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Home4K 120Hz

4K 120Hz: which connections carry it

4K 120Hz needs 25.82 Gbps at 8-bit and 32.27 Gbps at 10-bit. The lowest-capacity connection that carries it is DisplayPort 1.4 at 8-bit, and DisplayPort 2.1 UHBR10 at 10-bit.

By David Owen. Published 27 October 2026.

HDMI 2.0 can't carry it at 8-bit or 10-bit; HDMI 2.1 (48 Gbps FRL) carries it at 8-bit and 10-bit; DisplayPort 1.4 carries it at 8-bit but needs DSC (about 1.3:1) at 10-bit; DisplayPort 2.1 UHBR20 carries it at 8-bit and 10-bit.

At 8-bit, DisplayPort 1.4, USB-C (DisplayPort Alt Mode, 4 lanes) and Thunderbolt 4 / USB4 40 Gbps carry 4K 120Hz only with reduced blanking v2; the older v1 timing needs 26.35 Gbps, over the limit.

4K 120Hz on every link

LinkCarries8-bit10-bit
HDMI 1.4 †8.16 GbpsFail, 25.82 GbpsFail, 32.27 Gbps
HDMI 2.014.40 GbpsFail, 25.82 GbpsFail, 32.27 Gbps
HDMI 2.1 (40 Gbps FRL) †35.56 GbpsPass, 25.82 GbpsPass, 32.27 Gbps
HDMI 2.1 (48 Gbps FRL)42.67 GbpsPass, 25.82 GbpsPass, 32.27 Gbps
HDMI 2.2n/aNo verdict yetNo verdict yet
DisplayPort 1.217.28 GbpsFail, 25.82 GbpsFail, 32.27 Gbps
DisplayPort 1.425.92 GbpsTight, 25.82 GbpsNeeds DSC, about 1.3:1
DisplayPort 2.1 UHBR1038.68 GbpsPass, 25.82 GbpsPass, 32.27 Gbps
DisplayPort 2.1 UHBR13.552.22 GbpsPass, 25.82 GbpsPass, 32.27 Gbps
DisplayPort 2.1 UHBR2077.37 GbpsPass, 25.82 GbpsPass, 32.27 Gbps
USB-C (DisplayPort Alt Mode, 2 lanes with USB data)12.96 GbpsNeeds DSC, about 2.1:1Needs DSC, about 2.6:1
USB-C (DisplayPort Alt Mode, 4 lanes)25.92 GbpsTight, 25.82 GbpsNeeds DSC, about 1.3:1
USB-C (DisplayPort Alt Mode 2.x, 2 lanes with USB data)38.68 GbpsPass, 25.82 GbpsPass, 32.27 Gbps
USB-C (DisplayPort Alt Mode 2.x, 4 lanes)77.37 GbpsPass, 25.82 GbpsPass, 32.27 Gbps
Thunderbolt 3 ‡17.28 GbpsFail, 25.82 GbpsFail, 32.27 Gbps
Thunderbolt 4 / USB4 40 Gbps ‡25.92 GbpsTight, 25.82 GbpsNeeds DSC, about 1.3:1
Thunderbolt 5 / USB4 v277.37 GbpsPass, 25.82 GbpsPass, 32.27 Gbps
USB-C to HDMI 2.1 adapter25.92 GbpsTight, 25.82 GbpsFails uncompressed (32.27 Gbps); DSC depends on the adapter
USB-C to HDMI 2.0 adapter14.40 GbpsFails uncompressed (25.82 Gbps); DSC depends on the adapterFails uncompressed (32.27 Gbps); DSC depends on the adapter

Results use PC monitor timings (VESA CVT reduced blanking v2 as the headline), not the TV and console timings in CTA-861, so a TV or console may need more bandwidth than shown. RGB/4:4:4 color. DSC verdicts are at maximum compression (8 bpp), the lowest rate VESA's DSC standard allows for 4:4:4, and show the compression each mode needs. Tight means within 3% of the link's capacity. † rests on one secondary source. ‡ assumes the DisplayPort version the link tunnels.

3840x2160 at 120 Hz in detail

TimingPixel clockTotal pixels per lineTotal lines8-bit
CVT reduced blanking v21075.804 MHz3920228725.82 Gbps
CVT reduced blanking v11097.75 MHz4000228726.35 Gbps
CVT standard (CRT) timing1498.25 MHz5392231635.96 Gbps

At 3840x2160 and 8-bit, HDMI 2.0 reaches 68 Hz and DisplayPort 1.4 reaches 120 Hz (318 Hz with DSC at maximum compression).

Sources

Data verified 27 October 2026 against these sources. See the methodology for how disagreements are resolved.