What is a Monitor Refresh Rate

As everyone knows that the gaming industry is booming quite a lot, and day by day the number of PC gamers is increasing too. That said, those people who are new to such a field, need to understand the basics so that they can improve their setups for a better experience. In this short and simple guide, we will be discussing refresh rates and how you can change them on your PC for a better gaming experience. Let’s begin then.

Definition Of Monitor Refresh Rate

So, before we tell you how you can change the monitor’s refresh rate, we must discuss what it actually means and how it affects your overall experience. If we describe the refresh rate in simple words, it is basically the monitor’s capability to refresh a number of frames in one second.

And, since it is measured per second, we use Hertz as the measuring unit. For instance, let’s suppose your monitor has a maximum refresh rate of 60Hz. That simply means that the monitor can show 60 frames on the screen one by one in a single second.

In a similar manner, a monitor that has a better refresh rate like 75Hz, 144Hz, or 240Hz, will produce smoother transitions.

On that note, if you have started playing any online competitive games recently, you must have been asked by someone how much FPS do you get in-game? So, does that actually matter or relate to the refresh rates anyhow? Let’s discuss.

Frame Rates and Refresh Rates

It’s the topic where most of the new PC gamers generally get confused as both the terms correlate and have quite a similar meaning. That said, most people think of them as the same thing, but actually, there’s a big difference.

Let’s take an example, you are playing a game on your PC using a 60Hz monitor and getting around 200 FPS in-game.

So, this basically means you have a powerful PC that can run the game on 200 frames per second. However, the game would still look and feel the same even if you had a constant 60 FPS in-game. Here, you have to understand that while the computer is good enough to showcase 200 FPS, your monitor can only display 60 frames per second to you.

On the other hand, if you use a 144Hz monitor instead, you will be able to see 144 frames out of the 200 frames that your PC is capable of processing every second. And, that will be clearly a smoother experience.

In other words, the Frame Rates show how good your PC can perform while the Refresh rate just tells you how smooth the content will appear on your screen.

Do High Refresh Rate Monitors matter in Gaming?

While most of the standard computer monitors have a refresh rate of 60Hz, it is good enough for regular use, and you can game on them without an issue. Even in most games, you don’t actually need to have a monitor with more than 60Hz at all. However, all of this is only true until we start talking about the competitive scenario.

Taking an example of online competitive FPS (first-person shooter) games like CSGO, Valorant, Overwatch, etc. In such games, you can definitely have an edge over the opponents if you have a high refresh rate monitor like a 144Hz or 240Hz one. It is because these kinds of games involve rapid actions and movements that you can not grasp on a 60Hz monitor as accurately compared to a better monitor that can show you smoother gameplay.

On a 60Hz monitor, you will miss a lot of your shots on your opponents as frames generally skip a lot. You might be seeing the enemy on your screen in one place, but in reality, a constantly moving target might have moved to a little bit of the right or left side. But, since your monitor didn’t update it for you, you might end up missing your opportunity to kill.

Contrary to that, a monitor with a 240Hz, or even a 144Hz refresh rate will drastically improve your game. As you will be able to see even the little movements of the enemies and react to their actions accordingly. But, don’t forget the fact that, if you want to utilize the full potential of a 240Hz monitor, you should have a powerful enough PC that can run the game at 240 constant FPS.

How to Change Monitor Refresh Rate in Windows 10

So, now as you know the monitor’s refresh rate is quite an important thing to check as it can really help you get an overall smoother experience while using the computer. Hence, let’s quickly learn how you can change the monitor’s refresh rate settings on Windows 10 systems.

By default, most monitors are set to 60Hz, even if they can run at higher refresh rates, so you can simply follow up these steps and change it on your PC:

• First of all, click on the Start button.
• Now, hit the Settings icon.
• Go to System Settings, and look for Display.
• Here, scroll down and click on Advanced Display Settings.
• Under the Refresh rate setting, you can simply change it to whatever you want.

You should know that if your monitor does not support a particular refresh rate, you will not get the option to change it. However, in case your monitor does support a higher resolution, and Windows is not allowing you to change it, a driver update would fix the issue in no time.

Wrapping Up

That’s all about refresh rates and we hope you did find this article useful so far. In case you are wondering whether it is worth it to upgrade to a high refresh monitor, we suggest you can try using a 75Hz monitor for casual use as it’s smoother and even helps reduce eye strain and fatigue. On the other hand, if you want a monitor dedicatedly for gaming purposes, a 144Hz or a 240Hz monitor is just a perfect option whichever fits your budget. In case you have any further doubts or queries regarding the same, you can leave a comment down below and let us know about it.