What Cable to Use for 144Hz Monitor

Mar 31, 2026

Trying to get 144Hz (or higher) from your monitor but not seeing the performance you expected? 🧐 The cable you’re using could be the culprit! In this video, ViewSonic walks you through which kinds of cables support high refresh rates and the common pitfalls that can limit your setup.

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Transcript

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Sean: Welcome back to another episode of “Ask ViewSonic.” I’m Sean from ViewSonic. Today’s question is: Which cable do I need to run my monitor at 144Hz and higher?

Sean: This has happened to many of us. You may have just bought — or plan to buy — a monitor capable of at least 144Hz to take your gaming experience to the next level. But when you plug it in, either your display settings are stuck at 60Hz, or the monitor just says “no signal.” The problem isn't the monitor — it could be the cable.

Super: Outdated Cables for Lower Specs

Sean: The markings on this cable show it’s an HDMI 1.4 cable. It is an older standard and can only push 144Hz when you’re at a resolution like 1080p or lower. This means that if you try to use 144Hz at 1440p or 4K, that cable can’t handle the data flow due to bandwidth limits. The signal will drop or the display won’t show an image.

Super: Non-Certified Cables

Sean: If your cable has no markings or no HDMI certification label on the package, it may work at first but will fail when you try to hit a higher refresh rate like 144Hz or more. And generic, non-certified cables may not support more than 1080p at all.

Super: Old DVI or VGA Cables.

Sean: And finally, avoid analog connections like VGA entirely. They were never designed to handle 144Hz. These cables max out at 1080p 75Hz.

Sean: Okay, let’s look at what you actually need to hit that 144Hz mark.

Sean: The solution is simple: Always look for the certification standard. The standard tells you the cable's guaranteed bandwidth.

Sean: Here’s a quick cheat sheet: • 1080p × 144Hz – any DisplayPort 1.2 or HDMI 1.3+ cable is fine. • 1440p × 144Hz – go with DisplayPort 1.2 or HDMI 2.0. • 4K × 144Hz – use a certified DisplayPort 1.4 cable that supports Display‑Stream Compression (DSC) or just get a certified Ultra‑High‑Speed HDMI 2.1 cable.

Sean: If you’re not sure whether your cable is certified, look for “Ultra-High-Speed” or “HDMI 2.1” labels on the cable or packaging. That’s the difference between a cable that’s just good enough and one built to handle the job.

Sean: Investing in a certified cable isn’t just about fancy packaging. It’s about matching the cable’s bandwidth to your resolution and refresh rate. Once that’s aligned, the rest is just a matter of durability and a good look.

Sean: So, before you rush to buy the nearest discount cable, make sure you’re getting the right one for your setup (wink) (wink) (wink).

Sean: If you found this video helpful, please hit “like” and “subscribe,” and we’ll continue creating videos like this. If you want to read more on this topic, visit our online user guides in the description below.

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