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Ultrawide 3440×1440 at 144 Hz HDR needs 24.0 Gbps

A 34-inch ultrawide running native 3440×1440 at 144 Hz with 10-bit 4:4:4 HDR needs 24.0 Gbps. That's 93% of DisplayPort 1.4's 25.9 Gbps — tight, but it fits without DSC, which is why the majority of 34-inch 1440p 144 Hz ultrawides ship with DP 1.4 inputs.

Required bandwidth
24.0 Gbps
Uncompressed
With DSC
6.4 Gbps
Visually lossless 3:1
Mode
3440×1440 @ 144 Hz
10-bit 4:4:4

Calculator

Display Bandwidth Calculator

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H

Required Bandwidth

Uncompressed

23.97 Gbps

With DSC (Display Stream Compression)

6.39 Gbps

Interface Compatibility

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

How this is calculated

HDMI 2.1 has vastly more headroom (42.6 Gbps) and most modern monitors support both. Push past 144 Hz — the 175 Hz and 180 Hz overclock modes common on ultrawides — and you're above DP 1.4's ceiling (roughly 30 Gbps at 180 Hz), which forces DSC. DP 1.2 tops out at 17.28 Gbps and can't carry this mode at all without dropping bit depth or chroma.

Verdict

24.0 Gbps is the cleanest fit for DP 1.4 at ultrawide 1440p. For the overclock modes above 144 Hz, DSC or HDMI 2.1 becomes the safer path.

More Ultrawide scenarios

Super ultrawide 5120×1440 — 240 Hz HDR
DisplayPort 2.1 (UHBR 20)
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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