How to know which displayport cable I have

Of the many standards that exist in the sector when it comes to transmitting a video signal to our screens, the two most common are, without a doubt, HDMI and DisplayPort. To the first of them, due to its great popularity, we have dedicated many entries from our portal, Professional Review; But, on many occasions, it seems that the DisplayPort does not receive the attention it deserves. For this reason, we want to dedicate a small space to answering one of the typical questions regarding this cable: “ how to know which DisplayPort cable I have ”.

Index of contents

What is a Display Port cable

Obviously, we couldn't start in any other way than by briefly describing what DisplayPort (DP) is. A topic that we have dealt with in more depth on other occasions, but that we will repeat here for those less introduced to the subject.

DisplayPort is a standard created to transmit video and audio signal to our screens. At the time, it was created to replace analog inherited connections, such as VGA, or DVI. It is currently one of the most widely used specifications in the PC world; although on other fronts it is overshadowed by HDMI and its qualities. We can find it in televisions, projectors, computers and other devices that need to transmit a video signal to a screen.

The types of DisplayPort that we can find

Although we see that many cables are sold with a version such as a crutch (For example, DisplayPort 1.4) that number represents the iteration of the cable certification. The classification of the different DPs on the market is actually based on their bandwidth; that is, the ability of a DP-based connection to transfer information to the screen at once. DisplayPorts operate in different modes to represent the different bandwidths they can support. The most common are:

• HBR. Where up to 10.8 Gbit / s can be transmitted. All DP cables support it. HBR2. Where up to 21.6 Gbit / s can be transmitted. Cables certified 1.2 or higher can use this mode. HBR3. Where up to 32.4 Gbit / s can be transmitted. Cables certified 1.3 or higher can use this mode.

The most advanced DP is 2.0. It has support for 16K at 60Hz.

These modes are applied when necessary and the input and output devices (in this case screen and computer) support it. The importance behind this bandwidth and modes lies in the ability to reproduce higher resolutions, better refresh rates, and additional modes; HDR could be an example of the latter.

The key is certification

All DisplayPort-based cables have the same structure, so the supported bandwidth ends up being the main factor that differentiates them from each other. The problem behind it is that the certification standard (which divides them by “versions”) is not found in all cables on the market; In addition, there is no way to quickly and reliably check the bandwidth of our cable from our team, so without these certifications we are blind. Quickly recapitulating:

• If our cable is certified, you should have the information printed on the cable itself. Depending on the version, its bandwidth is greater, as well as the supported modes and the maximum resolution / refresh (you can check the capabilities of the different certifications in the table above). If it is not certified, we must pay attention to the manufacturer's information, which we should be able to find either in the box or in the information of the purchase itself. Another way to check the qualities of our DP cable is to manually check what its maximum capabilities are; either through increased resolution, or increased refresh; but this alternative seems tedious.

We hope that through this text you have learned the differences between the certifications of DP cables; as well as knowing which DisplayPort cable you have. If your doubts about this standard transcend this, we invite you to take a look at our article “HDMI vs. DisplayPort ”where we compare both standards in a very concise way.