Which cable fits a 5120×1440 240Hz super ultrawide? Bandwidth breakdown
60.6 Gbps is past most real-world interfaces' uncompressed limits. DSC is universal here, and DP 2.1 UHBR 20 is the only route to get 240 Hz at this resolution without compression, with cables that top out at about 1 meter.
A 49-inch 5120×1440 super ultrawide at 240 Hz with 10-bit 4:4:4 HDR needs 60.6 Gbps, well past DisplayPort 1.4's 25.9 Gbps ceiling and UHBR 13.5's 52.22 Gbps. Only UHBR 20 (77.37 Gbps) or HDMI 2.2 can carry this mode uncompressed. Everything else relies on Display Stream Compression.
By TechCompare · Updated
Interface Bandwidth Analysis
See how much uncompressed and compressed bandwidth this resolution and refresh rate mode demands, compared to HDMI and DisplayPort connections.
DSC uses visually lossless 3-to-1 compression, shrinking the required bandwidth so it fits through older cables.
Other connections
Assumes display traffic only and four DisplayPort lanes for USB-C. USB4 and Thunderbolt figures are for one DisplayPort stream.
Calculator
Display Bandwidth Calculator
Required Bandwidth
Uncompressed
60.62 Gbps
With DSC (Display Stream Compression)
16.16 Gbps
Interface Compatibility
HDMI
DisplayPort
Other connections
Assumes one display with no USB or PCIe data sharing. USB-C uses all four DisplayPort lanes. USB4 and Thunderbolt use the DisplayPort profile listed. The 120 Gbps modes add bandwidth for multiple streams, while one DP 2.1 UHBR 20 stream stays at 77.37 Gbps. Compare checks each display separately.
USB-C
Thunderbolt
USB4
How this is calculated
DSC 3:1 compresses the signal to about 20.2 Gbps, which even DP 1.4 handles easily. That's how Samsung's Odyssey G9 OLED and similar super ultrawides hit 240 Hz over DP 1.4: they use DSC as the default, not the fallback. Dropping to 175 Hz (the non-compressed spec on most DP 1.4 super ultrawides) brings bandwidth down to about 42.8 Gbps, still too much for DP 1.4 raw but fine over HDMI 2.1 at 8-bit.
Verdict
5120x1440 at 240 Hz with 10-bit 4:4:4 HDR needs 60.6 Gbps, past DisplayPort 1.4's 25.9 Gbps and even past UHBR 13.5's 52.22 Gbps, so only UHBR 20 (77.37 Gbps) or HDMI 2.2 can carry the mode uncompressed. DSC 3:1 compresses the signal to about 20.2 Gbps which even DP 1.4 handles easily, which is how Samsung Odyssey G9 OLED and similar 49-inch super ultrawides hit 240 Hz over DP 1.4 by using DSC as the default rather than a fallback. The non-compressed alternative on DP 1.4 is dropping to 175 Hz (about 42.8 Gbps), still too much raw but workable over HDMI 2.1 at 8-bit. The practical answer splits in two: DSC for 240 Hz on any GPU, or DP 2.1 UHBR 20 (cables under 1 m) for uncompressed 240 Hz, with the cable-length constraint the price of native fidelity.
More Ultrawide scenarios
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Can standard DisplayPort 1.4 run a 49-inch super ultrawide at 240Hz?
Can DisplayPort 1.4 run a 49-inch 32:9 super ultrawide at 240 Hz?
Does any GPU drive a 32:9 240 Hz panel at full rate without DSC?
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