DisplayPort cables

[jlrm365]

I bought a couple of these, last Friday:
Dell 24 Gaming Monitor - S2421HGF

They don't ship with DisplayPort cables, however. Here's a question that I suspect I know the answer to, but I'd prefer to ask and be sure.

Does the 1.2 standard on the monitor mean that it does not require more than a 1.2 cable?
A 1.4 cable would therefore be more than needed, but fine to use, right?

Thanks.

[Kagthul]

a cable that exceeds the spec should be backwards compatible, yes.

But im not sure that DP cables are actually physically different. AFAIK, DP differences are just software, but i could be wrong. Make sure to check.

[natpick]

yes all dp and hdmi cables are backward compatible.

[Kagthul]

i was mostly right: DP cables are not rated by version, only bandwidth. And thanks to DSC, even older cables can do 8k. So if the one you're looking at says it's 1.4 ( which isn't how VESA wants them labeled...) It'll work fine for anything a consumer is gonna do.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DisplayPort#Cables

[Shakadam]

Physically there isn't really any difference between different spec displayport cables BUT the tolerances are different. The quality of a cable that is VESA certified for DP 1.4 is higher than a cable certified only for 1.2 (or maybe not even certified at all). This doesn't mean a 1.2 cable won't work, it's just more of a lottery.

A bad quality cable can for example:
- Lock you into a low refresh rate
- Cause display flashing/flickering, especially with Freesync/Gsync activated
- Cause DisplayPort link failures
- Limit your ability to OC the scaler to a higher refresh rate

I've had this issue myself with a DP cable included with my monitor, enabling Freesync would cause almost constant brightness flickering. I replaced it with a 1.4 VESA certified cable and the problem was solved.

To limit the potential for issue I recommend getting a VESA certified 1.4 cable, a good list can be found here: https://www.displayport.org/product-...bles-adaptors/
I also recommend that you stick to a cable with a max of 3 meters in length.

[jlrm365]

Physically there isn't really any difference between different spec displayport cables BUT the tolerances are different. The quality of a cable that is VESA certified for DP 1.4 is higher than a cable certified only for 1.2 (or maybe not even certified at all). This doesn't mean a 1.2 cable won't work, it's just more of a lottery.

A bad quality cable can for example:
- Lock you into a low refresh rate
- Cause display flashing/flickering, especially with Freesync/Gsync activated
- Cause DisplayPort link failures
- Limit your ability to OC the scaler to a higher refresh rate

I've had this issue myself with a DP cable included with my monitor, enabling Freesync would cause almost constant brightness flickering. I replaced it with a 1.4 VESA certified cable and the problem was solved.

To limit the potential for issue I recommend getting a VESA certified 1.4 cable, a good list can be found here: https://www.displayport.org/product-...bles-adaptors/
I also recommend that you stick to a cable with a max of 3 meters in length.

I've looked at that link.

EDIT:

I opted for a pair Cable Matters' 6 ft cables.
Thanks.

"Solved."

[FlawlessSoul]

Also, just to check, do you have an Nvidia GTX 10xx series card (or earlier)?