AMD Arctic Islands gets support for HDMI 2.0 and Displayport 1.3

Why are there no screens with 4K UHD resolution and 120 Hz? This is a question that has already been answered in a guide on SweClockers, but there is a solution in the form of new types of connections. Now AMD announces that, among other things, this is one of several new features in the next generation of graphics circuits – Arctic Islands.

In 2016, AMD will release two new graphics processors and these will support both HDMI 2.0 and Displayport 1.3. For computer users, the latter is the big news, as bandwidth rises from 17.28 gigabits per second (Gbps) for Displayport 1.2 to as much as 32.4 Gbps.

The transition allows for both higher resolutions and refresh rates. Here is perhaps the most anticipated news that a Displayport 1.3 connection is enough to power a 4K UHD screen at a full 120 Hz – without compression. In addition, lower resolutions can be operated at even higher refresh rates, and 5K monitors can be operated with one cable, instead of two, at 60 Hz.

The HDMI 2.0 connection is already found at Nvidia and the next generation also at AMD. Here, the company strikes a blow High Dynamic Range (HDR), a technology for locally and selectively increasing the brightness of the display panel to achieve a greater dynamic color gamut. The feature is already in TVs, but now AMD also wants to see it introduced in games and computer screens.