz (DSC)
HDMI 2.1
48 Gbps, 4K 120 Hz, 8K, VRR and eARC. The console and gaming-TV standard.
- data: 48 Gbps
- video: 4K 144 Hz / 8K 60 Hz (DSC)
DisplayPort 2.1 (and 2.0)
Up to 80 Gbps with UHBR20. 4K 240 Hz uncompressed and 8K without compression.
- data: 40 / 54 / 80 Gbps
- video: 4K 240 Hz / 8K 60 Hz uncompressed