DisplayPort: The Professional's Display Standard
Why DisplayPort exists alongside HDMI and how it became essential for high-refresh gaming.
## 2006: DisplayPort 1.0 — The DVI Replacement
VESA created DisplayPort to replace DVI and VGA on PCs. Unlike HDMI, it's royalty-free — no licensing fees for manufacturers.
## 2010: DisplayPort 1.2 — Multi-Stream Transport
Added daisy-chaining (MST): one DP output driving multiple monitors in series. Also increased bandwidth to 17.28 Gbps for 4K@60Hz support.
## 2016: DisplayPort 1.4 — HDR and DSC
32.4 Gbps bandwidth with Display Stream Compression (DSC). This enabled 4K@120Hz and 8K@60Hz with visually lossless compression. The gaming standard.
## 2022: DisplayPort 2.1 — 80 Gbps
Massive bandwidth increase using the same UHBR signaling as USB4 v2.0. Enough for 4K@240Hz, dual 4K@120Hz, or 16K@60Hz with DSC.
## DisplayPort over USB-C
DP Alt Mode lets USB-C carry DisplayPort signal natively — the cleanest way to connect a laptop to a monitor. One cable for video, data, and power.