Glossary · Hardware

DisplayPort

DisplayPort is a digital display interface used mainly on PCs and monitors, supporting high resolutions, high refresh rates and daisy-chained displays.

Updated October 6, 2026

DisplayPort is a digital audio and video interface designed for connecting computers to monitors. It is common on PC graphics cards and supports high refresh rates and multiple displays from one port.

Why it matters

For high-refresh gaming monitors, DisplayPort often supports modes that HDMI on the same device does not. Version 1.4 handles 4K at 120 Hz with compression, and 2.1 pushes bandwidth much higher.

Multi-Stream Transport lets you daisy chain monitors, and USB-C ports can carry DisplayPort signals in Alt Mode.

Example

monitor: 1440p at 165 Hz
graphics card: DisplayPort 1.4 and HDMI 2.0
Use DisplayPort to reach the full 165 Hz

The HDMI 2.0 link may limit the same monitor to 144 Hz or less at that resolution.

Common mistakes

  • Using a very cheap cable that is not certified for the required bandwidth.
  • Assuming DisplayPort and Mini DisplayPort are different standards. Only the connector differs.
  • Not checking whether a USB-C port supports DisplayPort Alt Mode.

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