#DISPLAPERTURE PC#

This is great news for owners of newer laptops containing only a few USB-C ports, as they can still be connected to DisplayPort and other displays using a number of USB-C display adapters or Thunderbolt 3 adapters.Īlthough it is becoming more commonplace as the technology evolves, DisplayPort is more typically found in higher-end devices that require the kind of bandwidth and feature support it offers over more mainstream technologies like HDMI.

An easy way to understand how this is works is that although USB-C & Thunderbolt 3 use a different connector than DisplayPort, DisplayPort’s underlying technology, or protocol, is used to send the video information through those ports. The standard is also incorporated in some USB-C ports and in every Thunderbolt connector, in particular, the latest-generation of Thunderbolt 3, which are found in abundance on Apple products.

#DISPLAPERTURE PC#

You'll find DisplayPort connectors on high-end PC graphics cards, on certain laptops, and on a number of capable monitors that support higher resolutions and refresh rates. The most common use of DisplayPort is in consumer technology. It, and the more open, expandable nature of DisplayPort, which allows it to be added to and iterated upon over time, make it arguably one of the most important display technologies of the past decade. This is a great advantage over more traditional display standards and technologies like VGA, DVI, and even HDMI. It is able to transmit what's known as micro packets of data, which embed a clock signal within them, thereby making for a more efficient data transfer stream that can, in turn, support higher resolutions and refresh rates. If you want to know how does DisplayPort work on a more technical level, it utilizes packetized data transmission in a similar manner to Ethernet cables and PCI-Express ports on a motherboard. Once you've done that though, DisplayPort should work just fine. It's also possible you'll need to manually set the correct resolution and refresh rate for your display(s). The devices may detect one another and configure things automatically, but you may need to use a remote or the controls on your monitor to manually select the DisplayPort input. You plug one end of the cable into your device, be it a laptop, desktop computer, or external graphics card, and the other into your display. How does DisplayPort work?Īt a basic level, DisplayPort works just like any other audio and video data connection. It's often seen in gaming monitors or expensive graphics cards, like Nvidia's RTX 2000 GPUs, or AMD's RX 5700 Navi cards. Whereas connectors like HDMI are commonly found on mainstream games consoles, televisions, monitors, and graphics cards, DisplayPort is more common in high-end devices. In the case of Thunderbolt 3, DisplayPort version 1.2 is supported (more on that below).

That's what makes it possible for other protocols, like Intel's Thunderbolt technology, to utilize DisplayPort form factor to deliver data and video across a different cable. Also commonplace is its smaller variant, known as Mini DisplayPort, which originally debuted on Apple devices in 2008, before becoming a more commonplace addition to standalone monitors, particularly those with a focus on high-end gaming.īut we would be remiss in describing what is DisplayPort, without also addressing its use as a form factor in other technologies. That helps it stand out from more uniform ports like HDMI, USB-A, and USB-C. The DisplayPort connector and cable, as sold by Cable Matters, is most commonly found in its full-size form, where it has 20 pins fitted into an L shape connector.

Much like HDMI, it can connect a monitor to a data source, like a graphics card, and deliver the video and sound that it's outputting to the display screen. If you want to get the most out of your PC, your graphics card, or your monitor, then learning what DisplayPort is used for is an important step to take.Īt its core, DisplayPort is a digital interface designed to deliver video and audio over a singular cable. It's not as commonplace or as universal as HDMI, but it is one of the most important because as far as connectors and cables go, it's far more capable.īut DisplayPort is more than just a cable. If you've owned a high-end monitor or graphics card in the past half a decade, chances are you've come across that asymmetric connector with the L-shaped header. Facebook Twitter Google + LinkedIn Pinterest Email Share.

Displaperture