As an Amazon Associate, we earn commisions from qualifying purchases.
Technology has come a long way, and monitors are no different. Earlier monitors were typically a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) unit, but LED monitors are the new trend with advances in technology. With this comes the question of refresh rate in monitors. Further, if changing the refresh rate in the monitor intrigues you, well, you are in the right place.
Earlier, people were satisfied only with a color display. However, as time flew, requirements changed. Nowadays, people look out for computers with LED screens and higher refresh rates to fulfill their everyday needs along with gaming. Besides, with digitization and online streaming platforms, game streaming also became popular, which further increased the demand for monitors with higher refresh rates.
What Is Refresh Rate?
The refresh rate is the number of times an image refreshes on a screen every second. Further, the refresh rate of a monitor is measured in Hertz [Hz]. Consequently, the higher the refresh rate, the better the screen looks and the better your experience would be.
However, if your monitor has a lower refresh rate, you will experience a flickering screen resulting in headaches and eye strains. Furthermore, a refresh rate of 60Hz is appropriate enough for day-to-day tasks. Nevertheless, you will start noticing hiccups if while moving the mouse once your refresh rate drops below 60Hz, and that is when the problems begin. The most common refresh rates for high-end monitors are 144Hz, 240Hz, or even 360Hz.
Interestingly, depending on the type of monitor and operating system you are using, changing the refresh rate is quite a possible thing. Still, things start changing if you are a hardcore gamer.
What Is The Best Refresh Rate For Gaming?
If you go to a market to find a gaming monitor, you will find a lot of choices that will further result in confusion. But we want you to know that if you are a gamer, 60Hz will provide a casual gaming experience. Though, using a higher refresh rate monitor of 120Hz, 144Hz or 240Hz will offer an amazing and smoother gaming experience.
You might have seen gaming monitors badged as 120Hz, 240Hz, or even 360Hz, and you may have linked it with the performance sometime or other. But they are two different things. While performance solely matters on your CPU and Graphics Card capability, refresh rate matters only on the monitor.
Furthermore, most people confuse between refresh rate and frame rate. But they are different, just like performance and refresh rate. Frame rate is the speed at which the game is running without motion blurs. Most importantly, having more frame rate than refresh rate is a problem, and that is where G-Sync comes into play. We will come to this later.
Talking about games, most games are usually set in the 50-60 FPS mark, for which 60Hz monitors would be enough. Further, some shooter titles like Counter-Strike and Rainbow Six Seige actually need more than 100 FPS, for which you will really need a 120Hz monitor or more.
If your frame rate is higher than your refresh rate, you will experience screen tearing. On the other hand, if your refresh rate is higher than your frame rate, you will have a good gaming experience. That’s why it is always suggested to have a high refresh rate monitor, probably one with 144Hz to 240Hz. With this refresh rate, running modern FPS titles like Battlefield 5 and Destiny 2 would be a cakewalk.
If we talk of facts, a 144Hz monitor would be an excellent choice for most of the new and upcoming games. According to us, a 240Hz monitor is just an improved version of the ongoing 120Hz models with some minor improvements and significant price tag differences.
Further, users usually suffer from motion blur. And now you would love to hear that increasing the rate is the walkaround for this issue. But do you really know how you can increase the refresh rate on your monitor? If not, continue reading.
How to Change Monitor Refresh Rate on Windows 10
If you want to change the refresh rate of your monitor and you are running on Windows 10, follow the steps below.
- Click on the start button and open the Settings.
- Next, click on System.
- After that, click on Display.
- Then click on Advanced Display Settings below the Multiple Displays option.
- Click on the Display Adapter Properties for Display 1.
- After that, click on the Monitor tab.
Now, under that, you will find the Monitor Settings box, click on that, and a drop-down menu will appear. If your monitor supports higher refresh rates, it would be visible. Else, 60 Hertz is the default, and you won’t be able to change it any further.
In case you own a Mac and want to increase your refresh rate, don’t worry. We are about to tell you that too.
How to Change Monitor Refresh Rate on Mac
Before telling you about changing the monitor refresh rate on Mac, it is important for you to know that Mac displays aren’t made for gaming. Hence, the available refresh rates on your monitors would be like 47.9Hz, 48Hz, 50Hz, 59.94Hz, and 60Hz. So don’t expect 144Hz or 240Hz refresh rates, just like the case of Windows 10 monitors. Further, iMac displays are also the same.
Follow the steps below to change the monitor refresh on your Mac:
- First of all, pull down the Apple many and select System Preferences.
- Next, go to Displays Tab.
- Now when you are under that tab, below there is the Refresh Rate.
Click on that, and a drop-down will appear. Select your desired refresh rate and close the menu. That’s it. If you have retina Mac displays, the process is the same.
Bottom Line
That’s all we have with refresh rates of monitors and how you can change it. Further, we would like to say it would be best if you opt for a 144Hz monitor if you want a future proof system. However, 60Hz isn’t bad either if you are not that into gaming a lot.
More or less, a 120Hz panel would suffice for both worlds. If you are a gaming professional, needless to say, a 144Hz is a no-brainer, still, you can go with a 240Hz display if you don’t have budget concerns.
