If you want to buy a cable to connect your display to the PC, then it is recommended to use DisplayPort cable. It is compatible with all the DisplayPort devices. Then do you know how to choose a DisplayPort cable? If you don’t know, then you should read this post from MiniTool carefully.
DisplayPort was designed to replace VGA, DVI, and FPD-Link. By using either active or passive adapters, it is backward compatible with other interfaces, for example, DVI. If you want to get some information about DisplayPort cables, keep reading.
Introduction to DisplayPort Cable
All DisplayPort cables are compatible with all DisplayPort devices, no matter what the version of each device or cable certification level is.
All features of DisplayPort can be used through any DisplayPort cable. DisplayPort does not have multiple cable designs; all DP cables have the same basic layout & wiring, and support any feature, such as audio, daisy chain, G-Sync/FreeSync, HDR, and DSC.
The transmission speed support of DisplayPort cable is different. DisplayPort specifies four different transmission modes (RBR, HBR, HBR2, and HBR3), which support gradually increasing bandwidth. Not all DisplayPort cables support all four transmission modes. VESA provides certification for each bandwidth level. These certifications are optional, and not all DisplayPort cables are VESA certified.
Even if the DisplayPort cable’s transmission speed is limited, it still compatible with all DisplayPort devices, but the maximum resolution or available refresh rate will be limited.
DisplayPort cables are not classified by “version”. Although DisplayPort cables are usually marked with version numbers, such as an HBR2 cable labeled “DisplayPort 1.2 cable”, this notation is not allowed by VESA.
Using the version number on the cable may seem to imply that the DisplayPort 1.4 monitor needs to use the “DisplayPort 1.4 cable”, or that the features introduced in DP 1.4 (such as HDR or DSC) will not be available in the earlier “DP 1.2 cable”. These are not true. If the DisplayPort cable has been certified, it will only be classified according to its bandwidth certification level (RBR, HBR, HBR2, HBR3).
Related post: DisplayPort VS HDMI: Which One Should You Choose?
How to Choose a DisplayPort Cable?
After you have got some basic information about the DisplayPort cable, then you may want to know how to choose a suitable DisplayPort cable. Read this part to know how to choose a DisplayPort cable.
When buying a DisplayPort cable, one thing you need to consider is the type of connector at both ends of the cable. There are two types of DisplayPort connectors. The standard DisplayPort connector is about the size of a USB connector. This type is usually used on DisplayPort-enabled PC monitors.
The smaller mini DisplayPort connector is commonly used for DisplayPort output on notebook PCs including Apple products. The mini DP connectors are now also used in Thunderbolt, which is widely used on Apple products.
Moreover, you can use a standard DisplayPort cable to connect any DisplayPort display to a Thunderbolt signal source while gaining the quality of DisplayPort (Thunderbolt is backward compatible with DisplayPort, and even includes support for dual-mode DP-to-HDMI and DP-to-DVI adapters. and DP-to-VGA adapter).
Another thing you need to consider is cable length. The length of the DisplayPort cable is usually 1 to 3 meters (up to about 10 feet). What’s more, to prevent unexpected video or audio problems, and sometimes even system boot problems, you need to always buy cables from a well-known computer system or accessory brands.
Bottom Line
In conclusion, you should have known some basic information about the DisplayPort cable. Besides, this post has shown you some instructions to choose a suitable DisplayPort cable.