Many gaming PCs aren’t delivering their full potential because the monitor and graphics card are connected via HDMI.
While this usually works without any problems, it does not always make full use of the system’s capabilities, particularly when using high refresh rates, variable refresh rates, and modern graphics cards.
DisplayPort is designed for PC use, offering a more stable and less error-prone connection.
Anyone wishing to connect their monitor correctly should check whether a switch is advisable and how to implement it correctly.
The most important difference lies in the technical orientation of the standards, as HDMI originated in the home cinema environment and was developed for televisions, AV receivers and consoles.
DisplayPort, on the other hand, has been tailored to PCs, monitors and professional displays from the outset, evident in its support for variable refresh rates and other features.
Even older DisplayPort versions, such as 1.2a, support adaptive sync technologies like AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync Compatible.
HDMI is also more limited in this respect, and without HDMI 2.1 and a compatible panel, many gaming features cannot be used at all or only to a limited extent.
Bandwidth is another important factor, as many monitors combine DisplayPort 1.4 with HDMI 2.0, and in such cases, HDMI limits the possible resolution or refresh rate.
DisplayPort 1.4 provides significantly more data bandwidth and allows high resolutions to be run reliably at high refresh rates with HDR enabled.
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Cable quality can also be a factor, as the full performance of HDMI 2.1 is only available with certified “Ultra High Speed” cables, whereas virtually every current DisplayPort cable supports its specified bandwidth.
They are particularly relevant for users of Linux systems or dual-boot configurations, as certain functions are not always fully available with HDMI, especially when used with AMD Radeon graphics cards.
DisplayPort, on the other hand, is an open standard and is generally fully supported under Linux, making it a better choice for these users.
Another practical advantage of DisplayPort is its support for monitor new member configurations, allowing multiple screens to be connected in series, so that only a single cable runs to the graphics card.
This feature is particularly important in office environments for setting up multi-monitor configurations, and graphics cards illustrate just how important DisplayPort has become, with most models offering several DisplayPort outputs, but just a single HDMI port.
In the vast majority of cases, it’s sufficient to connect the monitor with a DisplayPort cable and then check the desired resolution and refresh rate in the operating system’s display settings and in the graphics card driver.
Many users only realize after making the switch that the monitor now offers higher refresh rates or that variable refresh rate can now be enabled correctly, and using DisplayPort can also simplify the workspace.
Especially with modern laptops that support DisplayPort Alternate Mode (DP Alt-Mode) over USB-C, with a suitable USB-C-to-DisplayPort cable, the monitor can be connected directly, often including power supply via USB Power Delivery (USB-PD).
It can be more convenient than traditional HDMI cables.