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Super ultrawide 5120×1440 at 240 Hz HDR needs 59.5 Gbps

A 49-inch 5120×1440 super ultrawide at 240 Hz with 10-bit 4:4:4 HDR needs 59.5 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.

Required bandwidth
59.5 Gbps
Uncompressed
With DSC
15.9 Gbps
Visually lossless 3:1
Mode
5120×1440 @ 240 Hz
10-bit 4:4:4

Calculator

Display Bandwidth Calculator

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H

Required Bandwidth

Uncompressed

59.45 Gbps

With DSC (Display Stream Compression)

15.85 Gbps

Interface Compatibility

HDMI 1.4
✗ Incompatible
HDMI 2.0
✗ Incompatible
HDMI 2.1 (48G)
DSC Required
HDMI 2.2 (96G)
✓ Native
DisplayPort 1.2
DSC Required
DisplayPort 1.4
DSC Required
DisplayPort 2.1 (UHBR 10)
DSC Required
DisplayPort 2.1 (UHBR 13.5)
DSC Required
DisplayPort 2.1 (UHBR 20)
✓ Native

How this is calculated

DSC 3:1 compresses the signal to about 15.9 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 — by using 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 43.4 Gbps, still too much for DP 1.4 raw but fine over HDMI 2.1 at 8-bit.

Verdict

59.5 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 metre.

More Ultrawide scenarios

Ultrawide 3440×1440 — 144 Hz HDR
DisplayPort 1.4
View details ➜

Frequently asked questions

Does HDMI 2.1 support 4K at 144Hz?
Yes. 4K at 144Hz with 10-bit HDR and 4:4:4 chroma needs roughly 40 Gbps of bandwidth, which fits within HDMI 2.1's 48 Gbps ceiling (42.6 Gbps effective data rate). You'll need a certified Ultra High Speed HDMI cable and a source and display that both advertise HDMI 2.1 FRL signalling.
Can DisplayPort 1.4 handle 4K at 240Hz?
Not uncompressed. 4K at 240Hz with 10-bit 4:4:4 requires about 65-70 Gbps — well over DisplayPort 1.4's 25.92 Gbps effective data rate. With Display Stream Compression (DSC), which is visually lossless, DisplayPort 1.4 can drive 4K at 240Hz comfortably. For uncompressed 4K 240Hz you need DisplayPort 2.1 UHBR 20.
What is Display Stream Compression (DSC) and is it lossy?
DSC is a visually lossless compression format standardised by VESA that cuts bandwidth roughly 3:1. In blind side-by-side testing the compression is indistinguishable from uncompressed output, so most modern high-refresh-rate monitors use it to reach 4K 240Hz or 8K 60Hz over existing cables. It does add a small amount of latency (microseconds) and can prevent some HDR metadata from passing through on older GPUs.
Why do I need more bandwidth for HDR and 10-bit colour?
Each pixel carries more data. 8-bit colour uses 24 bits per pixel (8 bits per channel × 3 channels) whereas 10-bit uses 30 bits per pixel — a 25% increase in required bandwidth. 12-bit adds another 20% on top of that. HDR content typically runs at 10-bit or 12-bit, which is why enabling HDR can push a connection over its limit.
What does 4:2:0 chroma subsampling do to bandwidth?
Chroma subsampling reduces colour resolution to save bandwidth. 4:4:4 carries full colour for every pixel; 4:2:2 halves horizontal colour resolution; 4:2:0 halves both horizontal and vertical colour resolution, cutting bandwidth by roughly 50% compared to 4:4:4. It's fine for video but makes coloured text on coloured backgrounds look fuzzy, so 4:4:4 is preferred for desktop use.
Is HDMI or DisplayPort better for a 4K 240Hz monitor?
Both can do it, but the route differs. HDMI 2.1 handles 4K 240Hz 10-bit natively if the display supports Frame Rate Control; DisplayPort 1.4 needs DSC, and DisplayPort 2.1 (UHBR 20) handles it fully uncompressed. For PCs, DisplayPort is typically the default; for consoles and TVs, HDMI 2.1 is the standard.

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