Before purchasing a new monitor or system, it’s essential to have a look at some must-have specs. Whether you’re watching movies or playing games, a wrong sync of refresh rate (Hz) and frames per second (fps) is going to affect your experience drastically.
You might be wondering what sets Hz and fps apart, so here’s a short answer:
By refresh rate, we mean how many times your monitor projects an image per second. For a better gaming experience, it’s always best to consider a monitor with a higher refresh rate (Hz). In the gaming-dominant world, 144 Hz with 60 frames per second is common. The refresh rate is a spec that is related directly your monitor.
While watching movies, playing games, or moving the cursor, the frames change multiple times per second. Fps has nothing to do with your monitor, it directly links with the software on your CPU and the graphics card.
If you want to learn what combination of refresh rate and frames rate works well, then keep on reading.
Let’s dive into it…
Response Time
Before we differentiate the specs, Hz, and fps, let’s have a look at response time. The response time is the time in which the screen transitions from white to black or from black to white. It’s important to note that this time is measured in milliseconds. Some monitors have options of normal, faster, and fastest response time. In that case, you should try all of them to see which one works for you. The lower the response time, the better the results you’ll experience though.
Hertz Vs. FPS
| Hertz (Refresh Rate) | Fps (Frames Rate) |
| It’s a monitor spec that refreshes the display. | Frame rate relies on the software and graphics card on the system and has nothing to do with the monitor. |
| Hertz is the rate at which your display screen refreshes. For instance, a 60 hertz display will refresh the display 60 times per second. | While the rate at which your graphics card produces frames is known as fps. Also, the speed of CPU, RAM, and GPU (graphics processing unit) play a huge part. |
Can you get more Hz out of a (60 Hz) monitor with software?
It’s even possible to get more hertz out of a 60-hertz monitor with the help of software, though the increase would not be more than 1 to 2 hertz. For instance, using software will increase hertz to 61 or 62 that are not normal and will not be supported by the games so doing so is not going to benefit you much. Nevertheless, you can use different software to increase the hertz. AMD and Intel are a few of that software.
Is It Possible To Get 100 FPS On A 60 Hz Monitor?
For a 60 hertz monitor, it’s nearly impossible to render a display at 100 fps. A screen will refresh the display at the number of times the hertz it has.
GPU processing 100 fps per second at a screen only capable of rendering 60 hertz will surely result in tearing. Meaning the GPU will process a new frame while one frame is still rendering.
Even though it’s possible to get 100 fps on a 60-hertz monitor, the frame rate above the refresh rate isn’t worth it.
60 Hertz Monitor For Gaming
There’s nothing wrong with using a 60 Hz monitor for gaming. However, if you want to pick the best option for gaming, then it would be a 144 Hz monitor or above. There are so many reasons why a 144-hertz monitor is the best choice for gaming.
First of all, the screen with a 144-hertz monitor will refresh its display 144 times per second. When comparing a 60-hertz monitor with a 144-hertz monitor, it’s slow and laggy. Upgrading from a 60-hertz monitor to a 144-hertz monitor will show you a noticeable smoothness in the display.
If we look at the price, then a 60-hertz monitor is more mainstream and affordable.
What does high refresh monitors do – this video explains everything.
What refresh rate should your monitor have?
You’re probably wondering what refresh rate your monitor should have. It depends on what kind of user you’re.
This table will help you pick the monitor suitable for your needs:
| Refresh Rate | Best Fit For |
| 4 K 60 Hz | Best for slower games |
| 144 Hz | Efficient choice for a competent gaming |
| 60 Hz | It does a great job for office-related tasks. It also works great for movies and YouTube. |
Conclusion
- Buying a system can be a long-term investment, therefore it’s really important to have the right specs installed to avoid any inconvenience.
- The right combination of refresh rate and frame rate is essential.
- The refresh rate determines how many times your screen will refresh an image in a second.
- While frames rate measures how fast an image will appear on your screen.
- Frame rates should be lower than the refresh rate to let them function properly.
- There’s no use in getting a monitor above 60 hertz if you only watch movies and aren’t into gaming.