Monitor Refresh Rate: 60, 144 or 240 Hz — What the Difference Is, Who Needs It and Why Your Monitor May Not Be Running at Its Rated Speed

Not long ago, monitors faster than 60 Hz were a niche product for esports players. Today 144, 165 and even 240 Hz models cost little more than ordinary ones and are sold everywhere. Yet many owners of these monitors say they "can't see the difference". Often the reason is simple: the monitor is actually running at 60 Hz because of the wrong cable or setting. Let's look at what refresh rate is, what it gives you in games and at work, and how to make sure your monitor is showing everything it can.

What refresh rate is

Refresh rate is how many times per second the monitor updates the image. 60 Hz is 60 times a second; 144 Hz is 144 times. The higher the rate, the smoother movement looks: scrolling pages, moving the cursor and windows, and in games camera turns and moving objects. A higher refresh rate also reduces the delay between your action and it appearing on screen.

Monitor refresh rate and graphics card FPS

The monitor shows the frames the graphics card sends it. If the graphics card produces 60 frames per second (FPS) in a game, a 144 Hz monitor won't make the picture smoother — there simply aren't any new frames. To make use of a high refresh rate you need a graphics card that can produce the matching number of frames in your games and at your resolution. That's why the monitor and graphics card are best chosen together: there's no point buying a 240 Hz monitor for a weak graphics card, and conversely a powerful graphics card with a 60 Hz monitor loses some of its advantage.

Which refresh rate suits whom

• 60–75 Hz — office work, documents, watching films. Enough, though not as pleasant as higher.
• 100–120 Hz — noticeably nicer even for work: smooth scrolling and a responsive cursor. A good choice for office and study if the budget allows.
• 144–180 Hz — the standard for gaming. The most noticeable jump in smoothness over 60 Hz.
• 240 Hz and above — competitive shooters and esports. The difference from 144 Hz is visible, but smaller than between 60 and 144 Hz.
• 360–500 Hz — professional esports; overkill for most users.

FreeSync and G-Sync: why adaptive sync matters

When the graphics card's frame rate doesn't match the monitor's refresh rate, the image tears — a horizontal "step" appears during fast movement. The classic fix is vertical sync (V-Sync), but it adds latency and can cause stutter. Adaptive sync technologies — AMD FreeSync, NVIDIA G-Sync and the general VRR standard — make the monitor adjust its refresh rate to the graphics card. The image stays smooth without tearing even when FPS fluctuates. Most modern gaming monitors support FreeSync, and both AMD and NVIDIA cards work with it (NVIDIA in G-Sync Compatible mode). The feature often has to be switched on in both the monitor's menu and the graphics driver.

Response time and overdrive

A high refresh rate is pointless if the pixels can't change colour fast enough. Then moving objects leave a trail. Speed depends on the panel's response time. Manufacturers quote it in milliseconds, but the figures on the box are often flattering. Many monitors have a panel overdrive setting: a moderate level reduces trailing, while the maximum can cause bright halos around objects. A middle setting usually gives the best result.

Why your monitor runs at 60 Hz

This is one of the most common problems people bring to us. The causes:

• The refresh rate isn't set in Windows. By default the system may choose 60 Hz. You can check and change it in the display settings.
• The wrong cable. An old HDMI cable or an adapter limits the refresh rate. High rates and resolutions need DisplayPort or HDMI 2.0/2.1 with a matching cable.
• The monitor is plugged into the motherboard rather than the graphics card. The built-in graphics may not support the rate, and games will run on the weak integrated graphics.
• An outdated graphics driver.
• Laptop port limitations. Some laptop ports only support high refresh rates at certain resolutions.

High refresh rates and laptops

144–240 Hz screens have become standard on gaming laptops. But to save battery the system may lower the refresh rate automatically on battery power, and some laptops send the image through the integrated graphics by default. Sometimes you need to set up graphics switching and the display mode in the manufacturer's own utility.

What our technician does

1. Checks what refresh rate the monitor is actually running at and finds the cause of any limit.
2. Connects the monitor to the graphics card with the right cable and port.
3. Installs up-to-date drivers and sets the refresh rate in Windows.
4. Enables and tunes FreeSync or G-Sync, overdrive and the monitor's game modes.
5. Advises which refresh rate makes sense with your graphics card and games.

A real example

A schoolboy in Varketili got a 165 Hz gaming monitor for his birthday and was disappointed: in games he couldn't see any difference from his old monitor. Our technician found two problems at once: the monitor was connected with the old HDMI cable from the previous monitor, and Windows was set to 60 Hz. We connected it with the DisplayPort cable from the box, set 165 Hz, updated the graphics driver and switched on adaptive sync. The difference was obvious from the first minute: games looked much smoother and the screen tearing disappeared.

Call a technician

If your monitor isn't showing its rated refresh rate or you're unsure about the settings, we'll come to any district of Tbilisi around the clock. Learn more on our computer setup, driver installation and component upgrades pages.