Old office hardware is great as media boxes as they support 4K @ 60Hz since a long time through DisplayPort 1.2. If you buy used Intel hardware these days, it will most likely come with DisplayPort 1.2 and if you are lucky a HDMI port. Even for top-tier processors, the HDMI port is limited to 24Hz/30Hz which equals HDMI 1.4. For office use this was and is okay as almost all monitors feature a DisplayPort. However most consumer televisions and projectors only come with HDMI input ports and for 4k @ 60Hz you will need at least HDMI 2.0.

There are adapters that can convert from DisplayPort to HDMI and state 4K@60Hz but it is quite a mess to understand what each adapter can actually do. If you happen to have DisplayPort 1.4 they will most likely be able to convert to HDMI 2.0, so the marketing statement is true but as you will most likely have DisplayPort 1.2 you will wonder why the 4K@60Hz cable you bought only does 4k@30Hz / HDMI 1.4.

All these adapters are active with dedicated chip that converts DisplayPort to HDMI and these chips also exist in different generations and with different capabilties.

Most cheaper cables will use something like the Parade PS171.

👉 Don’t buy this if you want 4K@60Hz, instead look for cables with a Parade PS176.