The performance of your external display is affected by the connection type used to connect your monitor to the system. This answer provides information on the monitor’s refresh rate and resolution based on the following connection types:
- USB-C/Thunderbolt™ to HDMI Monitor
- USB-C/Thunderbolt™ to Display Port Monitor
- USB-C/Thunderbolt™ to USB-C Port Monitor
NOTE: Refer to the cable and monitor’s device specifications to determine the version of the connection protocol. Also, the USB-C port needs to support the connection protocol listed below to work.
When using adapters or docking stations, ensure its specifications also match the ports used in the setup. The dock or adapter must also support Multi-Stream Transport (MST) for multiple screens.
The Thunderbolt™ cable should have the Thunderbolt™ logo on the cable itself.
NOTE: HDMI devices are not required to support the maximum bandwidth of the HDMI implemented. Therefore, it is not guaranteed that a display will support the refresh rates.
-
Ensure that the following refresh rates are supported by the HDMI version of the monitor.
-
Set the refresh rate and resolution accordingly.
| Connection Protocol | Version | Resolution | Refresh Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
|
HDMI Alt Mode |
1.4b |
720p HD (1280x720) |
30Hz, 60Hz, 120Hz |
|
1080p FHD (1920 x 1080) |
30Hz, 60Hz, 120Hz, 144Hz |
||
|
1440p QHD (2560 x 1440) |
30Hz, 60Hz, 75Hz |
||
|
4K UHD (3840 x 2160) |
24Hz, 25Hz, 30Hz |
||
|
4K (4096 × 2160) |
24Hz |
||
|
2 |
720p HD (1280x720) |
30Hz, 60Hz, 120Hz |
|
|
1080p FHD (1920 x 1080) |
30Hz, 60Hz, 120Hz, 144Hz, 240Hz |
||
|
1440p QHD (2560 x 1440) |
30Hz, 60Hz, 75Hz, 120Hz, 144Hz |
||
|
4K UHD (3840 x 2160) |
30Hz, 60Hz with 24 bit/px color depth |
||
|
2.1 |
1080p FHD (1920 x 1080) | 60Hz, 120Hz, 144Hz, 240Hz | |
| 1440p QHD (2560 x 1440) | 60Hz, 100Hz, 120Hz, 144Hz, 240Hz | ||
| 4K UHD (3840 x 2160) | 50Hz, 60Hz, 120Hz | ||
| 5K UHD (5120 x 2880) | 30Hz, 60Hz |
USB-C/Thunderbolt™ to DisplayPort
- Check the version of the external monitor’s DisplayPort.
- Ensure that the following refresh rates are supported.
- Set the refresh rate and resolution accordingly.
| Connection Protocol | Version | Resolution | Refresh Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
|
DP Alt Mode |
1.2 |
1080p FHD (1920 x 1080) |
60Hz, 85Hz, 120Hz, 144Hz, 240Hz |
|
1440p QHD (2560 x 1440) /1440p |
30Hz, 60Hz, 85Hz, 120Hz, 144Hz, 165Hz |
||
|
4K UHD (3840 x 2160) 4K |
30Hz, 60Hz, 75Hz |
||
|
1.4 |
1080p FHD (1920 x 1080) |
60Hz, 85Hz, 120Hz, 144Hz, 240Hz |
|
|
1440p QHD (2560 x 1440) |
30Hz, 60Hz, 85Hz, 120Hz, 144Hz, 165Hz, 240Hz |
||
|
4K UHD (3840 x 2160) |
30Hz, 60Hz, 75Hz, 120Hz |
||
|
Single 4K UHD display (3840 × 2160) with 24 bit/px RGB color |
120Hz |
||
|
Single 5K UHD display (5120 × 2880) with 30 bit/px RGB color |
60Hz |
||
|
Single 8K UHD display (7680 × 4320) with 24 bit/px RGB color |
30Hz |
USB-C/Thunderbolt™ to USB-C/Thunderbolt™
| Connection Protocol | Version | Resolution | Refresh Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
|
DisplayPort |
1.2 |
1080p FHD (1920 x 1080) |
60Hz, 85Hz, 120Hz, 144Hz, 240Hz |
|
1440p QHD (2560 x 1440) |
30Hz, 60Hz, 85Hz, 120Hz, 144Hz, 165Hz |
||
|
4K UHD (3840 x 2160) |
30Hz, 60Hz, 75Hz |
||
|
1.4 |
1080p FHD (1920 x 1080) |
60Hz, 85Hz, 120Hz, 144Hz, 240Hz |
|
|
1440p QHD (2560 x 1440) |
30Hz, 60Hz, 85Hz, 120Hz, 144Hz, 165Hz, 240Hz |
||
|
4K UHD (3840 x 2160)* |
Up to 2 monitors: |
||
|
5K UHD (5120 x 2880) |
24Hz, 30Hz, 60Hz |
||
|
8K UHD (7680 x 4320)* |
24Hz, 30Hz, 60Hz |
*Display Stream Compression (DSC) support required
