Confused about hdmi vs displayport.

Spindoc

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Hey! looking to buy: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236313
Was reading somewhere (must have been an old thread an I didn't realize) that hdmi cannot support past 120 Hz but Displayport can. So went out to buy one bc I wasn't going to buy a 144Hz monitor and play at 60. Fortunately, before I bought said cable I best buy employee told me that hdmi can support up to 600 Hz, and told me that Displayport is just something Apple invented bc they're, well Apple, and rejected the universal hdmi. My questions to you guys are:

Is he right?
if hes right, then wtf?
will I be able to play on this monitor at 144Hz (my hardware should be fine to keep up) with an HDMI cable?
Given a 60Hz monitor: Someone explained refresh rate to me as, not affecting fps b/c is only refreshes the screen 60 times. your gpu still puts out 120 images. Question is, where do those other 60 images go? and how is that NOT putting a 'cap' on your fps. sounds to me you're only able to play a game X fps if your monitor is X Hz, yes?

sorry for the essay, but i do appreciate the answers.
 
Solution
Okay, a few questions here. I've researched these things because there isn't much clear information about it out there.

HDMI vs Display Port -- The difference is bandwidth. Each cable type also has its own versions. The newest HDMI supports 4K at 60 Hz, but that's not yet standard. Display port will send data faster.

Display Port vs Mini Display Port -- It's just the size and shape of the plug. Look for the cable's version. Wikipedia will tell you the display formats they support.

Where frames go if rendered faster than refresh rate -- The short answer: buffer. The fps measures what your monitor actually takes in and puts in front of your face. Frames beyond that "wait in line" - so to speak - for...

trymetal95

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Sep 4, 2013
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HDMI is strangely enough dependent on different cables for higher framerates, a cable can be 120hz certified, but not higher.
but aside from that i would not recommend using HDMI for gaming at all, mini DP is a better option as it has a much higher bandwidth and should be able to run 144hz without problems.

fun fact, the latest version of Mini DP supports 8K.
 

trymetal95

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there is a size difference between DP and mini DP, but getting a Mini DP to DP or something like that should not be a problem, i'm just accustomed to think in Mini DP format since all my graphics cards have it.
and a screen can't have 600 hz refresh rate, it does not exist, so that must be a typo.
 

dkulprit

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Nov 29, 2012
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Apple did not invent the display port, but they have certainly adopted it over hdmi. Display port is better for higher resolutions, which is why apple has adopted it. They are known for sharp, clear, crisp displays, hence using display port. My card(s) have 2 do, 1 hdmi, and 1 dvi. I use hdmi now. I have found monitors that use display port are really expensive. To me the ability to game at 1440p is not worth the difference the couple hundred dollars for a monitor.
 

Eggz

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Okay, a few questions here. I've researched these things because there isn't much clear information about it out there.

HDMI vs Display Port -- The difference is bandwidth. Each cable type also has its own versions. The newest HDMI supports 4K at 60 Hz, but that's not yet standard. Display port will send data faster.

Display Port vs Mini Display Port -- It's just the size and shape of the plug. Look for the cable's version. Wikipedia will tell you the display formats they support.

Where frames go if rendered faster than refresh rate -- The short answer: buffer. The fps measures what your monitor actually takes in and puts in front of your face. Frames beyond that "wait in line" - so to speak - for when the monitor is ready to take them. Many aren't displayed, but having buffer can make things pan smoother.

How monitors or TVs achieve really high frame rates -- Anther short answer: marketing. A good example is Sony's "240 Hz" TVs. They are actually 60 hz displays with a processor. Isolate in your head 1/30 of a second. In that time, the display fetches two rendered frames from the source. The TV's processor then creates three frames in between the two in order to smooth the transition. Since it happens so fast, it appears to work. Pretend frame #1 has only a single dash "-" and frame #2 has five dashes "-----." The TV's processor would do something akin to post-processing frame #1.1 with two dashs "--" frame #1.2 with three dashes "---" and frame # 1.3 with four dashes "----." The downside it that it creates a lag, which may be acceptable for videos, but not for games. Thankfully, it's an option your can toggle on and off. Here's the difference.

OFF: -__________-----
ON : -_--_---_----_-----

These are good questions, and the companies should be more up front about this stuff.
 
Solution

Eggz

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You know what really simplifies things for you? The monitor has both HDMI and DP. So do all modern video cards. Just buy each cable on eBay and give them a try. Just a couple dollars extra, plus experimentation's always fun.