I'm trying to figure out if I should connect my sister's new monitor using a straight HDMI cable or if I should use a DisplayPort adapter instead. She'll be using my old gaming laptop, which has an RTX 3050, mostly for her architecture course, but I suspect she'll use it for gaming too. The laptop has an HDMI port and a Type-C port, while the monitor supports both HDMI and DisplayPort, with a resolution of 1440p and a refresh rate of 180Hz. Given that the laptop's HDMI might limit the performance, would it be better to use a DisplayPort adapter to make the most out of her monitor? I've looked into UGREEN adapters, but they seem to primarily offer HDMI options. I've also found out that the monitor can only handle 144Hz over HDMI, and I think the HDMI supported by UGREEN is capped at 120Hz. What should I do?
3 Answers
Honestly, I’d just go with HDMI. For a 3050 laptop, you probably won’t notice any latency or quality loss at casual gaming. Plus, if the monitor only supports 144Hz on HDMI, that’s still quite good enough. If you’re not planning to push the limits or play super competitive games, you should be set with HDMI!
Using HDMI should work perfectly fine! Just confirm that you’re using a good quality cable and know the HDMI version, since older versions might have lower Hz limits. The 3050 won’t have issues finding that sweet spot with 144Hz, but don’t hold out for 180Hz realistically unless you aim for the best settings on lighter games.
If your laptop supports DisplayPort over USB-C, that's the way to go! A USB-C to DisplayPort cable would likely give you the best refresh rates. However, if you stick with HDMI, just make sure you know which version it is. HDMI 2.0 can support 144Hz at 1440p, which should be fine for most gaming needs. For the RTX 3050, pushing 1440p can be a challenge, so don’t stress too much about going above that.
Would the refresh rate be impacted if I use HDMI instead of DisplayPort?