What Is DisplayPort 2.1?

With newer monitors getting higher and higher refresh rates and resolutions, and newer graphics cards and CPUs getting a lot faster, we’re going to need a video interface that’ll be able to keep up with all that – preferably without compression!

This is where DisplayPort 2.1 comes in.

Note that the newer DisplayPort 2.1 standard succeeds DisplayPort 2.0. So, all previous DP 2.0 devices are now also DP 2.1 certified.

DisplayPort 2.1 Bandwidth

Thanks to DSC (Display Stream Compression), which is visually lossless, DisplayPort 1.4 and HDMI 2.1 can already support very high resolutions and refresh rates, so when exactly will we be able to take full advantage of DisplayPort 2.1?

DisplayPort 2.1 can triple the maximum bandwidth of DisplayPort 1.4, depending on its transmission mode.

DP 1.4, with its highest HBR3 (High Bit Rate) transmission mode, has a maximum bandwidth of 32.40 Gbps, or 25.92 Gbps data rate.

DP 2.1 has three UHBR (Ultra High Bit Rate) transmission modes:

Transmission Mode	Maximum Bandwidth Capacity	Maximum Data Rate
UHBR10	40 Gbps	38.69 Gbps
UHBR13.5	54 Gbps	52.22 Gbps
UHBR20	80 Gbps	77.37 Gbps

As you can see, DP 2.1 also has higher efficiency regarding the maximum bandwidth capacity and actual data rate, thanks to its 128b/323b encoding:

• DP 1.4: 32.40 Gbps, 25.92 Gbps data rate – 80% efficiency
• DP 2.1: 80 Gbps, 77.73 Gbps data rate – 96.7% efficiency

In comparison, HDMI 2.1 has a maximum bandwidth of 48 Gbps or 42.6 Gbps data rate.

So, unlike HDMI 2.1, DP 2.1 devices with UHBR20 could support 4K 240Hz, 8K 60Hz, 1440p 500Hz and 10-bit color depth – without relying on DSC. With DSC, DP 2.1 can support significantly higher resolutions, such as 16K 60Hz!

DisplayPort 2.1 Compatibility

DisplayPort 2.1 is backward compatible with DP 1.2 and DP 1.4. So, you can connect a GPU with DP 1.4, for instance, to a display with DP 2.1, but you’ll be limited to DP 1.4 bandwidth.

In order for a device to have ‘DisplayPort 2.1’, it must support DSC and at least one of the following three features:

• UHBR
• Adaptive-Sync
• LTTRPs (Link-Training Tunable PHY Repeaters) for ensuring signal integrity

MST (Multi-Stream Transport) used for daisy-chaining is now a baseline of DP 2.1.

This means that a DP 2.1 device might not necessarily support UHBR and, therefore, be limited to a bandwidth of HBR3, which can be very misleading. So, once we finally see DP 2.1 devices, you’ll have to pay attention to their transmission modes, which will hopefully be clearly specified by manufacturers.

Sadly, this is also the case with HDMI 2.1 as it has different fixed rate link (FRL) rates, ranging from FRL1 with 9 Gbps to FRL6 with 48 Gbps.

Even the DisplayPort 1.4 specification can be misleading since some monitor manufacturers advertise their displays to have DP 1.4 as they have HDR support (which DP 1.2 does not) – even though they’re limited to HBR2 bandwidth (21.6 Gbps or 17.28 Gbps data rate).

In the end, you’d get a 1440p 144Hz+ display that’s limited to 120Hz with 10-bit color depth, even though it’s specified to have DP 1.4, such was the case with the Acer XV272UP. Luckily, some manufacturers label these displays as ‘DP 1.2 + HDR.’

DisplayPort 2.1 Cables

To take advantage of DisplayPort 2.1, you’ll need either a DisplayPort cable labeled as ‘DP40’ with 40 Gbps for UHBR10 or a ‘DP80’ cable with 80 Gbps for UHBR13.5 and UHBR20 devices.

The DisplayPort logo for DP 2.1 devices remains the same as the older ones, so you’ll have to rely on the specified bandwidth capacity.

Another thing to note is that, just like with the previous DisplayPort standards, there’s no difference between full-sized DisplayPort and mini-DisplayPort interfaces, besides the size of the physical connector.

The main issue is that the longest DP80 UHBR20 cable at the moment is only 1.2m (3.94ft) long.

DisplayPort 2.1 GPUs and Displays

Unlike NVIDIA’s 4000-series RTX GPUs, AMD’s RX 7000 series graphics cards support DisplayPort 2.1 with UHBR13.5 (54 Gbps).

This is why on the 57″ Samsung Odyssey Neo G95NC with a 7680×2160 240Hz panel, the RTX 40-series is limited to 120Hz, whereas AMD’s 7000-series works all the way up to 240Hz.

Besides the Neo G95NC, there are only a few DisplayPort 2.1 monitors currently available, including the ASUS ROG Swift PG32UQXR with a 4K 160Hz panel. However, note that its DP 2.1 port only supports UHBR10, so it still has to use DSC to get 4K 160Hz with 10-bit color depth, just like it would have to use DSC with DP 1.4.

In other words, DisplayPort 2.1 is pointless on the PG32UQXR. You can get the Acer X32FP with similar specifications and DP 1.4 DSC for up to $300 less.

The Gigabyte Aorus FO32U2P is the first monitor with a DisplayPort 2.1 input with UHBR20, allowing for full 32″ 4K 240Hz signal support without having to use DSC.

Some gaming graphics cards can’t utilize the full bandwidth, but thanks to backward compatibility and DSC, you can still use the monitor without issues.

NVIDIA’s RTX 5000-series cards support DP 2.1 UHBR20, whereas AMD’s 9000-series is still limited to UHBR13.5.

DisplayPort 2.1a

In January 2024, VESA published the latest DP 2.1a update that replaces the DP40 cable specification with DP54 for 54 Gbps support over 2m passive cables. This allows for longer UHBR13.5 GPU to display cables.

DisplayPort 2.1b

In January 2025, VESA added a new DP 2.1b certification, which brings support for longer UHBR20 active cables (up to 3m) labeled as DP80LL (Low Loss).

Conclusion

We tried to keep this article short with the most important information. You can find more technical information on their VESA’s website.

Since DP 1.4 with DSC can already deliver very high resolutions and refresh rates (4K 240Hz 10-bit, 1440p 500Hz+ 10-bit, etc.), there’s no need to ponder about DP 2.1 just yet (unless you’re interested in the Neo G95NC) – although we’ve seen people not wanting to upgrade their GPUs or monitors until DP 2.1 becomes available.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a VESA certification if there weren’t any room for potential misinformation and confusion since DP 2.1 can basically have the same maximum bandwidth as DP 1.4 if it doesn’t support the optional UHBR feature. So, people will have to pay attention to the (hopefully) specified DP 2.1 maximum bandwidth and data rate by the display manufacturer.

DisplayPort 2.1 Monitor List