HDMI 2.1, USB-C, or DisplayPort: Finding the Best Connection for Your Monitor

When setting up a new monitor, you’ll likely discover two types of video cables included. One cable, with a trapezoid shape, is for HDMI, while the other, resembling a rectangle with a corner cut off, is DisplayPort. More modern monitors may also include a USB-C port, commonly labeled as a video-out port on laptops. While having different connection options is useful, choosing the best one for your monitor can be challenging.

Generally, if you’re connecting a monitor to a PC that has a separate graphics card or aiming to set up multiple monitors, DisplayPort is the better choice. Conversely, for connections to a Mac, integrated graphics PCs, TVs, home theater systems, or gaming consoles like Xbox or PlayStation, HDMI is often more compatible. Despite DisplayPort’s advantages in gaming and multi-monitor setups, HDMI’s broader support across audio and video devices makes it more favorable for media consumption.

Ultimately, your choice of connection should depend on the devices in your setup and the supported specifications of each connection type. Here’s how HDMI and DisplayPort compare to help you decide which is ideal for your monitor.

While DisplayPort is rarely seen on televisions, it is commonly found on top-tier gaming monitors and PC graphics cards. This is largely because DisplayPort was designed considering variable refresh rates, which are essential for gaming. When watching films, the frame rate is typically stable, around 24 frames per second (FPS). In contrast, gaming frame rates often fluctuate dramatically. To enhance the gaming experience, technologies like AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync align the frame rates of the graphics card and monitor. DisplayPort has long provided reliable support for variable refresh rates, whereas HDMI is just starting to catch up.

In terms of bandwidth, both connections are competitive. The latest HDMI standard, HDMI 2.2, can handle up to 96 gigabits per second (Gbps), and HDMI 2.1 supports 48 Gbps. DisplayPort 2.1 can reach a substantial 80 Gbps, while version 1.4 manages up to 32.4 Gbps.

What solidifies DisplayPort’s position among PC users is its operation through the USB-C standard. It uses USB-C Alternate Mode, meaning you can connect compatible monitors and video sources using just one USB-C cable. However, not all USB-C ports and cables support this mode, so it’s essential to check product documentation.

Even outside of gaming contexts, DisplayPort remains a top choice for multi-monitor setups because of its daisy chaining capability. If your monitor features a DisplayPort output, you can link one monitor to another, conserving multiple video out ports on your computer.

For media consumption, HDMI is unparalleled, making it the go-to option for watching films and television shows. Regardless of whether you are connecting to a monitor, TV, sound system, or gaming device, almost every output device includes an HDMI port. Its extensive compatibility, along with various standards for premium audio and connections for home theater systems, solidifies HDMI’s status as the preferred choice for home entertainment.

Specialized standards such as Enhanced Audio Return Channel (eARC) enhance the performance of HDMI in entertainment systems. eARC facilitates the transmission of high-quality audio to receivers or soundbars, thereby providing support for immersive audio formats like Dolby Atmos and DTS:X. Furthermore, HDMI Consumer Electronics Control (HDMI-CEC) allows interconnected devices to communicate, so powering on a device can automatically adjust others accordingly.

Lastly, HDMI ensures secure connections for digital rights management (DRM) content, which is especially relevant in the current streaming landscape. It employs high-bandwidth digital content protection (HDCP) to verify that the content being accessed is licensed correctly. Some 4K content from platforms like Netflix requires a minimum of DisplayPort 1.4 or HDMI 2.0 with HDCP 2.2 or higher to stream successfully. In certain scenarios, the lack of HDCP support may prevent content from being streamed at all.