DisplayPort 2.0 is still largely unpopular, but DisplayPort 2.1 has arrived (opens in new tab). Interestingly, VESA, the industry association for DisplayPort development, states that all DisplayPort 2.0 certified products already meet the 2.1 specification.

DP 2.1 essentially replaces DP 2.0. The revised specification is intended to improve consistency and integration with USB 4 and type c connectors. This means that DisplayPort signals will be able to coexist with USB data while at the same time improving efficiency.

According to Alan Kobayashi, VESA President and DisplayPort Task Group Chair, "DisplayPort display transmission, with its high bit rates and the proven visual quality of DSC compression, even for HDR content, provides virtually all practical sufficient bandwidth for your application needs." That sounds good. High-resolution gaming at high refresh rates is something every gamer will appreciate.

DisplayPort 2.1 also brings updated cable specifications: the DP40 cable supports 10 Gbps UHBR10 (40 Gbps on up to 4 links); cable lengths in excess of 2 meters should be possible; the DP80 cable supports UHBR20 link rates and supports up to 80 Gbps bandwidth over 4 lanes, where UHBR stands for Ultra-High Bit Rate. DP 1.4a has a maximum of 32.4 Gbps, so a maximum of 80 Gbps on a high-spec device is a big improvement.

In terms of resolution, DP 2.1 is no different than DP 2.0; a UHBR20 connection can achieve 75 Hz at uncompressed 8K and over 240 Hz at 4K. This is at 10-bit color depth; for HDR10 content, refresh rates are a bit lower, but 60Hz at 8K is possible; at 8-bit depth, the maximum refresh rate is higher, and even higher with display stream compression. In this case, a 16K display at 60 Hz is possible.

AMD has confirmed that its upcoming RDNA 3 graphics cards will support DisplayPort 2.0 (open in new tab). Thus, AMD's card will have at least one advantage over Nvidia's RTX 4090 (opens in new tab), which is limited to DP 1.4a. Intel's Arc card (opens in new tab) also supports DP 2.0, but only in UHBR10 mode. Still, it is enough to exceed 180 Hz at 4K.

With the ecosystem slowly maturing, DP 2.1 monitors that take advantage of all the bandwidth are eagerly awaited. 2023 CES will be the logical place to showcase the latest and greatest monitors. 7680 x 2160 curved ultrawides would be stunning, but panels, I have no desire to see prices.