Enter the resolution, bit depth per pixel, refresh rate, and number of screens into the calculator to estimate the minimum uncompressed video data rate (“bandwidth”) for the active pixels.
Monitor Bandwidth Formula
The following formula is used to estimate the minimum uncompressed data rate for the active pixels (it does not include blanking intervals, interface encoding overhead, or compression).
BW = (R * B * D * C) / (8 * 1000000)
Variables:
- BW is the bandwidth in megabytes per second (MBps), where 1 MB = 1,000,000 bytes
- R is the total number of pixels per frame (width × height)
- B is the bit depth per pixel (bits/pixel)
- D is the refresh rate in Hertz (Hz)
- C is the number of screens
To calculate the monitor bandwidth, multiply the total pixels per frame (resolution) by the bit depth per pixel, then multiply the result by the refresh rate and the number of screens. Divide the result by 8 (to convert bits to bytes) and then by 1,000,000 (to convert bytes to megabytes). This gives the estimated data rate in MBps.
What is a Monitor Bandwidth?
Monitor bandwidth (more precisely, the required display-link data rate) refers to how much video data must be transferred from a computer to a display per unit time to show a given resolution, refresh rate, and color format. It is typically expressed as a data rate (for example, Gbit/s or MB/s). Higher available link bandwidth can support higher resolutions, higher refresh rates, and greater color depth, which can improve image quality and motion smoothness.
How to Calculate Monitor Bandwidth?
The following steps outline how to calculate the Monitor Bandwidth using the given formula:
- First, determine the total pixels per frame (R = width × height).
- Next, determine the bit depth per pixel (B).
- Next, determine the refresh rate in Hertz (D).
- Next, determine the number of screens (C).
- Use the formula BW = (R * B * D * C) / (8 * 1,000,000) to calculate the Monitor Bandwidth in MBps.
- After inserting the values of R, B, D, and C into the formula, calculate the result.
Example Problem:
Use the following variables as an example problem to test your knowledge:
Resolution = 1920 x 1080 pixels (so R = 2,073,600 pixels per frame)
Bit depth per pixel (B) = 24 bits
Refresh rate (D) = 60 Hz
Number of screens (C) = 2
