The system has detected a link failure and cannot set the requested resolution and refresh rate. Your display might not support the requested resolution or there may be an issue with the cable connecting the display to your computer." The first clue to a DisplayPort link failure will probably be your monitor switching to low resolution. This mainly affects AMD GPUs and usually occurs after waking your computer and monitor from sleep. So if you’re looking for a DisplayPort to HDMI converter to make use of an HDMI display, you’ll need to be aware that HDMI has these limits, even if they’re unlikely to be met in most cases. DisplayPort is certainly more future-facing. What Should You Look For In A HDMI To DisplayPort connector?

Because the standard has evolved over the years, not all DisplayPort cables will work properly at the latest speeds. The original Display 1.0-1.1a spec allowed for RBR (reduced bit rate) and HBR (high bit rate) cables, capable of 5.18 Gbps and 8.64 Gbps of data bandwidth, respectively. DisplayPort 1.2 introduced HBR2, doubled the maximum data bit rate to 17.28 Gbps and is compatible with standard HBR DisplayPort cables. HBR3 with DisplayPort 1.3-1.4a increased things again to 25.92 Gbps, and added the requirement of DP8K DisplayPort certified cables. DisplayPort cables are used with a range of devices including tablets, notebooks, desktop computers, monitors and televisions and include benefits such as: With a maximum data rate of 25.92 Gbps, DisplayPort 1.4 can handle 4K resolution 24-bit color at 98 Hz, and dropping to 4:2:2 YCbCr gets it to 144 Hz with HDR. Alternatively, DSC allows up to 4K and 240 Hz, even with HDR. Keep in mind that 4K HDR monitors running at 144 Hz or more carry premium pricing, so gamers will more likely be looking at something like a 144Hz display at 1440p. That only requires 14.08 Gbps for 24-bit color or 17.60 Gbps for 30-bit HDR, which DP 1.4 can easily handle.Before choosing the cable, you will need to consider the connector type on each end of the cable and also the cable length. Types of DisplayPort And there’s the final rub: Which port you choose depends on the capabilities of both your monitor and your video card. If you’re looking to use the features of HDMI 2.1, for example, you need a monitor with an HDMI 2.1 port and a video card with an HDMI 2.1 port—if one of them is running HDMI 2.0, you won’t be able to take advantage of those newer features.

Several DisplayPort to HDMI cables get hot during long periods of use. Thankfully, that’s not the case here. It supports NVIDIA and AMD GPU running desktops and Windows laptops with integrated graphics. Note that this cable only converts a DisplayPort signal to an HDMI display. As such, it won’t work with MacBook, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, or Xbox. HDMI 2.1 can reliably run 4K resolutions at 60Hz, as can the DP 2.0 standard. However, beyond 4K, things change. While HDMI 2.1 can support 8K at 60Hz, DisplayPort can support 8K at a 120Hz refresh rate, or 16K at 60Hz. DisplayPort helps to optimize the refresh rate of many computer monitors, which makes them useful for modern gaming, and so you’ll see DisplayPort connectors on the latest graphics cards for optimal support beyond 4K. The major difference between both HDMI and DisplayPort is their intended use cases, and there are some speed considerations too. HDMI cables are generally intended for use with consumer electronics such as televisions and video game consoles.

DisplayPort: For PC

I know that HDMI can be very slow (depending on monitor)... sometimes as much as 5 seconds to see the new source. I assumed that was content protection built into the standard and/or slow decoder ASIC. If you’re looking to grab yourself a converter cable or connector, then there are a few things you will want to look out for. I will say that I have an Acer XB280HK 4K60 G-Sync display that only has a single DisplayPort input, and it powers up or wakes from sleep almost instantly. I have an Acer G-Sync Ultimate 4K 144Hz HDR display meanwhile that takes about 7 seconds to wake from sleep. Rather annoying. AMD gamers have a few more options, at least with RX 7000-series cards. You can find DisplayPort 2.1 monitors and TVs, if you look hard enough. Maybe. The Asus ROG Swift PG32UXQR for example supports DisplayPort 2.1, but it hasn't officially released yet (and it's not the same as the previous PG32UXQ). HDMI 2.1 connectivity is also sufficient, and there are more displays available. Keep in mind that maximum bandwidth of the RDNA 3 GPUs is 54 Gbps over DisplayPort 2.1, or 48 Gbps over HDMI 2.1, so it's not a huge difference. Most AMD RX 7900-series cards that we've seen include two DisplayPort 2.1 ports, and either two HDMI 2.1 or a single HDMI 2.1 alongside a USB Type-C connection. The standard in the past has been 24-bit color, or 8 bits each for the red, green and blue color components. HDR and high color depth displays have bumped that to 10-bit color, with 12-bit and 16-bit options as well, though the latter two are mostly in the professional space. Generally speaking, display signals use either 24 bits per pixel (bpp) or 30 bpp, with the best HDR monitors opting for 30 bpp. Multiply the color depth by the number of pixels and the screen refresh rate and you get the minimum required bandwidth. We say 'minimum' because there are a bunch of other factors as well.

Other use cases might push you toward DisplayPort as well, like if you want to use MST to have multiple displays daisy chained from a single port. That's not a very common scenario, but DisplayPort does make it possible. Home theater use on the other hand continues to prefer HDMI, and the auxiliary channel can improve universal remote compatibility. If you're hooking up your PC to a TV, HDMI is usually required, as there aren't many TVs that have a DisplayPort input. HDMI is an abbreviation of ‘High Definition Multimedia Interface’, and it refers to an interface that is used for transferring HD data from one device and transferring it over to another.

Which Cable Should You Choose?

More recently, HDMI 2.0 introduced “Premium High Speed” cables certified to meet the 18 Gbps bit rate, and HDMI 2.1 has created a fourth class of cable, “Ultra High Speed” HDMI that can handle up to 48 Gbps. HDMI also provides for routing Ethernet signals over the HDMI cable, though this is rarely used in the PC space.