Methodology
This page explains exactly how a verdict is produced, so you can judge how much to trust it. Nothing here is marketing - if a number can't be sourced, the tool says so.
What we check
- Whether a specific resolution + refresh rate + bit depth + HDR + VRR combination can be transmitted over a given connector, for a specific GPU and a specific monitor.
- Which connector (HDMI or DisplayPort) to use, and whether DSC is required.
- The nearest mode that is verified when the requested one isn't.
- Documented real-world issues for that pair or product family.
What we do NOT check
- Frame rate / game performance. This is not an FPS calculator. Whether a signal fits down a cable is a separate question from whether your GPU can render that many frames.
- Your actual cable's quality (we give a minimum cable spec as advice only).
- Driver bugs and firmware regressions beyond the ones in our known-issues list.
- Panel quality, colour accuracy, response time, or anything not about signal transmission.
Why we don't calculate FPS
Rendered frame rate depends on the game, the settings, the CPU, the driver and the scene. It changes second to second. Signal compatibility is a fixed property of the hardware and the mode. Mixing them would make both answers less trustworthy.
What "Target Mode" means
A Target Mode is the exact combination you want: for example3840x2160, 144Hz, 10-bit, HDR on, VRR on. Every verdict applies to one Target Mode on one connector - never to the GPU-monitor pair as a whole. The same pair can be SUPPORTED at 4K 60Hz and NOT SUPPORTED at 4K 240Hz 10-bit.
Evidence priority
Bandwidth requirements are established from the best available evidence, in this order:
- Manufacturer PC Factory Support Mode / timing table - an explicit row for the exact mode.
- EDID detailed timing descriptor.
- Official pixel clock, reverse-computed into a bandwidth figure.
- VESA / CTA standard timing (CVT-RB2). Reserved - not yet implemented as a live calculation.
- Active-pixel estimate - active pixels x an approximate blanking overhead. Last resort, always labelled.
A result that rests only on step 5 is never shown as a bare "SUPPORTED". It caps at "SUPPORTED WITH CONDITIONS" or "UNKNOWN".
Evidence levels shown on results
| Verified from manufacturer timing data | An official table lists this exact mode. |
|---|---|
| Verified from official pixel clock data | The manufacturer publishes a pixel clock; the requirement is computed from it. |
| Based on verified display timing standards | A real VESA/CTA standard timing row. |
| Estimated - exact manufacturer timing unavailable | Active-pixel approximation; blanking is not exact. |
| DSC capability is estimated, not confirmed | The fit depends on an assumed DSC compression ratio, with no official DSC timing row. |
| Insufficient verified data | Can't be established from anything we trust. Result is UNKNOWN. |
Source trust grades (A-F)
| A | Manufacturer's own product page, manual, or spec sheet. |
|---|---|
| B | Manufacturer platform documentation or user guide (less specific). |
| C | Reputable independent measurement (e.g. a professional review lab). |
| D | Mirrored or third-party manual, retailer spec listing. |
| E | Aggregator / wiki. |
| F | Forum or community report. |
Retailer listings and unofficial manual mirrors are never relabelled as official. Where sources disagree, we show the conflict instead of picking one.
HDMI version is not bandwidth. DisplayPort version is not link rate.
"HDMI 2.1" covers FRL grades from 24 to 48 Gbps. "DisplayPort 2.1" does not imply UHBR20. The link's gross rate and its effective payload(after transport encoding overhead) are stored as separate numbers, and only the effective payload is compared against a mode's requirement. Where a device's real FRL / UHBR grade isn't documented, we use a conservative floor and label the result as resting on a presumed rate.
DSC needs both ends
Display Stream Compression only helps if the GPU can encode it andthe monitor can decode it. If either side is unverified on a mode that needs DSC, the verdict is UNKNOWN, not SUPPORTED. A 3:1 compression assumption on its own is never enough to produce SUPPORTED or SUPPORTED WITH CONDITIONS - there must be an official DSC timing row.
What UNKNOWN means
UNKNOWN means we could not verify a capability the mode depends on - most often a GPU link rate or DSC support that the manufacturer never published. It does not mean the mode fails. Every UNKNOWN result still shows what is confirmed for the pair and the nearest mode you can rely on. We would rather return the honest UNKNOWN than guess a spec to make the answer look cleaner.
Known exceptions and their limits
Reported real-world quirks - driver regressions, firmware bugs, a specific port on a specific panel - are shown as context on results. Coverage is sparse and skewed toward widely reported cases. The absence of a known issue is not a guarantee that none exists.
Last verified & corrections
Each result shows a "last verified" date for its data. Specs and documentation change, and our early data has been corrected before when a better source turned up (an HDMI timing table was initially read from the wrong table type). Our policy is simple:we correct data when better evidence becomes available, and we don't quietly make the engine more optimistic to reduce UNKNOWNs.