Calculate the bandwidth required for your resolution, refresh rate, and color depth. Find out if your HDMI or DisplayPort cable supports your monitor settings.
Your display cable must carry enough bandwidth for your chosen resolution, refresh rate, and color depth. A 4K 144Hz HDR signal requires over 40 Gbps — exceeding HDMI 2.0's 18 Gbps limit. Using the wrong cable silently downgrades your display or blocks high refresh rates entirely.
This calculator computes the required signal bandwidth and checks it against common cable standards. Enter your resolution, refresh rate, and color depth to see the raw bandwidth needed and whether HDMI 2.0, HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 1.4, or DisplayPort 2.0 can handle it.
Display Stream Compression (DSC) can reduce bandwidth requirements by approximately 3:1, enabling higher resolutions and refresh rates on older cables. The calculator shows both uncompressed and DSC-compressed bandwidth.
Gamers, streamers, and content creators benefit from precise display cable bandwidth data when optimizing their setup, planning purchases, or maximizing performance and value. Bookmark this tool and return whenever your hardware, games, or streaming requirements change.
Many gamers unknowingly bottleneck their monitors with inadequate cables. This calculator tells you exactly which cable standard you need before you buy, preventing the frustration of discovering your $500 monitor can't run at full specs with your existing cable. Instant results let you compare different configurations and scenarios quickly, helping you get the best performance and value from your gaming budget.
Bandwidth (Gbps) = Width × Height × Refresh Rate × Bit Depth × 3 (channels) / 1,000,000,000 With DSC: Bandwidth / Compression Ratio (typically 3:1)
Result: 35.8 Gbps required (uncompressed)
3840 × 2160 × 144 × 10 × 3 = 35.83 Gbps. This exceeds HDMI 2.0 (18 Gbps) and DP 1.4 (32.4 Gbps) but fits within HDMI 2.1 (48 Gbps). With DSC at 3:1 compression, it drops to ~12 Gbps, fitting every standard.
Display cables have evolved rapidly to keep pace with resolution and refresh rate demands. HDMI 2.0 (2013) was designed for 4K 60Hz. HDMI 2.1 (2017) quadrupled bandwidth for 4K 120Hz+. DisplayPort 2.0 (2019) pushes to 80 Gbps for 8K displays and 4K 240Hz.
For 1080p/1440p gaming up to 240Hz, any modern cable works. For 4K 120Hz+, you need HDMI 2.1 "Ultra High Speed" or DP 1.4+. For 4K 240Hz or 8K, DP 2.0 or HDMI 2.1 with DSC is required. Always check the specific capabilities of both your GPU port and monitor port.
Many cables are mislabeled. An "HDMI 2.1" cable that isn't HDMI Forum certified may not support full bandwidth. Some GPUs have mixed ports — for example, one HDMI 2.1 port and three DP 1.4 ports. Monitor menus sometimes require manually enabling higher refresh rates even when the cable supports them.
HDMI 2.0: 18 Gbps (4K 60Hz 8-bit). HDMI 2.1: 48 Gbps (4K 120Hz+ or 8K 60Hz). DisplayPort 1.4: 32.4 Gbps (4K 120Hz or 4K 144Hz with DSC). DisplayPort 2.0: 80 Gbps (4K 240Hz or 8K 60Hz uncompressed).
Most likely your cable or port's bandwidth is insufficient. A 4K 144Hz 8-bit signal needs ~28.6 Gbps. HDMI 2.0 (18 Gbps) can't handle it. You need HDMI 2.1 or DisplayPort 1.4+ and the correct cable to achieve this.
For HDMI, passive cables work at full bandwidth up to ~3m. Longer runs may need active cables or fiber-optic HDMI. DisplayPort passive cables work at full bandwidth up to ~2m. Cable quality matters more than cable "version" claims.
Display Stream Compression is a VESA standard that compresses the video signal by approximately 3:1 with no perceptible quality loss. Both the GPU and monitor must support DSC. It effectively triples the bandwidth capacity of your cable.
For PC gaming, DisplayPort is typically better — it supports Adaptive Sync (FreeSync/G-Sync) natively and has higher bandwidth in current versions. HDMI 2.1 is competitive but implementations vary. Use whatever your monitor and GPU best support.
10-bit color (used for HDR) increases bandwidth by 25% over 8-bit. 12-bit increases it by 50%. Most HDR gaming uses 10-bit. 12-bit is mainly for professional color grading. Higher bit depth means smoother color gradients, especially in dark scenes.