DisplayPort is a cable standard for connecting computer devices to displays, and it’s a format used by many different laptops and monitors. In the current revision of the standard, version 1.4, it’s capable of bandwidths of up to 32.4 Gbps, supporting video outputs of 8k resolutions at up to 120Hz frame rate when using the visually lossless DSC compression format. For video signals with lesser bandwidth demands, the older version 1.2 of the DisplayPort standard can offer bandwidth of up to 17.28Gbps, which will support 1080p at up to 240Hz frame rates, or 4K at up to 75Hz frame rate.
Broadly speaking, HDMI is more commonly used with audio visual equipment such as TVs, Blu Ray Players, and game consoles, whereas DisplayPort is more commonly used on computer devices such as desktop PCs, laptops, and monitors. The lines between these two categories of devices are perhaps more blurred than ever before, and there’s plenty of scenarios where someone might want to connect a computer to a TV or a game console to a monitor
If you have a DisplayPort capable computer or laptop and are looking to connect it to a DisplayPort capable display, you’ll be needing to get a DisplayPort cable, but it’s important to ensure that you get the right type of cable to suit your needs.
This is our roundup of the best DisplayPort cables available today.
Products at a Glance
How We Picked
We’ve selected a range of DisplayPort cables that have a solid build quality, offering reliable connectivity for your computer and monitor. We’ve also included a selection of cables offering both the full-sized DisplayPort connector and those using the Mini DisplayPort more commonly found on laptops. These use the same video format and have the same display compatibility, but have a physically small connector, for use on laptops that have the smaller physical port. Make sure to verify which type of cable you need before picking one out.
How We Tested
We’ve picked out several different cables that are available at different prices, and offer different functionality. For many users, the older 1.2 DisplayPort standard will be plenty, and only those using a top-end modern high resolution and high frame rate display will need to pay the extra for a cable compatible with the faster 1.4 DisplayPort standard.
Best DisplayPort cable
This is a bog-standard full-size DisplayPort cable from AmazonBasics and is a solid entry-level cable that will probably be adequate for many uses. It’s on the older 1.2 DisplayPort standard, so it isn’t going to be able to handle extremely high bandwidth video signals that top-end displays can manage. If you’re only concerned with resolutions like 1080p or are happy for 4k video to be capped at a 75Hz frame rate, this cable will suffice, but for anything more demanding than that, this cable is going to be a limiting factor.
This cable is available in a range of lengths, scaling from 3 Feet up to 25 feet, so you can pick whichever length most suits your needs. It’s also available to purchase individually, or in bulk packs with multiple cables at a discounted price.
This cable does not come equipped with a latch or release button, or any other kind of port mechanism, it’s just a straightforward push in, pull out.
This is a high speed, full-size DisplayPort 1.4 standard cable, perfect for handling extremely high-resolution video signals. Very few monitors available today come close to maxing out the 32.4 Gbps bandwidths supported by this cable. Even video at 8k resolutions can be managed at 120Hz frame rates by this cable, so it’s not only going to be ideal for your current setup, but it’s going to be a very capable cable for your future devices and displays. DisplayPort is fully backward compatible, too, so older devices and displays will still be fully supported by this cable.
This cable comes in lengths ranging from 5 feet up to 15 feet, increasing in price as they get longer.
Each end of this cable is equipped with a latch mechanism to lock it into place once connected, and you need to push a button as you are disconnecting the cable in order to release the mechanism.
UVI2 offers a 2-year warranty on this cable.
This is a DisplayPort cable with a mini connector on one end, and a full-sized connector on the other end, designed for connecting laptops to monitors. It’s using the DisplayPort 1.2 standard, so it is not a particularly future proof cable, and it will not be able to handle extreme high resolution and framerate video signals, but for the vast majority of uses with present-day display technology, this should be perfectly capable.
There are a variety of sizes available for this cable, with the shortest option being 3 feet, and the longest being 25 feet. For a laptop especially, it’s worth thinking about opting for a longer cable, since there are scenarios you may want to use it in where you’re using the laptop at some distance from the display.
This cable does not feature any kind of latch mechanism on either connector.
This is a very high-speed Mini DisplayPort cable, great for connecting laptops to high-resolution high bandwidth monitors. It’s perhaps somewhat overkill, there are very few laptops or monitors that will be able to max out this bandwidth, but if you want a cable that can be relied on for future devices too, this is a great choice.
It has an aesthetically pleasing blue connector design, handy for being easy to pick out visually when either storing it with a selection or other cables or identifying quickly when connected round the back of a display with multiple cables going into it.
There is no kind of latch mechanism included with these connectors, so that’s something to bear in mind. It does come in a variety of lengths, with options ranging from 1.6 feet to 10 feet.
Perhaps the biggest shortcoming with this cable is that it does not offer any kind of long term warranty. For a cable that is going to be future proof for many upcoming devices and displays, it would be nice to get the peace of mind of a multi-year warranty.
Things To Consider
FAQs
Our Verdict
The UVI2 DisplayPort 1.4 Cable is our top pick. It’s an extremely high bandwidth cable that is still reasonably priced. It’s going to be somewhat overkill for many kinds of requirements for today, but it’s not much pricier than similar 1.2 standard cables and will be extremely future proof as larger, higher resolution and higher frame rate displays become the norm in coming years. The 2-year warranty also reassures buyers that this cable will still be working when they do come round to upgrading their devices and displays.
The additional security provided by the latch mechanisms won’t be to everyone’s tastes, but we think it’s a nice extra feature that means this cable is less likely to get dislodged when plugging other cables or devices into your computer.