lcd screen refresh rate free sample

The refresh rate of a monitor is one of the most important metrics to determine the quality of a display. But how do you check the monitor refresh rate?

Simply reading a label is not enough. To determine what the refresh rate of your monitor is in practice, you need to use a tool that checks this performance in real-time. Here are the five best online sites for doing this.

Visuals on a screen are created by displaying multiple still images in sequence. The faster these sequences pass by, the more convincing the illusion, making the video look smoother.

This is known as the frames-per-second, or FPS. But the frame rate of the video or game in question is not the only factor in video quality. The monitor has to be capable of rendering that many frames every second as well.

This is where the refresh rate comes in. Simply put, the refresh rate of a display is the number of frames it can show every second. The higher the refresh rate, the better the picture quality you get. This is why you need to test your display and determine if its refresh rate is actually enough for your gaming or video needs.

This is one of the easiest tests to run, and also one of the most accurate. Just open the site and let it work its magic. TestUFO will automatically sync with your browser and check the refresh rate of the monitor. The results are displayed in the middle of the screen.

Simple and minimalistic, this test does what it says: display the refresh rate of your monitor in Hertz (Hz). The test is notable for how quickly it works, giving you a result in mere seconds. This is much faster than most similar tools in the market.

It’s an improved version of an older tool called Vsync Tester (which might still be better for older devices). Its accuracy is unmatched, giving you the refresh rate in six decimal points, which is leagues ahead of the competition.

This tool is especially useful when comparing multiple displays, as most screens will show roughly the same values. The additional precision allows for a better comparison to be made.

This nifty little tool can test your display and quickly determine its refresh rate. While it shows results only to a single decimal point, the value is determined in seconds.

We have listed this on number four, but this is probably the most comprehensive tool on the list. The Eizo Monitor Test doesn’t just test the refresh rate of your monitor, but everything about it.

Defective pixels, color distances, sharpness, viewing angle – this tool tests your monitor on all important technical aspects. It is also fully customizable, allowing you to choose which of the tests to run, so you can just use the refresh rate test if in a hurry.

This tool works a bit differently. Instead of just displaying the numeric value of your refresh rate, it actually shows different refresh rates in action.

When you open Frames-Per-Second, you will be greeted with a repeating animation of two spherical objects bouncing back and forth over a moving background. Each of these images runs on a different fps, demonstrating how different frame rates appear in action.

You can modify these numbers to your liking, setting each animation at any fps you want. Things like Motion Blur can also be set to get an accurate gauge of how these frame rates look in comparison.

Whether you’re checking the specs of an old monitor or thinking of upgrading to a new one, the refresh rate is one of the core features to consider. And with these tools, you can determine where your display stands.

MPRT is a more accurate representation of visible motion blur blur (see Eye Tracking Motion Blur Animation demo). For the scientifically ideal instant-response sample-and-hold display, MPRT is exactly equal to the time period of one refresh cycle.

to represent an equivalence to a refresh rate. Techniques such as frame-interpolation and impulse-driving (scanning backlights, strobing) frequently combine to

create higher Motion Clarity Ratios (MCR). It represents the same perceived display motion blur as an ideal sample-and-hold display refreshing at a Hz matching the MCR value.

- For more accurate measurements, do both black/white and inverse white/black tests, and average the results. LCD GtG pixel transitions are often asymmetric.

- A larger "Size" setting allows a more accurate measurement. However, faster displays and higher refresh rates are easier with a smaller "Size" setting.

- With lower-persistence displays and/or high refresh rates, try using smaller Checkerboard Size numbers. Avoid Thickness values bigger than Checkerboard Size.

The refresh rate (or "vertical refresh rate", "vertical scan rate", terminology originating with the cathode ray tubes) is the number of times per second that a raster-based display device displays a new image. This is independent from frame rate, which describes how many images are stored or generated every second by the device driving the display.

On cathode ray tube (CRT) displays, higher refresh rates produce less flickering, thereby reducing eye strain. In other technologies such as liquid-crystal displays, the refresh rate affects only how often the image can potentially be updated.

Non-raster displays may not have a characteristic refresh rate. Vector displays, for instance, do not trace the entire screen, only the actual lines comprising the displayed image, so refresh speed may differ by the size and complexity of the image data.

Raster-scan CRTs by their nature must refresh the screen, since their phosphors will fade and the image will disappear quickly unless refreshed regularly.

In a CRT, the vertical scan rate is the number of times per second that the electron beam returns to the upper left corner of the screen to begin drawing a new frame.vertical blanking signal generated by the video controller, and is partially limited by the monitor"s maximum horizontal scan rate.

The refresh rate can be calculated from the horizontal scan rate by dividing the scanning frequency by the number of horizontal lines, plus some amount of time to allow for the beam to return to the top. By convention, this is a 1.05x multiplier.1280 × 1024 results in a refresh rate of 96,000 ÷ (1024 × 1.05) ≈ 89 Hz (rounded down).

CRT refresh rates have historically been an important factor in videogame programming. In early videogame systems, the only time available for computation was during the vertical blanking interval, during which the beam is returning to the top corner of the screen and no image is being drawn.screen tearing.

Unlike CRTs, where the image will fade unless refreshed, the pixels of liquid-crystal displays retain their state for as long as power is provided, and consequently there is no intrinsic flicker regardless of refresh rate. However, refresh rate still determines the highest frame rate that can be displayed, and despite there being no actual blanking of the screen, the vertical blanking interval is still a period in each refresh cycle when the screen is not being updated, during which the image data in the host system"s frame buffer can be updated.

On smaller CRT monitors (up to about 15 in or 38 cm), few people notice any discomfort between 60–72 Hz. On larger CRT monitors (17 in or 43 cm or larger), most people experience mild discomfort unless the refresh is set to 72 Hz or higher. A rate of 100 Hz is comfortable at almost any size. However, this does not apply to LCD monitors. The closest equivalent to a refresh rate on an LCD monitor is its frame rate, which is often locked at 60 fps. But this is rarely a problem, because the only part of an LCD monitor that could produce CRT-like flicker—its backlight—typically operates at around a minimum of 200 Hz.

Different operating systems set the default refresh rate differently. Microsoft Windows 95 and Windows 98 (First and Second Editions) set the refresh rate to the highest rate that they believe the display supports. Windows NT-based operating systems, such as Windows 2000 and its descendants Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7, set the default refresh rate to a conservative rate, usually 60 Hz. Some fullscreen applications, including many games, now allow the user to reconfigure the refresh rate before entering fullscreen mode, but most default to a conservative resolution and refresh rate and let you increase the settings in the options.

Old monitors could be damaged if a user set the video card to a refresh rate higher than the highest rate supported by the monitor. Some models of monitors display a notice that the video signal uses an unsupported refresh rate.

Some LCDs support adapting their refresh rate to the current frame rate delivered by the graphics card. Two technologies that allow this are FreeSync and G-Sync.

When LCD shutter glasses are used for stereo 3D displays, the effective refresh rate is halved, because each eye needs a separate picture. For this reason, it is usually recommended to use a display capable of at least 120 Hz, because divided in half this rate is again 60 Hz. Higher refresh rates result in greater image stability, for example 72 Hz non-stereo is 144 Hz stereo, and 90 Hz non-stereo is 180 Hz stereo. Most low-end computer graphics cards and monitors cannot handle these high refresh rates, especially at higher resolutions.

For LCD monitors the pixel brightness changes are much slower than CRT or plasma phosphors. Typically LCD pixel brightness changes are faster when voltage is applied than when voltage is removed, resulting in an asymmetric pixel response time. With 3D shutter glasses this can result in a blurry smearing of the display and poor depth perception, due to the previous image frame not fading to black fast enough as the next frame is drawn.

This gif animation shows a rudimentary comparison of how motion varies with 4Hz, 12Hz, and 24Hz refresh rates. Entire sequence has a frame rate of 24Hz.

The development of televisions in the 1930s was determined by a number of technical limitations. The AC power line frequency was used for the vertical refresh rate for two reasons. The first reason was that the television"s vacuum tube was susceptible to interference from the unit"s power supply, including residual ripple. This could cause drifting horizontal bars (hum bars). Using the same frequency reduced this, and made interference static on the screen and therefore less obtrusive. The second reason was that television studios would use AC lamps, filming at a different frequency would cause strobing.NTSC color coding) and 50 Hz System B/G (almost always used with PAL or SECAM color coding). This accident of chance gave European sets higher resolution, in exchange for lower frame-rates. Compare System M (704 × 480 at 30i) and System B/G (704 × 576 at 25i). However, the lower refresh rate of 50 Hz introduces more flicker, so sets that use digital technology to double the refresh rate to 100 Hz are now very popular. (see Broadcast television systems)

Similar to some computer monitors and some DVDs, analog television systems use interlace, which decreases the apparent flicker by painting first the odd lines and then the even lines (these are known as fields). This doubles the refresh rate, compared to a progressive scan image at the same frame rate. This works perfectly for video cameras, where each field results from a separate exposure – the effective frame rate doubles, there are now 50 rather than 25 exposures per second. The dynamics of a CRT are ideally suited to this approach, fast scenes will benefit from the 50 Hz refresh, the earlier field will have largely decayed away when the new field is written, and static images will benefit from improved resolution as both fields will be integrated by the eye. Modern CRT-based televisions may be made flicker-free in the form of 100 Hz technology.

Many high-end LCD televisions now have a 120 or 240 Hz (current and former NTSC countries) or 100 or 200 Hz (PAL/SECAM countries) refresh rate. The rate of 120 was chosen as the least common multiple of 24 fps (cinema) and 30 fps (NTSC TV), and allows for less distortion when movies are viewed due to the elimination of telecine (3:2 pulldown). For PAL at 25 fps, 100 or 200 Hz is used as a fractional compromise of the least common multiple of 600 (24 × 25). These higher refresh rates are most effective from a 24p-source video output (e.g. Blu-ray Disc), and/or scenes of fast motion.

As movies are usually filmed at a rate of 24 frames per second, while television sets operate at different rates, some conversion is necessary. Different techniques exist to give the viewer an optimal experience.

The combination of content production, playback device, and display device processing may also give artifacts that are unnecessary. A display device producing a fixed 60 fps rate cannot display a 24 fps movie at an even, judder-free rate. Usually, a 3:2 pulldown is used, giving a slight uneven movement.

While common multisync CRT computer monitors have been capable of running at even multiples of 24 Hz since the early 1990s, recent "120 Hz" LCDs have been produced for the purpose of having smoother, more fluid motion, depending upon the source material, and any subsequent processing done to the signal. In the case of material shot on video, improvements in smoothness just from having a higher refresh rate may be barely noticeable.

In the case of filmed material, as 120 is an even multiple of 24, it is possible to present a 24 fps sequence without judder on a well-designed 120 Hz display (i.e., so-called 5-5 pulldown). If the 120 Hz rate is produced by frame-doubling a 60 fps 3:2 pulldown signal, the uneven motion could still be visible (i.e., so-called 6-4 pulldown).

Even though we don"t see it, our TV is constantly refreshing itself every second. A refresh rate defines how many times per second it draws a new image on the screen, and it"s written out in Hertz (Hz). A 60Hz refresh rate means that the screen is refreshing itself 60 times every second, and at 120Hz, it"s refreshing itself 120 times every second. This is different from frame rate, which is how many times per second the source sends a new frame. So if you have a source that"s displaying 60 frames per second, you always want your TV to be refreshing itself 60 times/second so that the refresh and frame rate match up, otherwise motion may look blurry.

The refresh rate affects motion handling; the more times the display can draw a new image the better it is for fast-moving content. Modern TVs either have a 60Hz or 120Hz refresh rate. Most high-end TVs have a 120Hz refresh rate, but it doesn"t mean they"re inherently better at motion handling either. The response time determines how good motion looks; a quick response time means that motion looks clear, while a TV with a slow response time leads to motion blur. Response time and refresh rate are indirectly related as a 120Hz panel is expected to have a better response time than a 60Hz panel, but it"s not a guarantee.

Since not all content will automatically have the same frame rate as your TV"s refresh rate, there are also ways a TV increases the frame rate to match up with the refresh rate, improving the appearance of motion.

A 60 fps video played on a 120Hz TV should look almost identical to the same content played on a 60Hz TV. In a case like this, the TV either adjusts itself to match the refresh rate of the source, which effectively turns it into a 60Hz TV, or it simply doubles every frame.

As you can see from the picture above, a TV with a higher refresh rate doesn"t produce less motion blur. Since both of these TVs have a very similar response time, 60 fps content results in an almost identical picture.

While a 120Hz TV doesn"t inherently produce better motion, it can provide a few advantages over standard 60Hz TVs. One of the most important advantages is the ability to play back content that is meant to be displayed at 24 fps, which is often found in movies. Most TVs can simply lower their own refresh rate to 24Hz when the content is 24 fps, but some sources, such as Chromecast, output video at 60 fps, even if the content is 24 fps. This means that the TV"s refresh rate remains at 60Hz, and motion won"t appear smooth, which is an effect called judder. A 60Hz TV has trouble removing 24 fps judder because 60 isn"t a multiple of 24. To display this type of content, a technique known as a "3:2 pulldown" is used. Basically, 12 of the 24 frames repeat three times, while the other 12 repeat twice, totaling 60 frames. Not everybody notices this, but it causes some scenes, notably panning shots, to appear juddery. However, 120Hz TVs have an advantage here because they can simply display each frame five times since 120 is a multiple of 24.

There are a few sources that display 120 fps, such as the Xbox Series X or the PS5, and having a 120Hz TV helps display this content at its max frame rate. While it"s rare to find content other than games with this frame rate, displaying 120 fps has a significant impact on the perceived motion. As you can see in the picture below, content looks much smoother at 120 fps than at 60 fps on a 120Hz TV.

Another place where 120Hz is useful is if you enjoy the motion interpolation feature found on TVs (also known as the Soap Opera Effect). It allows the TV to generate frames between existing ones, increasing the frame rate to match up to the refresh rate. Most TVs have this feature; a 60Hz TV can interpolate 30 fps content, while a 120Hz TV can interpolate 30 and 60 fps content. This is why a 120Hz TV is an advantage over 60Hz since it can interpolate more types of content.

There are other ways to produce a similarly clear image as a 120Hz refresh rate. Many TVs these days have a feature called Black Frame Insertion. Essentially, the TV displays a black screen between each frame, which most people can"t see, but it can also make the screen dimmer. On most LED TVs, this is achieved by adjusting the flicker frequency of the backlight, which results in the backlight being turned off for half the frame. On OLED TVs, which don"t have a backlight, this is done by inserting a black frame in-between each frame.

A TV is only as good as the content you are playing, and unfortunately, very little 120 fps content actually exists. With the new HDMI 2.1 standard, gaming consoles like the Xbox Series X and PS5 support 120 fps, but there isn"t much online content available at such a high frame rate. We"ve compiled a couple of lists of common entertainment sources as well as their respective refresh rates.

A source"s frame rate isn"t always constant, especially in games. It may drop and if that happens, it can lead to screen tearing because the frame rate of the game and the refresh rate of your TV don"t match up. There"s a feature called variable refresh rate (VRR) that aims to match the refresh and frame rate on-the-go, so if the frame rate of the game drops, the TV automatically lowers its refresh rate as well. This is only possible if both the TV and the source support VRR.

TV companies will often market their refresh rates in ways to make it seem like it"s higher than it actually is. A company like Samsung uses the term "Motion Rate"; the Motion Rate on a 60Hz TV is 120, while a 120Hz model has a Motion Rate of 240; they effectively double the refresh rate to come up with this number, and there"s no real explanation as to why it"s marketed like that. LG uses "TruMotion", Vizio has "Effective Refresh Rate", and Sony has two terms: "MotionFlow XR" and "X-Motion Clarity". These marketing numbers don"t really mean anything, and you need to check the TV"s specs to find the real refresh rate.

LCD TVs are lit by LED lights, and most TVs use Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) to dim the backlight. What this means is that the backlight turns itself off every few seconds, so it doesn"t get too bright. It"s not visible to the human eye because of how fast the frequency is. Flicker frequency, like refresh rate, is measured in Hz because we want to know how many times it flickers every second.

If the flicker frequency doesn"t match up with the refresh or frame rates, it can create some image duplication. As you can see in the images below, motion on the LG UN8500 has image duplication because its backlight flickers at 120Hz; this is double the 60 fps source. However, the Sony X800H has a flicker-free backlight, so there"s no image duplication - the motion blur is caused by a slower response time.

A refresh rate defines how often the screen refreshes itself every second. Although we can"t see it, the TV draws a new image from the source every few milliseconds. Generally, a higher refresh rate TV results in better motion handling, but it"s not always the case as there are other factors that come into play with motion. It"s important that your source"s frame rate and the TV"s refresh rate each match in order to create smooth, stutter-free motion. For most people, a TV with a 60Hz refresh rate is good enough since there isn"t much 4k content that goes past 60 fps. However, 120Hz TVs with HDMI 2.1 support are beneficial to gamers as they allow for higher frame rates.

Frame rate and refresh rate are two related terms that are easy to confuse. Some people use these interchangeably, but this isn"t accurate. If you"re trying to improve gaming performance or thinking about upgrading your hardware, you need to understand how these terms differ and how they"re connected.

Frame rate is a measure of how fast individual images, known as frames, appear on a screen. As you may know, all video is actually a series of pictures being shown quickly. When the human eye watches these pictures change rapidly, it interprets this as motion.

A frame rate is typically expressed in FPS, or frames per second. Obviously, the higher the frame rate, the more images appear on the screen every second. More frames means more detail, so the motion looks smoother at higher frame rates.

Frame rates are commonly discussed in regards to video games. The exact frame rate depends on the system and game you"re playing. But in general, 30FPS is the accepted minimum for gaming (particularly on consoles), while 60FPS is preferred when possible.

However, frame rate is relevant in other forms of video, not just games. For example, most movies and TV shows are shot at 24FPS, which is largely due to historical limitations. In early movies, film was expensive, so recording in 24FPS allowed filmmakers to conserve film, while still using a high enough frame rate that the movie wouldn"t look choppy.

Nowadays, 24FPS remains the standard for most recorded media. Since most people are accustomed to this frame rate, seeing a movie at a higher frame rate looks odd—almost like you"re watching the actors move right in front of you.

In the old days of CRT (cathode ray tube) displays, this was the number of times that the electron gun inside the display would draw a new image on the screen. A low refresh rate resulted in annoying flickering, which is when your eye notices the change in brightness between frames.

But in today"s modern displays, like LCD TVs, this isn"t a concern. Instead, the refresh rate of a digital display only refers to how fast the screen can possibly update the image.

Refresh rate is typically expressed in hertz (Hz). Almost every display you can buy today will have a refresh rate of at least 60Hz. Higher refresh rate displays are available, though, and are usually intended for gaming.

The frame rate is the number of images that a computer, video game console, video player, or other device sends to the display every second. Meanwhile, the refresh rate is how fast the display can actually show those frames.

For best results, these values should sync up, or at least be close. Consider a situation where you have a gaming PC that sends 200FPS to the display, but the monitor only runs at 60Hz. This leads to screen tearing, a frequent PC gaming problem where you see parts of two or more different frames show at once.

Solutions to this problem include VSync, a common PC game setting that sync the FPS of your game with the refresh rate of your monitor. And other solutions, like AMD"s FreeSync, can eliminate the new problems that VSync introduces.

Having a mismatch in the opposite direction isn"t ideal, either. If you have a monitor with a refresh rate of 144Hz, but your gaming PC can only output 60FPS, you won"t be able to enjoy the full power of your monitor. We"ve looked more at monitor refresh rates if you"re interested.

Since almost every display has a refresh rate of at least 60Hz, and even basic integrated graphics can run your computer at 60FPS, you"ll have a fine level of performance no matter what. As we"ve discussed, movies are shot at lower frame rates, and most services like YouTube max out at 60FPS. There"s little need to worry about either value for general computer use.

If you are gaming, then you have more considerations to make. Your refresh rate is dependent on your display, and while it"s possible to overclock your monitor in some situations, this won"t make a massive difference. If you have a 60FPS monitor and want to play games at 144FPS, you"ll need to invest in a new monitor that supports this refresh rate.

For improving the frame rate that your games run at, though, there"s a lot you can do. See our guide to fixing low game FPS for plenty of tips on boosting it.

Major improvements will require you to update your video card or other hardware, but there are other ways to squeeze more performance out of your current setup too. Because running games at higher FPS takes a lot of resources, lowering the resolution and turning off some of the visual effects is helpful in maximizing the frame rate.

Now you understand frame rate, refresh rate, and how they affect PC gaming. Like most aspects of games, it all comes down to the hardware. Your monitor dictates its display rate, and more powerful PC components enable your system to push more frames per second to the monitor.

If you haven"t ever played games at a high refresh rate, especially fast-paced titles like shooters, it"s worth upgrading for. But don"t forget that frame rate is just one measure of PC game performance.

If you’ve been following laptop trends, you might have noticed that more and more devices are being released with displays that have a high refresh rate. A higher refresh rate means that motion on the screen feels smoother—for example, inking and touch feel immediate and smooth. However, this will also reduce battery life. If you’re using a laptop and want to save battery power, you can lower the refresh rate, but it might reduce the quality of your overall experience.

It’s a tough choice you would normally need to make, but not anymore. With Dynamic refresh rate (DRR), you get the best of both worlds—a more natural and responsive inking experience along with smoother scrolling, all while minimizing battery usage.

Dynamic refresh rate is a new feature that can be found in Windows Insider builds (Dev channel) on supported devices. Like the name suggests, DRR lets your device set the refresh rate dynamically. This means that Windows 11 will seamlessly switch between a lower refresh rate and a higher refresh rate based on what you’re doing on your PC. This helps to balance performance and power consumption. For example, with a Dynamic (60 Hz or 120 Hz) mode, your display will refresh at 60 Hz for everyday productivity tasks, such as email, writing a document, and so forth to conserve battery life. It will then seamlessly switch to 120 Hz for tasks such as inking and scrolling, to provide a smoother and more responsive experience.

We’d like to get your feedback for DRR. If you have feedback, please submit it through the Feedback Hub app. When you provide feedback, select the category Display and Graphics, subcategory Resolution and Refresh Rate, and make sure to include the words Dynamic Refresh Rate or DRR in the title or description so that we can find it quickly.

The refresh rate of a display is the number of times per second that the image refreshes on the screen. For example, a 60 Hz display will update the screen 60 times per second.

Overall, the refresh rate determines how smoothly motion appears on your screen. For example, if you’re playing a game that has a lot of fast-moving action, a higher refresh rate can help improve your overall gaming experience to keep up with the action. A higher refresh can also help you get a better experience with smoother motion when you’re browsing the web or using a digital pen to write or draw.

Open Settings, and then select System > Display > Graphics > Default graphics settings. Look for a section named Variable refresh rate. If this section doesn’t appear on this page, it means your laptop doesn’t support VRR.

Open Settings, then select System > Display > Advanced display. For Choose a refresh rate, select the drop-down box to see all the supported refresh rates.

It’s natural for anyone shopping desktop monitors to be swayed by size, shape, resolution and color quality. But depending on your business needs, you may also want to consider a less flashy feature: the monitor’s refresh rate.

Refresh rate is the frequency at which the screen updates with new images each second, measured in hertz (cycles per second). The content may look steady on the display, but what the viewer can’t see is how fast the content is changing — up to 360 times a second. The higher the refresh rate, the smoother the visual quality.

Super high monitor refresh rates aren’t all that important for office workers focused on lighter computing like word processing, spreadsheets and emails. But in more visual professions like creative production and game development, a high refresh rate for monitors is invaluable.

The standard refresh rate for desktop monitors is 60Hz. But in recent years, more specialized, high-performing monitors have been developed that support 120Hz, 144Hz and even 240Hz refresh rates, which ensure ultra-smooth content viewing, even for the most demanding visual processing needs.

Just buying a high refresh rate monitor doesn’t mean the display quality will magically improve. The monitor’s refresh rate reflects the maximum rate at which the display can change the visuals. What happens on the screen depends on the frame rate of the output — the number of video frames that are sent to the display each second.

A 120Hz monitor has obvious benefits, though, for modern gaming platforms that animate at 100 fps or higher. A high refresh rate helps the screen keep pace with the high-twitch inputs of players and translate them into super smooth actions on screen.

When refresh rate and frame rate are mismatched, it can result in something called screen tearing. If the computer’s graphic card is pushing out more frames than the monitor’s refresh rate can handle at a given moment, users may see two half-frames on the screen at once, bisected horizontally and slightly misaligned. In short, it doesn’t look good. Games are usually configured to automatically match the PC’s graphics capabilities to avoid tearing, but running high-action visuals more slowly than intended makes for a compromised viewing and playing experience.

Response time — the time it takes for a pixel to change color — also plays a role in refresh rate. A monitor can only refresh as quickly as the LCD display can make those rapid-fire color shifts.

Particularly for fast-paced visuals, higher refresh rates and faster pixel response times reduce ghosted visuals, and ideally eliminate them. With slower tech, a high-pace action sequence may come with trailing images that result in softer, even blurry on-screen visuals.

The appeal of high refresh rates is obvious for at-home gamers looking for a responsive, hyperrealistic playing experience. And this leisure use is part of a vast global industry. SuperData reported that the video gaming industry generated roughly $140 billion in 2020, up 12 percent from $120 billion in 2019. Statista estimates there are now more than 3 billion gamers worldwide.

In the U.S. alone, the video game industry employs 220,000 people across all 50 states, according to the Entertainment Software Association. That’s a lot of game developers, graphic artists and playtesters working in front of monitors, most of them in need of optimal visual quality and speed at their workstations. While 60Hz refresh rates may work fine for people in finance and human resources — and even the clerical side of gaming companies — people on the visual and testing side need at least 120Hz to do their jobs well.

And it’s not just gaming. While the film industry has long produced movies at 24 fps, that frame rate is a relic of times when there were different technical restraints on cameras and projection, so a faster frame rate required more expensive film. The 24 fps standard has stuck around largely because that’s what the public is used to. Today, filmmakers are increasingly pushing frame rates as high as 120 fps.

High-performance monitors with high refresh rates come with obvious visual improvements, but monitor upgrades in general bring a broader range of business benefits.

Premium monitors also come with built-in (adjustable) technologies that can reduce eye strain. Manufacturers, led by Samsung, have increasingly introduced curved widescreen monitors that equalize the focal distance of every part of the screen. The left and right edges are the same distance from the viewer’s eyes as the middle of the screen, reducing eye strain, as viewers don’t have to adjust their eyes as they scan the display.

High refresh rate monitors with high response times also tend to come with other premium features, such as full support for USB-C connections. With a single cable, the user can connect their PC to a monitor that functions as a USB hub for peripheral devices. This negates the need for expensive and often clunky docking stations, and can significantly reduce the number of cables at each workstation. In addition to tidier, streamlined workspaces, this also reduces the demand for IT support. With fewer connectors and devices, you tend to get fewer problems.

Around the workplace, anyone in a visually creative role will see immediate benefits from a higher refresh rate. And while those in non-visual roles probably won’t see any difference, the key may be futureproofing.

When IT and information systems (IS) teams plan capital purchases, they need to look several years ahead for potential technical requirements down the road. While high-refresh monitors may have a defined user community right now, it’s likely more use cases and worker needs will develop. Monitors with low refresh rates can’t get better, but higher-refresh monitors can serve your display needs both now and in the future.

When comparing the performance of two custom gaming PCs, we often look at the frame rates each computer is capable of producing in a certain game at the same resolution and graphics quality. Frame rates are measured in FPS or Frames per Second. Most people know that higher FPS is better, but let’s clear up some common misconceptions with FPS and refresh rates.

First, what is a frame and what determines the frame rate? A frame is a single still image, which is then combined in a rapid slideshow with other still images, each one slightly different, to achieve the illusion of natural motion. The frame rate is how many of these images are displayed in one second. To produce, or render, a new frame your CPU and GPU work together to determine the actions of the AI, the physics, positions, and textures of the objects in the scene to produce an image. Then your GPU cuts this image into pixels at the resolution you set and sends this information to the display. The more powerful your CPU and GPU, the more frames they are able to generate per second.

Your monitor or display is where refresh rates come in. Refresh rate is measured in frequency (Hz) which is the number of times per second your monitor can redraw the screen. A refresh rate of 85Hz means that your display can redraw the entire screen 85 times in one second.

Does that mean that your frame rate is limited by your screen’s refresh rate? No; they are two separate things. Remember that FPS is how many frames your custom gaming PCs is producing or drawing, while the refresh rate is how many times the monitor is refreshing the image on the screen. The refresh rate (Hz) of your monitor does not affect the frame rate (FPS) your GPU will be outputting. However, if your FPS is higher than your refresh rate, your display will not be able to display all of the frames your computer is producing, so although the refresh rate doesn’t technically limit the frame rate, it does effectively set a cap.

It’s also important to remember that even if your gaming PC is capable of generating 90 FPS in your favorite game at your preferred settings, and even if your monitor supports 90Hz, 120Hz or more, you could still be capped by the lower refresh rate capabilities of the ports on your graphics card and display. Read our blog post on DisplayPort vs HDMI vs DVI vs VGA to learn about the pros, cons and limitations of the different types of connections. For example, some gaming monitors feature 120Hz refresh rates, but have HDMI 1.4 and DisplayPort 1.4. This means that you can only take advantage of the 120Hz refresh rate if your use DisplayPort; you’ll be stuck at 60Hz if you use HDMI.

Frame rate is typically used as a gaming benchmark for measuring the performance of hardware, drivers, games and APIs like Vulkan and DirectX. In this case the monitor’s refresh rate doesn’t matter because the frame rate is just used as a number to measure the gaming performance. A higher frame rate is better. However, when you’re actually playing a game, the display’s refresh rate does effectively limit the frame rate – if you have an 80hz display and your computer is capable of outputting 120 FPS, your screen will still only be able to show 80 different images per second.

To prevent screen tearing, you can enable a feature called Vertical Synchronization, or VSync. This tells your GPU to synchronize its actions with the display, which forces it to render and send a new frame when the monitor is ready to redraw the screen. This does limit your framerate exactly to the refresh rate. For example, if your refresh rate is 60Hz, VSync will cap your framerate to 60 FPS. If your GPU is capable of producing higher frame rates than the VSync cap you can take advantage of its leftover capacity to increase the resolution, draw distance, or other graphics quality settings. If your graphics card can’t outpace the refresh rate of your display then enabling VSync won’t help much. You may be able to lock your GPU into a lower frame rate, like 30 FPS, that would match up with your monitor. Common display refresh rates include 120hz, 60hz and 30hz, and there are all divisible by 30 so you won’t get screen tearing, but you may get stutter, as each frame will be on the screen for a couple of cycles.

If your monitor and graphics card both in your customer computer support NVIDIA G-SYNC, you’re in luck. With this technology, a special chip in the display communicates with the graphics card. This lets the monitor vary the refresh rate to match the frame rate of the NVIDIA GTX graphics card, up to the maximum refresh rate of the display. This means that the frames are displayed as soon as they are rendered by the GPU, eliminating screen tearing and reducing stutter for when the frame rate is both higher and lower than the refresh rate of the display. This makes it perfect for situations where the frame rate varies, which happens a lot when gaming. Today, you can even find G-SYNC technology in gaming laptops!

AMD has a similar solution called FreeSync. However, this doesn’t require a proprietary chip in the monitor. Instead, FreeSync relies on the DisplayPort’s Adaptive-Sync specification, which is a royalty-free industry standard. The difference between them is that in G-SYNC, the proprietary module in the monitor handles the work of communication between the devices. In FreeSync, the AMD Radeon driver, and the display firmware handle the communication. AMD has demonstrated that FreeSync can work over HDMI, but it requires custom drivers from AMD and the monitor’s manufacturer. Currently G-SYNC only works with DisplayPort, but that may change. Generally, FreeSync monitors are less expensive than their G-SYNC counterparts, but gamers generally prefer G-SYNC over FreeSync as the latter may cause ghosting, where old images leave behind artifacts. However, this may change as both technologies are relatively new.

When comparing 60 Hz vs 75 Hz refresh rates, the answer is quite clear: 75 Hz is better. A refresh rate measures how many times a screen can update in one second. Higher refresh rates are associated with better video quality, reduced eye strain, and even improved gaming experiences. And while 60 Hz has been the bare minimum for decades, a 75 Hz monitor offers an accessible upgrade.

Refresh rate measures how many times a display can update the image on the screen. Video is actually a series of still images that change so quickly that they give the illusion of movement. The faster these images change, the smoother the video appears to be.

A screen’s refresh rate is measured in hertz (Hz), which is a unit of how many times something occurs in one second. Therefore, a refresh rate of 1 Hz shows a new image on the screen every second. A refresh rate of 75 Hz shows 75 separate images in a single second.

Generally speaking, a higher refresh rate results in smoother and more lifelike video so long as the frames per second match. (Ever wonder how many images per second the eye can process?It turns out it’s up to 500 Hz.)

Measured in frames-per-second (fps), frame rate also describes how many images get displayed on the screen each second. The difference lies in the source: refresh rate is determined by the display while frame rate is determined by the computer’s processors.

To fully take advantage of a monitor’s high refresh rate, it’s important that the computer’s central processing unit (CPU) and graphic processing unit (GPU) are able to produce enough frames per second. And on the other side, a high-performance graphics card would only go to waste if paired with a monitor with a slower refresh rate.

Sometimes more is just more. When it comes to refresh rates, a higher rate results in smoother video, less strain on the eyes, and even improved performance in competitive gaming. Even if that jump is a modest increase from 60 Hz to 75 Hz, there is a noticeable improvement in media quality.

So much of modern work deals with viewing and processing data. A smoother display makes a huge difference both in eye health and quickly understanding what’s on screen. A faster refresh rate makes it a much nicer work experience by reducing motion blur in text, graphics, data, and even your cursor.

Higher refresh rates result in smoother, more realistic on-screen media. More images per second can also significantly reduce motion blur, which can make a huge difference in video quality and gaming experiences.

Clearer and more natural motion on screen can go a long way towards better eye health. In fact, at lower refresh rates you may even start to notice aflicker, which can cause a wide range of vision problems and challenges.

A big part of effective ergonomics – for work and for play – is a high-quality display. A higher refresh rate on your monitor goes a long way towards protecting your eyes. Even a small difference like 60 Hz vs 75 Hz can make a huge difference over time.

When it comes to monitor refresh rates, bigger is definitely better. However, 60 Hz represents a bare minimum while anything over 120 Hz is more appropriate to more demanding users. More modest screens with a 75 Hz refresh rate offer a middle ground.

Perfect for fast-paced racing and FPS gaming, the XG2401 gaming monitor refreshes the screen 144 times per second – 2.4 faster than a conventional 60Hz display. This produces natural-looking, ultra smooth movement with no motion blur. Now, each of your enemy’s moves is clearly seen on-screen with fluid-like smooth movement, crisp edges, and with no perceivable lagging.

Leveraging VESA Adaptive-Sync connectivity, this monitor is equipped with AMD FreeSync™ technology* that seamlessly synchronizes the frame rate output between your graphics card and monitor. This dynamic refresh rate effectively eliminates image tearing, stuttering, and jerkiness for incredibly smooth gameplay.

The latest standard for rapid transmission of data, DisplayPort future-proofs the XG2401 and delivers the best refresh rate, highest resolution, and incredibly rich colours. It’s easy and convenient to connect additional peripherals or accessories with the integrated USB hub.

A Game Mode function opens pre-calibrated FPS 1, FPS 2, RTS, and MOBA settings that deliver the best blend of color and technology for specific gaming scenarios.

To lock in that perfect angle necessary for drawn out epic gaming sessions, this monitor features a fully adjustable ergonomic stand capable of considerable swivel, pivot, tilt, and height adjustment. An integrated headphone hook keeps your headphones within arm’s reach, while a cable management ring reduces clutter around your gaming space.

The focus of this study is a description of features and artifacts of the LCD technology which are supposed to be relevant for psychophysical and neuroscientific experiments in general. A wide range of different monitor technologies and determinants of the temporal signal are compared. Three recent studies [30]–[32] approach the topic from the opposite side by focussing on well defined psychophysical requirements which they relate to only a few aspects on one or two LCD panels. In the following, we will briefly review these works and compare their approaches and results to the present study.

Kihara and colleagues [30] compare the performance in three psychophysical experiments which were performed on one LCD and two CRT devices, respectively. They statistically analyze the experimental results, fail to find significant differences for most of the conditions, and conclude that the three displays elicited similar performance profiles.

Wang and Nikolić [31] compared one CRT monitor and two different LCD panels, an old and a new model, with respect to both their spatial and temporal properties. The authors report that for the new LCD monitor the level of accuracy of timing and intensity was comparable, if not better to the benchmark CRT monitor, while the old LCD panel had a number of issues with respect to accuracy.

The study by Lagroix and colleagues [32] also analyses temporal properties. The authors investigate psychophysical estimates of visible persistence of stimuli immediately after their assumed disappearance on the display device. In their experiments, observers performed forced choice tasks on these stimuli, where a shutter controlled that the stimulus could not be seen during the period when it was (intendedly) displayed. They compared performance using a CRT and an LCD monitor. While there was considerable visible persistence on the CRT for white stimuli on black background, the authors did not find any perceptual persistence on the LCD panel.

Our study, however, demonstrates a number of artifacts due to improper DCC with some substantial effects on the luminance transition signal, such as luminance stepping or substantial overshoots. It remains important future work to study these artifacts with experimental paradigms as developed by Lagroix and colleagues, as it is likely that some of the artifacts presented in this work have considerable impacts on visual persistence.

When shopping for a TV or computer monitor, it"s easy to get overwhelmed by terms like progressive scanning, 4K Ultra HD, frame rates, and screen refresh rates. While those last two sound like the same thing, there"s a subtle difference between them, which is why we"ve compiled a guide to the differences between refresh rate vs. FPS.

Just like traditional film, digital videos display images as individual frames. Frame rate refers to the number of frames-per-second (FPS) a television can display. These frames are displayed using the interlaced scan method or the progressive scan method. Frame rates are often listed alongside the video resolution. For example, 1080p/60 TV has a frame rate of 60 FPS.

TV manufacturers have introduced a number of features to improve the frame rate. For example, some TVs use a technique called frame interpolation, in which the video processor combines elements of successive frames to blend them together for smoother motion rendering. The downside of this effect is that it can make movies shot on film look like they were shot on digital video.

Since the film is shot at 24 frames-per-second, the original 24 frames must be converted to display on a typical television screen. However, with the introduction of Blu-ray Disc and HD-DVD players that can output a 24 frame per second video signal, new refresh rates have been implemented to accommodate these signals in the correct mathematical ratio.

The refresh rate represents how many times the display is completely reconstructed every second. The more times the screen is refreshed, the smoother the image is in terms of motion rendering and flicker reduction.

Refresh rates are measured in hertz (Hz). For example, a television with a 60 Hz refresh rate represents a complete reconstruction of the screen image 60 times every second. If the video is rendered at 30 FPS, then each video frame is repeated twice.

One technique that some TV manufacturers use to reduce motion blur is referred to as backlight scanning, in which a backlight flashes on and off rapidly between each screen refresh. If a TV has a 120 Hz screen refresh rate, backlight scanning delivers the effect of having a 240 Hz screen refresh rate. This feature can be enabled or disabled separately from the screen refresh rate setting.

Enhanced refresh rates, backlight scanning, and frame interpolation apply primarily to LCD and LED/LCD displays. Plasma TVs handle motion processing differently, utilizing a technology referred to as a Sub-Field Drive.

If the screen"s refresh rate cannot keep up with the frame rate, it can result in screen tearing, or multiple frames displaying at once. This rarely happens when watching television. It typically occurs when playing GPU-intensive video games. If you"re a PC gamer, choose a monitor with a 240 Hz refresh rate. When watching TV, the refresh rate and frame rate matter less than the video resolution.

Examples of motion processing (aka Motion Smoothing) buzzwords used by manufacturers include TruMotion (LG), Intelligent Frame Creation (Panasonic), Auto Motion Plus or Clear Motion Rate (Samsung), AquaMotion (Sharp), Motion Flow (Sony), ClearScan (Toshiba), and SmoothMotion (Vizio).

Don"t get too bogged down with the numbers and terminology. Let your eyes be your guide as you compare TV displays. Make sure the TV is powerful enough to support your media players and video game consoles. For example, to play video games in 4K at 60 FPS, choose a TV capable of displaying high resolutions and fast frame rates.

Monitor ghosting or screen ghosting, as the name indicates, is a monitor/display issue. It has little to do with your system. Monitor ghosting usually occurs when there are multiple images moving fast on your screen, or when you’re moving your mouse quickly. If your monitor is ghosting on your game, you’ll likely notice:

You may now wonder, why is your monitor ghosting? Ghosting is most frequently seen in LCD monitors, but for any type of monitor, the two main factors remain the same: refresh rate and response time.

Simply put, screen refresh rate refers to how often your screen displays a new image. For example, a 60Hz refresh rate means that the monitor refreshes itself 60 times per second.

Or, you could disconnect those devices one at a time and test if your screen still ghosts. Make sure to check the wireless devices as well. If one of your devices seems to cause the ghosting issue, try not to use it with your monitor at the same time.

As we mentioned above, refresh rate and response time are the main factors that are responsible for the ghosting issue. You can adjust your monitor’s settings to achieve a higher refresh rate and a lower response time which helps prevent your screen from ghosting.

If your monitor supports variable refresh rates, you can set it to a higher value to tackle the monitor ghosting problem. To view the refresh rate of your monitor and make adjustments if possible:

Under the Monitor tab, you can view the refresh rate of your monitor. If your monitor supports variable refresh rates, you can set it to a higher value via the drop down-menu option.

In addition to response time and refresh rate, you could experiment with other display settings to see if it helps solve the monitor ghosting issue. Make sure to test your monitor’s functionality while adjusting. To make additional tweaks, look for these settings:

Although we explained earlier that screen ghosting is primarily an issue of the monitor, not of GPU, you could still try updating your graphics driver. When you can’t identify what’s causing your monitor to ghost, it’s a good idea to do so since it generally fixes and prevents many display issues, which may include monitor ghosting in your case.

If the video port of your monitor is faulty, it could probably cause you screen to ghost. We recommend taking your monitor to a local repair store since it’s very difficult to identify the problematic component and replace it. If your monitor is still under warranty, you may also contact the manufacturer for support.