Refresh Rate Tester

Refresh rate, measured in Hertz (Hz), indicates how many times per second your monitor updates the image on screen. A 60Hz display refreshes 60 times per second, while a 144Hz gaming monitor refreshes 144 times per second. Higher refresh rates deliver smoother motion, reduced blur, and more responsive gameplay.

Our refresh rate tester measures your display's actual performance in real-time, helping you verify that your monitor operates at its advertised specifications. This is essential because system settings, cable limitations, or driver issues can prevent your display from reaching its maximum refresh rate.

Smoother Motion and Reduced Blur

Higher refresh rates display more frames per second, creating smoother motion during fast-paced action. At 144Hz, moving objects appear significantly clearer than at 60Hz because the image updates more frequently, reducing perceived motion blur and making it easier to track targets in competitive games.

Lower Input Lag

A higher refresh rate reduces the time between your input and the visual response on screen. At 240Hz, the maximum delay between frames is just 4.17 milliseconds compared to 16.67ms at 60Hz. This lower input latency gives competitive gamers a genuine advantage in reaction-based scenarios.

Reduced Screen Tearing

Screen tearing occurs when your GPU outputs frames at a different rate than your monitor refreshes, causing visible horizontal splits in the image. Higher refresh rates combined with technologies like G-Sync, FreeSync, or VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) virtually eliminate this issue.

Desktop and Productivity Benefits

Even outside gaming, high refresh rates improve everyday computing. Scrolling through documents, dragging windows, and cursor movement all feel noticeably smoother at 120Hz or 144Hz. Many users report reduced eye strain when using higher refresh rate displays for extended work sessions.

60Hz – Standard Displays

60Hz remains the baseline for most office monitors, laptops, and televisions. It's sufficient for general productivity, web browsing, and casual gaming but shows noticeable limitations in fast-paced games or when compared directly to higher refresh rate displays.

75Hz – Entry-Level Upgrade

A 75Hz monitor provides a 25% increase over 60Hz, offering a subtle but perceptible improvement in smoothness. Many budget gaming monitors include 75Hz panels as an affordable entry point into higher refresh rate gaming.

144Hz – Gaming Sweet Spot

144Hz is widely considered the ideal balance of performance and value for gaming. The jump from 60Hz to 144Hz is immediately noticeable, with dramatically smoother gameplay and reduced motion blur. Most mid-range gaming systems can achieve 144 FPS in competitive titles.

240Hz and Beyond – Competitive Gaming

240Hz and 360Hz monitors target esports professionals where every millisecond matters. While the visual difference between 144Hz and 240Hz is less dramatic than 60Hz to 144Hz, competitive players benefit from the minimal input delay and maximum motion clarity these displays provide.

Refresh rate (Hz) is a hardware specification of your monitor, while frame rate (FPS) depends on your graphics card's rendering capability. For optimal results, these two values should be matched or synchronized.

When Frame Rate Exceeds Refresh Rate

If your GPU produces 200 FPS but your monitor only refreshes at 60Hz, you'll only see 60 unique frames per second. The extra frames are wasted, though your input may still feel slightly more responsive due to how the GPU processes commands.

When Refresh Rate Exceeds Frame Rate

Running a 144Hz monitor with only 60 FPS means some frames are displayed multiple times. This can cause stuttering or an inconsistent feel. Adaptive sync technologies (G-Sync, FreeSync) dynamically match the refresh rate to your actual frame rate, eliminating these issues.

Windows Display Settings

Right-click your desktop and select Display Settings. Click Advanced Display and look for the refresh rate dropdown menu. Select your monitor's maximum supported Hz and click Apply. If the option isn't available, check your cable and GPU driver settings.

Cable Requirements

HDMI 2.0 supports up to 4K at 60Hz or 1080p at 144Hz. For higher refresh rates at higher resolutions, you'll need HDMI 2.1 or DisplayPort 1.4. Using an older cable may silently limit your monitor to 60Hz even if both the GPU and display support higher rates.

GPU Driver Updates

Keep your graphics drivers updated to ensure maximum refresh rate support. Both NVIDIA and AMD regularly release updates that improve compatibility with high refresh rate monitors and add support for new adaptive sync features.