Why So Many Video Cards Come With Only One HDMI Port
By Eric Hamilton
Published on August 2, 2026.
The HDMI Licensing Administrator, Inc. (HDMI LA) has reported that nearly 14 billion HDMI-enabled devices have shipped since the introduction of HDMI 1.0 in 2002. The latest HDMI 2.2 was announced in 2025 and is expected to be followed by HDMI 2 2.3 devices in 2027. Modern graphics cards usually ship with only one HDMI port alongside 2 or more DisplayPort ports. This decision is due to equal parts business costs, user needs, and engineering. Compared to DisplayPort, HDMI is costly to build into a graphics card as it can take up more PCB space and requires additional hardware and board space to meet electrical and bandwidth requirements. However, the next version of DisplayPort will likely require certified cables and ports that will likely be expensive and confusing to buy into.
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