If you’re into gaming, you surely must have heard the word “Refresh Rate”. Yes, competitive games are all about having a better monitor. This allows the gamers to push their FPS limit to higher numbers such as 144 or even 240. These numbers might be unusual to some because most of the normal PC users are used to the 60hz panels. For competitive gaming, people consider 144hz to be the standard refresh rate these days. The number of hertz your monitor can currently support will adversely affect your performance.
The “Hz” that is used in the monitor’s description or the specification is used to describe its refresh rate. If the specification is listed with a 60hz panel, then the monitor will refresh its image 60 times per second. Similarly, the 144hz monitor will do it 144 times per second.
What Is A Refresh Rate?
Refresh rate measures how often or how fast your display updates its screen contents. Refresh rates are measured in Hertz (Hz). A hertz indicates the number of times the display refreshes every second. This is quite relevant to frame rates as 60hz display means the max frames you can obtain is 60 despite the higher numbers on your screen so 60hz is equal to 60 times per second likewise 144hz is equal to 144 times per second.
The higher the refresh rate the faster and smoother and more images per second your monitor will generate. The user will get to experience a lot smoother experience with the increasing hertz. Faster refresh time also means low latency as the pixel on the monitor is being updated more frequently. For instance, for a 60hz monitor, it takes 16.6ms to fully refresh whereas 7ms for a 144hz display. This means quicker transactions, low latency, and an overall smooth experience. In earlier days, people used to claim that our eyes can only see up to 30hz. However, we could clearly see the difference when 60hz was introduced. However, now when 144hz became the standard refresh rate for gamers people refused to go back to 60hz as the experience became laggy.
If there really was a limit to 60hz then manufacturers wouldn’t have manufactured monitors up to 240hz that you find in today’s market.
Role Of Refresh Rate In Gaming
When it comes to gaming every frame rate counts. Nevertheless, seeing the difference is not as noticeable for an average user as it is for gamers who are on a competitive level. For gamers higher refresh rate displays are normal. It plays an important role in winning a competitive match in games, especially FPS or first-person shooter games such as Counter-Strike, Valorant, Apex Legends, PUBG, and so on. Don’t confuse refresh rate with the quality of the image. It will not improve, only the fluidity or the motion of the image is improved as more images are sealed in a motion.
What is important in gaming is reaction time. As mentioned, 60hz takes 16ms to fully refresh the entire screen and 144hz takes around 7ms. Don’t get this wrong but 16ms is still fast for a human to catch up with as a normal reaction time of an average human is around 250-350ms. This however doesn’t apply to gaming society. Even the slightest change in FPS can make a huge impact in competitive games. So, the higher the refresh rate the better the overall experience.
60Hz Vs 144Hz Screen
As mentioned earlier, the “Hz” used in a monitor is used to determine the refresh rate. The higher the number of Hz, the more the screen will refresh itself. A 60hz display is a plenty for normal tasks however for games it is not quite enough. The concept of hertz is quite astonishing, for instance, if you have games running over 200 frames per second but you use a 60hz monitor, then, the games are eventually displayed over 3 times less frame than could potentially be. In other words, the games are capped at 60 frames per second as the monitor is only capable of displaying up to 60 frames per second.
This is one reason to not spend on a higher graphics card unless your monitor can’t keep up with it. For it to go simultaneously together, you must get a high-end monitor that can support up to 144hz or even higher. The difference between 60hz and 144hz is noticeably higher and people who claim that the human eye can only see up to a certain frame is a myth. In fact, human eyes don’t work the same way as the display panel, so it’s not proven by anyone that humans have a limit on how many frames we can see.
144hz is now a standard for gaming and content creators we see on youtube and other platforms. In 144hz the screen can show 144 pictures in 1 second, combine them together to form a movement. This is the reason 144hz panels look a lot smoother. In fact, the difference is much noticeable when a person moves from a 144hz panel to a 60hz. From the mouse cursor to the video game itself will feel a lot more sluggish when going to a 60hz.
Advantages Of Higher Hertz Screen And Higher Refresh Rate
Gamers worldwide have now adapted to higher refresh rate screens for improving their gameplay and this does work for most games. FPS games are the main target for higher refresh rate displays where each frame counts while shooting a bullet. There are quite a number of advantages of a higher refresh rate screen. Following are some of the advantages of a higher hertz screen.
More Images
Let’s say when you play a game on a 60hz monitor, the game might feel smooth enough because you’re not used to seeing 60fps. Most of the videos you see on Facebook or Youtube are 24fps or 30fps, but when you jump to 60hz the game might feel a lot smoother. The point is when more images are added to a scene the smoother the user experience becomes. While using a 144hz monitor the 60hz panel might look laggy and sluggish for you. So, the more the images in a frame the smoother the overall experience.
With a 144hz monitor that is backed up with a graphics card and processor that can produce 144+ frames per second, you can see an image twice or even more than what a regular 60hz panel can produce. So, there’s no doubt that these higher refresh rate monitors make the user experience smoother and lag-free.
Low Latency
Latency in a monitor or a particular game can make a huge impact on your gameplay or even day-to-day task. A regular 60hz monitor has a latency in the range of 55 to 75 ms, this is only when you’re playing in full-screen mode. Whereas, 144hz monitors have a latency that ranges from 30 to 45 ms. You can see that there’s a huge jump in latency. With higher hertz monitors you can beat the game out of someone who has a higher latency than you.
A high frame rate setup can give you input speed advantages. This is useful in competitive games like Counter-Strike and other FPS games.
Screen Tearing
Refresh rate and frame rates are different things so they’re often used wrong. This is where screen tearing comes in. This phenomenon tends to happen when a graphics card is giving out more frames than what the monitor’s refresh rate can handle. Only half of the frames are shown together on the screen which causes a split in the screen. The reason why higher refresh rate panels are good is that they can display frames up to what the graphics card can push. A higher refresh rate completely eliminates the screen tearing issue as well as the ghosting effects.
What Monitor Is Best For You?
Deciding upon what monitor is best for you depends on what task you do on your computer. If you’re a person who does only minor tasks and uses a computer for work-related purposes only. Then a 60hz panel is more than enough to go through day-to-day life. 60hz is still the native screen hertz for most office users as they don’t need a higher refresh display for work. On the other hand, if you are a competitive hardcore gamer or even a video editor who uses software such as Premiere pro or illustrator to design then a higher refresh rate monitor might be best for you.
If you play games that require fast movement skills and a lot of FPS games then a higher refresh rate monitor is a must for you. While in competitive play, you can now hardly see anyone who uses a 60hz monitor. This is because they don’t get a competitive edge while using the display. They are simply giving away a clear advantage to their opponents. So, if all comes to personal preference while choosing what monitor is best suited for you.
Is 144hz Better Than 60Hz?
It is not every day that people would agree on the “The higher the better” statement. While most of the time it is true, sometimes you might need to think about whether you actually need that higher refresh rate. For instance, just to watch videos on youtube and do minor tasks on your computer a higher refresh display is completely useless. Only gamers who are willing to utilize the extra money on higher refresh displays are worthy of 144hz panels. If you’re someone who uses a computer for browsing the internet, then it makes no sense. You will just end up wasting your money.
Talking about 144hz, people who use it as an advantage can make sense and can be called a better choice than to get a 60hz monitor. The experience becomes laggy and sluggish in 60hz once you have adapted to using 144hz and there’s no going back. The only reason people buy a 144hz monitor is when they really need it and to match their frame rates of the games they play.
However, it all comes down to personal preference. Spending a lot more for a 144hz panel is not worth it if you don’t use it. Similarly, when you’re dedicated to using all the features only then a 144hz panel is worth it. Moreover, if you prefer a higher quality screen then a 60hz monitor would be a perfect choice for you. If not, you can go for a 144hz panel.
144hz Gaming Requirements
Just getting a 144hz monitor is not enough if you don’t know what hardware and software you can use with it to get the full potential. There are certain requirements if you’re planning to own a 144hz monitor. Let’s break it down.
Hardware
You will need a powerful GPU if you want to get those frames in a game. NVIDIA’s RTX 3000 series is one of the most powerful and latest graphics cards in the market right now. This should be enough for you to pump those 240 frames on most of the games. But to get the most out of it you will need a good processor as well to get the most out of a high refresh rate monitor.
Software
On the software side, you don’t need any fancy software but you must make sure that a higher refresh rate is enabled in windows. To enable a higher refresh rate for your monitor just go to settings>system>display>advanced display settings>display adaptor properties>monitor and finally select the native refresh rate and click on apply. Moreover, you should play the game on full screen for this to be applied. This gives you the least amount of latency as well.
Also setting in-game screen Hz before you play a game is important. Only a few of the games require you to turn on this feature. However, make sure you do it to get the most out of your 144hz display.
FAQ’s
Is 60hz Refresh Rate Good For Gaming?
In games that don’t particularly exceed 60fps, it is good. Nevertheless, if you are a hardcore gamer 60fps might not be enough. This is because 60hz also means you get latency up to 75ms. If your graphics card can produce higher frames then you should go for a higher refresh monitor.
Does 144hz Make You Better?
144hz does help you improve your gaming experience but not particularly your gaming skills. If you don’t have the skills even 240hz won’t make you a better gamer. It does help a little bit but it’s all skill and reaction time.
Can Human Eye See More Than 60hz?
There has been a myth that humans can see up to a certain Hz. However, there is no certain proof of this myth. If 60hz was a limit manufacturers wouldn’t manufacture 144hz and 240hz panels.
Conclusion
A high refresh rate will definitely improve the smoothness and fluidity of the image on your screen. It also helps refine the overall responsiveness of the screen. With a higher refresh rate, you will also get low latency which is great for gaming. It also reduces screen tearing and ghosting effects. These are all the benefits you get with a higher refresh screen. So, you should definitely upgrade to a higher refresh rate screen if you are willing to use all these features of it. Else, you are just wasting money, and it is better to stay with 60hz if it’s only for work purposes.
For more guidance on Windows, you can go to the Windows Tips category, from our official website Online Help Guide.
