Can my cable do it?
Pick a resolution, refresh rate and bit depth to see whether each HDMI, DisplayPort, USB-C and Thunderbolt connection carries it, with and without DSC. Every verdict compares the mode's data rate, on VESA's own timing formula, with what each link carries after encoding.
4K 144Hz needs 31.35 Gbps at 8-bit and 39.19 Gbps at 10-bit. The lowest-capacity connection that carries it is DisplayPort 2.1 UHBR10 at 8-bit, and HDMI 2.1 (48 Gbps FRL) at 10-bit.
HDMI 2.0 can't carry it at 8-bit or 10-bit; HDMI 2.1 (48 Gbps FRL) carries it at 8-bit and 10-bit; DisplayPort 1.4 needs DSC at 8-bit (about 1.3:1) and 10-bit (about 1.6:1); DisplayPort 2.1 UHBR20 carries it at 8-bit and 10-bit.
| Link | Carries | 8-bit |
|---|---|---|
| HDMI 1.4 | 8.16 Gbps | Fail, 31.35 Gbps |
| HDMI 2.0 | 14.40 Gbps | Fail, 31.35 Gbps |
| HDMI 2.1 (40 Gbps FRL) | 35.56 Gbps | Pass, 31.35 Gbps |
| HDMI 2.1 (48 Gbps FRL) | 42.67 Gbps | Pass, 31.35 Gbps |
| HDMI 2.2 | n/a | No verdict yet |
| DisplayPort 1.2 | 17.28 Gbps | Fail, 31.35 Gbps |
| DisplayPort 1.4 | 25.92 Gbps | Needs DSC, about 1.3:1 |
| DisplayPort 2.1 UHBR10 | 38.68 Gbps | Pass, 31.35 Gbps |
| DisplayPort 2.1 UHBR13.5 | 52.22 Gbps | Pass, 31.35 Gbps |
| DisplayPort 2.1 UHBR20 | 77.37 Gbps | Pass, 31.35 Gbps |
| USB-C (DisplayPort Alt Mode, 2 lanes with USB data) | 12.96 Gbps | Needs DSC, about 2.5:1 |
| USB-C (DisplayPort Alt Mode, 4 lanes) | 25.92 Gbps | Needs DSC, about 1.3:1 |
| USB-C (DisplayPort Alt Mode 2.x, 2 lanes with USB data) | 38.68 Gbps | Pass, 31.35 Gbps |
| USB-C (DisplayPort Alt Mode 2.x, 4 lanes) | 77.37 Gbps | Pass, 31.35 Gbps |
| Thunderbolt 3 | 17.28 Gbps | Fail, 31.35 Gbps |
| Thunderbolt 4 / USB4 40 Gbps | 25.92 Gbps | Needs DSC, about 1.3:1 |
| Thunderbolt 5 / USB4 v2 | 77.37 Gbps | Pass, 31.35 Gbps |
| USB-C to HDMI 2.1 adapter | 25.92 Gbps | Fails uncompressed (31.35 Gbps); DSC depends on the adapter |
| USB-C to HDMI 2.0 adapter | 14.40 Gbps | Fails uncompressed (31.35 Gbps); DSC depends on the adapter |
Results use PC monitor timings (VESA CVT reduced blanking v2 as the headline), not the TV and console timings in CTA-861, so a TV or console may need more bandwidth than shown. RGB/4:4:4 color. DSC verdicts are at maximum compression (8 bpp), the lowest rate VESA's DSC standard allows for 4:4:4, and show the compression each mode needs.
Popular modes
- 4K 60Hz
- 4K 120Hz
- 4K 144Hz
- 4K 160Hz
- 4K 165Hz
- 4K 240Hz
- 1440p 144Hz
- 1440p 165Hz
- 1440p 240Hz
- 1440p 360Hz
- 1080p 360Hz
- 8K 60Hz
- 8K 120Hz
Links
- HDMI 1.4
- HDMI 2.0
- HDMI 2.1
- DisplayPort 1.2
- DisplayPort 1.4
- DisplayPort 2.1
- USB-C (DisplayPort Alt Mode)
- USB-C to HDMI
- Thunderbolt 4 and USB4
- Thunderbolt 5
Guides
- DisplayPort 1.4 vs HDMI 2.1
- HDMI 2.0 vs DisplayPort 1.4
- HDMI 2.1 vs HDMI 2.0
- DisplayPort 1.4 vs DisplayPort 2.1
- Display Stream Compression (DSC)
- 8-bit vs 10-bit color
- HDMI cable labels
- DisplayPort cable labels: DP40 and DP80
Sources
- VESA Coordinated Video Timings (CVT) Standard, Version 1.2 (8 Feb 2013), retrieved 27 October 2026
- VESA CVT v1.2 Errata E2 (SCRs through 18 Jul 2021), retrieved 27 October 2026
- VESA CVT Standard, Version 2.1, retrieved 27 October 2026
- VESA CVT v2.1 Generator Version 1 (spreadsheet; sheets CVTv2.1 and CVTv1.2a), retrieved 27 October 2026
- VESA Display Monitor Timing (DMT) Standard, Version 1.0 Rev 13, retrieved 27 October 2026
- VESA Display Stream Compression (DSC) Standard, Version 1.2b (12 Aug 2021), retrieved 27 October 2026
- VESA DSC Source Device Guidelines r1.0, retrieved 27 October 2026
- Coordinated Video Timings (Wikipedia), retrieved 27 October 2026
- libdisplay-info cvt.h documentation, retrieved 27 October 2026
- HDMI 2.2 Specification Technology Overview (hdmi.org), retrieved 27 October 2026
- HDMI Forum releases Version 2.0 of the HDMI Specification (2013), retrieved 27 October 2026
- HDMI 1.4b specification page (hdmi.org), retrieved 27 October 2026
- Ultra High Speed and Ultra96 HDMI Cables (hdmi.org), retrieved 27 October 2026
- Premium HDMI Cable Certification Program (hdmi.org), retrieved 27 October 2026
- New HDMI 2.1 Technology, part 1 of 2 (Black Box, 2021), retrieved 27 October 2026
- HDMI 2.1 FRL article (Allion Labs), retrieved 27 October 2026
- HDMI Cable and Connector introduction (Granite River Labs, 2019), retrieved 27 October 2026
- HDMI 2.0 spec published (The Register, 4 Sep 2013), retrieved 27 October 2026
- Hardent IP portfolio supports new features of HDMI 2.1 (2018 release), retrieved 27 October 2026
- VESA introduces DisplayPort v1.2 (7 Jan 2010), retrieved 27 October 2026
- VESA publishes DisplayPort Standard Version 1.4 (1 Mar 2016), retrieved 27 October 2026
- VESA rolls out early certification program for HBR3 products (4 Jan 2017), retrieved 27 October 2026
- VESA publishes DisplayPort 2.0 video standard (26 Jun 2019), retrieved 27 October 2026
- VESA readies DisplayPort UHBR device certification and begins certification of UHBR cables, retrieved 27 October 2026
- VESA releases updated DisplayPort Alt Mode spec (29 Apr 2020), retrieved 27 October 2026
- USB-IF announces USB 80Gbps specifications (18 Oct 2022), retrieved 27 October 2026
- USB-IF Logo Usage Guidelines for USB Performance Logos (21 Jun 2024), retrieved 27 October 2026
- USB4 (Wikipedia), retrieved 27 October 2026
- Thunderbolt 5 Technology Brief (Intel, Sept 2023), retrieved 27 October 2026
- Introducing Thunderbolt 4: Universal Cable Connectivity for Everyone (Intel, 2020), retrieved 27 October 2026
- Thunderbolt 3 vs Thunderbolt 4 (Intel), retrieved 27 October 2026
Data verified 27 October 2026 against these sources. See the methodology for how disagreements are resolved.