We have all come across the term refresh rate, but what does it mean?
The refresh rate of your display screen is the rate at which your screen can display a new image.
The measure for Refresh Rate is in Hertz (Hz), and the difference between the time frames is usually in milliseconds.
So, let’s assume your monitor has a refresh rate of 120 Hz, which means refreshing the image displayed on your screen 120 times per second.
The importance of refresh rate might not be entirely visible while using your monitor or laptop while watching or just surfing the internet.
However, while gaming, this same thing plays a significant role. As most games are fast-paced, a high refresh rate is essential in such games as every second counts.
In such cases, a low refresh rate might cause the images to become blurry or disorienting or even cause the screen to blackout.
There are a bunch of good monitors available that support 144hz refresh rates. Check out our recommended guides on the best budget gaming monitors and best monitors under $200 and you will find many ones there.
The Importance of CPU & GPU:
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Your monitor can work only at the rate already present in your system or the rate that your system produces.
So, if your CPU and GPU are incapable of doing this whole process with the highest efficiency, then you won’t be able to have a high refresh rate, however good your monitor’s specs are.
Even having a good refresh rate of 144 Hz is pointless if your GPU only pulls 50 frames per second, which basically underutilizes that reasonable refresh rate.
This might severely affect your gaming experience and make the game feel less enjoyable.
You will want to get some hardware, and the level of that hardware depends upon the refresh rate you want to achieve.
The more the refresh rate, the more power the hardware will have to provide and withstand.
Your PC or monitor setup is essential, and thus, the cables or display ports you use are an essential part of the setup because not all the cables available offer the same performance.
Which Cable Supports Best 144hz Refresh Rates?
Now we come to the part about choosing the right cable for ourselves.
Choosing the right cable for gaming is not all easy as it sounds. You can’t just pick up and choose that this is the cable I need and want.
You will have to read, research, and check out a lot of things about your gaming needs and monitor before you choose the right cable for you.
Many think that just choosing a cable is the important part, and the display port can be side-lined; however, choosing both a display port and a cable is equally important.
It all comes down to the bandwidth that your cable can transfer at any given point in time. A 4K 144Hz monitor is going to require higher bandwidth than a 1080p 120Hz monitor.
Let’s take a quick glance through the various cables and select the best one for your gaming needs:
1. DisplayPort
A Display Port (DP) since its inception was driven towards its target group of hardcore gamers.
It is relatively not so well known among the other cables on our list but is quite impressive. It’s shaped like a 20-pin connector.
Since its target group is gamers, keeping this target group in mind, it was specifically designed to accommodate their need to have a high resolution and maximum possible refresh rate.
The DisplayPort 1.3, which launched in 2014, can accommodate 4K at 120Hz and also 8K at 60Hz. The older model, which is 1.2, could accommodate 1080p at 144Hz.
The latest version, which was published by VESA, the 1.4 Display Port standard, uses stream compression technology which allows for virtually no visual loss and a 3.1 compression rate.
Its Type-C connector allows for seamless high-definition video output.
2. HDMI 2.1
High Definition Media Interface (HDMI) has been present in the market for almost a decade and was designed and marketed, keeping the everyday consumer and their needs in mind. HDMI connects not only to your monitors but also to your TVs and other devices.
The previous versions before the 2.0 version were quite limited in terms of output.
The latest HDMI version being 2.1, is quite advanced and ahead of its time than what is the current need of the hour. It can accommodate 4K at 120Hz to 8K at 60Hz and everything else in between. It can even go all up to 10K.
In supplement to all of the things mentioned above, it can increase its bandwidth capacity to 48GPs while supporting a high dynamic range.
3. DVI
In the early parts of the last decade, people who used to connect their mobiles to their monitors might know what a DVI is and how it looks, but many do not know the technology behind it.
Even today, a DVI Connector equips every GPU.
DVIs do not support 4K, so if that’s something that you want or need as a part of your gaming experience, then this is not for you.
A dual-link cable can support up to 2560×1600 at 144Hz, while a single-link cable can support up to 1920×1200 resolution at 144Hz.
DVI is still a viable option if the above is something that you look for and can work with.
Also, there are lots of DVIs available. The most common are DVI-I and DVI-D.
5. VGA
VGA is the oldest in this list and has been used since the concept and devices of visual displays were introduced to consumers.
Many consumer products, especially TVs, do not support VGA’s analogical video-only cable output.
In recent years you can say VGA has become extinct and can only be found in older models of laptops, PCs, and maybe even some projectors.
Conclusion
To summarize, choosing the right cable for you for gaming at 144Hz depends upon other side factors like what monitor and bandwidth are used by you.
For 1080p resolution at 144Hz, a Dual-Link DVI or a Display Port or HDMI 1.4 or higher (recommended) is ideal.
Do make a note of the monitor while using HDMI 1.4 as some monitors are locked at 60/120Hz while making use of HDMI 1.4
While for 1440p resolution at 144Hz, Display Port 1.2 or HDMI 2.0 is recommended and ideal.
If 4K resolution at 144Hz is something that you’re looking for, then Display Port 1.4 with DSC 1.2 or HDMI 2.1 is the minimum requirement.