What is Monitor Refresh Rate? [60Hz, 75Hz, 144hz, 240Hz]

Monitor refresh rate refers to how many times per second the display updates the image shown. It is measured in Hertz (Hz). Higher refresh rates (120Hz, 144Hz, 240Hz) result in significantly smoother motion clarity and reduced blur compared to lower rates like 60Hz, improving responsiveness for gaming and immersion for media.

Have you ever noticed blurry images or choppy visuals when gaming or watching fast-moving videos on your computer? If so, your monitor’s refresh rate might be to blame. Monitor refresh rate is a key factor that affects how smooth and responsive your screen appears. But what exactly is it?

Refresh rate, measured in Hertz (Hz), refers to how many times per second your monitor updates the image on the screen. A higher refresh rate means your monitor refreshes the image more frequently, resulting in smoother visuals and less motion blur. This is especially important for fast-paced gaming and action movies.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explain everything you need to know about monitor refresh rates, including why they matter, how to check yours, and how to get the best performance for your needs. Let’s dive in!

What are the Types of Monitor Refresh Rates?

Monitors come in a variety of refresh rate options these days. The most common refresh rates are:

60Hz & 75Hz

This is the standard refresh rate found on many monitors and HDTVs. It refreshes the image 60 times per second. While sufficient for basic tasks, 60Hz monitors can produce noticeable motion blur in fast-moving visuals like 75Hz monitors.

120Hz/144Hz

These refresh rates are twice and over double that of 60Hz respectively. 120Hz and 144Hz monitors provide significantly smoother visuals with less perceivable blur. They are ideal for gaming as they can handle fast-paced action without issue.

240Hz

The latest high-end gaming monitors boast an Ultra HD 240Hz refresh rate. This ultra-smooth rate is capable of handling even the most demanding esports and first-person shooter games without lag or stuttering.

Refresh Rate	Times Image Refreshed Per Second
60Hz	60
120Hz	120
144Hz	144
240Hz	240

Why Does Monitor Refresh Rate Matter?

As we touched on in the introduction, monitor refresh rate is crucial because it directly impacts the visual experience – especially for gaming, video, and other fast-motion activities.

Smoother Motion

Higher refresh rates result in much smoother motion clarity as the display is constantly refreshing the image more quickly. This eliminates blurring and artifacts that can occur when objects move quickly across a low refresh rate screen.

Reduced Input Lag

Refresh rate also ties closely to input lag – the delay between entering a command and seeing the result on screen. Faster refresh displays vastly reduce input lag, allowing for more responsive and accurate gameplay.

Eliminates Screen Tearing

Ever notice a “tearing” effect where part of the screen shows an older frame while the rest is new? This happens when the refresh rate and frame rate are out of sync. Higher refresh rates fix this.

Better Gaming Experience For gamers, a fast refresh rate means more fluid and realistic motion handling for competitive games. You’ll notice immediate improvements in shooters, racing games, sports titles, and more.

How to Check Your Monitor’s Refresh Rate

Now that you understand the importance of refresh rate, you’re probably wondering – what is the refresh rate of my current monitor? Here’s how to easily check:

Windows:

1. Right-click on your desktop and select “Display settings”
2. Click “Advanced display settings”
3. Under the “Refresh rate” section, you’ll see your monitor’s current rate

MacOS:

1. Click the Apple icon and choose “About This Mac”
2. Click “Displays”
3. You’ll see the refresh rate listed next to your display’s name

Alternatively, you can find your monitor’s specs online by searching the model number. The refresh rate is a key specification that should be clearly listed.

Many monitors also have an “information” or “menu” button on the front that will directly show you the current refresh rate when pressed.

If you have a modern gaming monitor, chances are it supports higher refresh rates than the standard 60Hz. But you’ll often need to manually select the higher option in your display settings to take advantage of it.

What is a Good Refresh Rate?

Now that we’ve covered the basics of monitor refresh rate and how to check yours, you might be wondering – what refresh rate should I aim for? The answer depends on your specific needs and uses:

Basic Tasks (Browsing, Office Work)

For general computing like web browsing, office productivity, and light media consumption, a 60Hz refresh rate monitor is perfectly adequate. The smoothness is decent and input lag is low enough that most users will be satisfied.

Gaming

For the best gaming experience, higher refresh rates are highly recommended:

• 120Hz/144Hz – Provides very smooth, blur-free visuals ideal for fast-paced games. Input lag is greatly reduced compared to 60Hz.
• 240Hz – Ultra-smooth motion handling and virtually imperceptible blur/lag. Overkill for casual gaming but perfect for competitive esports.

Media Viewing (Movies, TV Shows)

For movie buffs and TV enthusiasts, choosing between the following refresh rates is recommended:

• 60Hz – Suitable for most standard media viewing.
• 120Hz – A nice step up that makes fast action scenes more fluid.
• Higher rates – Beyond 120Hz is overkill for passive viewing experiences.

How to Change Your Monitor’s Refresh Rate

If you have a monitor capable of higher refresh rates, you’ll often need to manually enable it in your display settings. Here’s a quick guide on how to change your refresh rate in Windows 10:

1. Right-click on your desktop and select “Display settings”
2. Scroll down and click “Advanced display settings”
3. Click “Display adapter properties for Display X” (where X is the display number)
4. Click the “Monitor” tab
5. Under “Monitor Settings” select the Screen refresh rate dropdown
6. Choose the highest available refresh rate, e.g. 120Hz or 144Hz
7. Click “OK” to apply the new setting

You may need to reboot your computer for the new refresh rate to properly take effect. Some monitors also have physical buttons to quickly change between preset refresh rates.

Refresh Rate vs Response Time

While refresh rate gets a lot of attention for gaming monitors, another key specification is response time. But what exactly is it and how does it differ from refresh rate?

Here is a table with the key differences between refresh rate and response time:

Specification	Refresh Rate	Response Time
What it measures	How often the entire screen is redrawn per second	How quickly a single pixel can change colors
Measurement unit	Hertz (Hz)	Milliseconds (ms)
Impact on visuals	Overall motion smoothness and fluidity	Crispness of motion, ghosting, and blur around moving objects
Ideal specs for gaming	120Hz, 144Hz, 240Hz+	5ms or less
Which is more important for gamers?	Refresh rate has a greater impact on perceived smoothness and input lag reduction	Fast response time definitely helps, but refresh rate should be the priority

Refresh Rate on Different Display Types

The refresh rates available to you can vary depending on the specific display technology in your monitor. Let’s break down some of the most common panel types and their associated refresh rate capabilities:

LCD (IPS/VA): Most modern LCD monitors top out at a 144Hz or 165Hz refresh rate. However, 240Hz and even 360Hz IPS gaming monitors do exist for competitive gamers.

TN: Older TN (twisted nematic) panels were limited to around 60-144Hz. But new TN displays can reach up to 240Hz or even 360Hz at the high-end.

OLED: OLED displays for TVs and monitors typically max out at 120Hz currently. Higher refresh rate OLED monitors and TVs may emerge in the future.

MicroLED: This emerging monitor tech has the potential for ultra-high 480Hz+ refresh rates. However, it’s still very nascent with few consumer options.

Upcoming display technologies like microLED and 480Hz gaming monitors may push refresh rate boundaries even further in the years to come. But for most users, a 144Hz IPS or TN panel delivers that perfect sweet spot of price and performance today.

Refresh Rate on Curved & Ultrawide Monitors

Curved and ultrawide monitors have become increasingly popular in recent years. But how do these unique display formats affect potential refresh rates? Let’s explore:

Curved Monitors

Most curved gaming monitors max out at refresh rates around 144Hz-165Hz currently. This applies to both 1080p and 1440p curved displays. 240Hz curved monitors do exist, but are still rare and expensive.

Curved screens help minimize perceivable motion blur at the edges versus flat panels. So the added depth enhancement makes motion extra smooth on a high refresh rate curved monitor.

Ultrawide Monitors

21:9 and 32:9 ultrawide aspect ratios are another immersive option for gaming. Most ultrawide monitors stick to refresh rates between 60Hz-144Hz depending on the exact resolution.

The extra horizontal screen space makes finding higher than 144Hz ultrawide monitors tricky. You’ll need a top-end graphics card to drive all those pixels at over 144fps.

That said, a 120Hz or 144Hz ultrawide display can still provide a fantastic balance of size, smoothness, and immersion for gaming compared to a standard 16:9 monitor.

Single Refresh Rate vs Variable Refresh Rates

Up until now, we’ve mostly discussed standard fixed refresh rate monitors that operate at one set frequency like 60Hz, 120Hz, etc. However, there are also variable refresh rate (VRR) technologies like G-Sync and FreeSync that dynamically adjust the display’s refresh rate based on your gaming performance.

Fixed Refresh Rate

With a fixed refresh rate monitor, the screen updates at a constant frequency set by you or automatically based on input resolution/settings. If your game’s frame rate doesn’t perfectly match this, you can encounter screen tearing where portions of the image appear out of sync.

Variable Refresh Rate

VRR like G-Sync and FreeSync synchronizes the monitor’s refresh rate to your game’s rendered frame rates. This prevents tearing by only updating the display when a new full frame is ready. The range of supported refresh rates will vary based on your specific monitor.

So with VRR, refresh rate dynamically fluctuates to match your in-game performance. This eliminates tearing without impacting input lag like older V-Sync methods. However, some minor stuttering can still occur during big framerate fluctuations.

Impact of Refresh Rate on Gaming & Media

We’ve covered refresh rate in-depth so far, but let’s summarize the real-world impacts and benefits it provides for gaming and multimedia consumption:

Gaming

• Smoother motion clarity and less stuttering/tearing in fast-paced games
• Reduced input lag for more responsive controls and gameplay
• Competitive edge in esports/online shooters by eliminating visual distractions
• More immersive and realistic feeling experience overall

Video/TV Viewing

• Less stuttery panning shots in movies and shows
• Fast action scenes appear more fluid and lifelike
• Sports feel more lifelike with silky smooth player/ball motion
• Overall more enjoyable viewing experience for any motion-heavy content

Productivity/Office Work

• Eliminates choppiness and lag when dragging windows/scrolling
• Less eye fatigue from smooth cursor movement and animations
• Text remains crisp and clear even during fast motion actions

Conclusion

Understanding monitor refresh rate is crucial for getting the best possible visual experience – whether you’re an avid gamer, cinephile, or general computer user. A higher refresh rate of 120Hz, 144Hz, or even 240Hz can lead to dramatically smoother, lag-free motion compared to standard 60Hz displays.

In this guide, we covered everything you need to know about refresh rate:

• What it is and why it matters for visuals
• The benefits of high refresh rates for gaming, movies, and productivity
• How to check your current monitor’s refresh rate
• The ideal refresh rate targets for different uses
• Changing your monitor’s refresh rate settings
• Key refresh rate specifications across panel types
• Refresh rate considerations for curved, ultrawide, and other unique displays
• Variable refresh rates like G-Sync and FreeSync
• Frequently asked questions about refresh rate

By investing in a monitor with a high refresh rate, you’ll eliminate choppy, laggy motion and motion blur once and for all. Game, work, and watch with the silky smooth clarity you deserve!