Dell RN698 DisplayPort Cable: Specs and Display Cable Selection
The Dell RN698 is a DisplayPort male-to-male video cable, listed across the parts market at around six feet in length and also appearing as 0RN698 and CN-0RN698. It is the cable Dell shipped in the box with a great many workstations and monitors, which is exactly why the part number gets searched: someone has a machine, a display and no cable, and wants the one that was supposed to be there.
This guide covers what the RN698 is, the length discrepancy you will see in listings, and — more usefully — how to choose a display cable that will actually carry the resolution and refresh rate you are paying for, because that is where most display problems start.
What the RN698 is
It is a passive DisplayPort cable with a standard full-size DisplayPort connector at each end. Dell part numbers for it include RN698, 0RN698 and CN-0RN698 — the leading zero and the CN- prefix are Dell numbering conventions, not different products.
The stated length varies between listings. You will see it described as 6 feet, as 1.8 metres and as 2 metres. Six feet is 1.83 metres, so the first two are the same cable rounded differently. Whether any given seller is shipping a true 2-metre cable is worth confirming if the run is tight. This kind of inconsistency is normal for accessory part numbers and is not by itself a sign of a wrong part.
It is a cable, not an adapter. DisplayPort to DisplayPort, both ends the same. If your monitor takes HDMI, DVI or USB-C, this is not the part, and the adapter question below matters more than the cable question.
DisplayPort versions and what they carry
Here is the thing most people get wrong: a DisplayPort cable is not certified as "version 1.4" or "version 2.1". Cables are certified to a bandwidth tier, and the version number belongs to the source and display devices. What the cable determines is whether that bandwidth survives the run.
The tiers that matter:
RBR, HBR and HBR2 cover up to roughly 21.6 Gb/s of link rate, which is enough for 4K at 60Hz without compression. A cable certified to HBR2 is sold as "DP8K" or standard-certified and handles the overwhelming majority of office and workstation setups.
HBR3 raises the link rate to about 32.4 Gb/s, which is what you need for 4K at 120Hz or 8K at 60Hz with Display Stream Compression. Cables for this are certified DP8K.
UHBR 10, 13.5 and 20 are the DisplayPort 2.0 and 2.1 tiers, certified as DP40 and DP80. These are what high-refresh 4K and 8K panels want, and the cables are genuinely different hardware — an older cable will not carry them reliably regardless of what the connectors look like.
Length is the enemy. Passive DisplayPort cables get harder to certify as they get longer, and a three-metre passive run at UHBR is a different engineering problem from a one-metre run. If a display intermittently blanks, flickers or drops to a lower refresh rate, a too-long or under-certified cable is the first thing to swap, ahead of drivers.
DisplayPort, HDMI and USB-C in practice
For a workstation driving one or more desktop monitors, DisplayPort is generally the right default. It handles multi-monitor topologies natively, it is standard on professional GPUs, and it does not carry the licensing and feature-tier complications HDMI does.
Multi-Stream Transport lets you daisy-chain. DisplayPort MST allows several monitors on one port, either chained monitor-to-monitor where the panels support it, or through an MST hub. The catch is that the total bandwidth is shared, so three 4K panels at 60Hz on one HBR2 link will not work — the maths does not allow it. Work out the combined bandwidth before you buy the hub.
Passive adapters only work one way. A passive DisplayPort-to-HDMI adapter relies on dual-mode DisplayPort, where the source can output an HDMI signal over the DP connector. If the source does not support dual-mode, a passive adapter produces nothing and you need an active one. Going the other way — HDMI source to DisplayPort display — always needs an active converter. Cheap adapters that fail intermittently under load are usually passive ones being asked to do an active job.
USB-C changes the question. Modern laptops and docks carry DisplayPort over USB-C via Alt Mode, which is why a USB-C dock can drive DisplayPort monitors. The cable between the dock and the monitor is then an ordinary DisplayPort cable like this one. What you are checking in that setup is the dock's total display bandwidth, not the cable.
Display cables in racks and on KVM
In a server room the calculation is different, because the priority is getting a picture at all rather than driving a high-refresh panel.
Most rack KVM switches and crash carts are still VGA or DVI, and most servers still present VGA on the rear panel for exactly that reason. If you are equipping a rack for local access, match the cart to the servers rather than assuming a modern standard. Our guide on local rack access, KVM switches and crash carts covers what to keep in the bag.
For remote work, the video cable question mostly disappears — the baseboard management controller gives you console access over the network without a screen at the rack at all. Our guide to server remote management with iLO, iDRAC and IMM covers what that buys you, and out-of-band access covers the console server and remote power side.
Buying and standardising cables
Cables are the easiest thing in an IT estate to buy badly, because they are cheap enough that nobody scrutinises them and identical enough that nobody notices which one they grabbed.
Standardise on one certified tier across a site. A drawer of mixed-vintage DisplayPort cables produces intermittent faults that cost more engineer hours than the cables cost to replace. Pick a certification, buy it in quantity, and throw the unknown ones out.
Label the ones that are doing something unusual. A long run, an active adapter or an MST hub is exactly the thing someone will unplug in six months. See network documentation and labelling that survives.
Keep spares at the desk, not in a store cupboard. A failed display cable is a user who cannot work, and the delay is almost always the walk to the cupboard rather than the swap.
Sourcing
We supply Dell cables, adapters and accessories alongside complete systems, docks and displays. If you are matching a part number to a machine, standardising cabling across a site, or working out what bandwidth a multi-monitor setup actually needs, send us the part number or the configuration and we will confirm it before you order. Request a bulk quote or email sarah.jane@techsellerusa.com.
Common questions
What is the Dell RN698?
It is a Dell DisplayPort male-to-male video cable, listed at approximately six feet, and also appearing as 0RN698 and CN-0RN698. It is the DisplayPort cable Dell shipped in the box with many workstations and monitors. It has standard full-size DisplayPort connectors at both ends and is not an adapter.
Is the RN698 6 feet or 2 metres?
Listings show both, along with 1.8 metres. Six feet is 1.83 metres, so 6ft and 1.8m are the same cable described differently. Whether a given seller is shipping a true 2-metre cable is worth confirming if your run is tight. Inconsistent length descriptions on accessory part numbers are common and not by themselves a sign of a wrong part.
What DisplayPort version is this cable?
DisplayPort cables are not certified by version number — version numbers describe the source and display devices. Cables are certified to a bandwidth tier: standard or DP8K for HBR2 and HBR3, and DP40 or DP80 for the UHBR tiers used by DisplayPort 2.0 and 2.1. If you need 4K at 120Hz or 8K, check the cable's certification rather than asking which version it is.
My monitor keeps flickering or dropping out. Is it the cable?
Often, yes — it is the first thing to swap, ahead of drivers. Intermittent blanking, flicker, or a display that silently drops to a lower refresh rate are the classic symptoms of a cable that cannot sustain the link rate being asked of it, usually because it is too long, uncertified, or an older cable being used with a newer high-bandwidth setup. Try a shorter certified cable before you spend time on anything else.
Can I daisy-chain monitors from one DisplayPort output?
Yes, using Multi-Stream Transport, either chaining monitor to monitor where the panels support it or through an MST hub. The constraint is total bandwidth: all the displays share the one link, so three 4K panels at 60Hz will not fit on an HBR2 link no matter what the hub claims. Add up the bandwidth your panels need at the resolution and refresh rate you want before buying the hub.
Why does my DisplayPort to HDMI adapter not work?
Almost always because it is passive and the source does not support dual-mode DisplayPort. A passive adapter does not convert anything — it relies on the source being able to emit an HDMI signal through the DP connector. If the source cannot, you get nothing, and you need an active adapter. Going the other direction, from an HDMI source to a DisplayPort display, always requires an active converter.
If you are standardising display cabling across a site or matching an accessory to a specific Dell machine, send us the model and we will confirm the part before you order.
