Most monitors need just one cable to connect to a computer. To work best, Dell's 8K model needs two.

You can use one single DisplayPort (DP) cable, but you'll get a less-than-optimal experience.

Dell's 8K monitor can refresh 8K images at 60Hz, which means it will redraw each of its 33.2 million pixels 60 times a second. That allows it to display ultra-smooth videos and games. But transfering all that information requires some serious bandwidth between the computer and the monitor.

A single DP cable just doesn't have enough capacity to pass along that much data. So if you use just one DP cable, the monitor will slow down its refresh rate to 30Hz. That's still perfectly smooth for most people, but if you're going to spend $5,000 on a monitor, you'll probably want to take advantage of all its capabilities.

To get 8K resolution at 60Hz, you'll need to a graphics card in your computer that has two DP ports. Oh, and Dell's 8K monitor won't run on just any old DP cables. It requires the latest DisplayPort 1.4 cable to work properly.