One of the biggest problems for people searching for a high-quality monitor is the frame rate vs. refresh rate issue. These two common terms describe a similar concept, which can make it difficult to fully understand how they differ from one another. This can make the search for a quality monitor more confusing than it needs to be. Keep reading for a detailed breakdown of the difference between these concepts.
Frame rate and refresh rate are terms you are likely to encounter when exploring computer monitor options and while the topic of frame rate vs. refresh rate has been briefly covered in a previous article in the ViewSonic library, it is important to explore these two concepts in more detail and fully explain how they differ from one another.
In this article, we will offer definitions of both frame rate and refresh rate to help you understand the concepts, along with an explanation of how the two combine to create the image quality you actually see on your monitor.
What is Frame Rate and Why Does it Matter?
First, it is helpful to provide a basic definition of frame rate. Movement on a monitor is shown by displaying several consecutive still images or frames, and this is true regardless of whether the movement being displayed is a film, a television show, a video game, or a mouse cursor moving on a computer screen. Of course, these individual frames change many times per second, but the premise is like a flipbook animation.
Frame rate is the rate at which new frames are displayed. It is usually expressed as frames per second, or fps for short. Essentially, the higher the frame rate, the more frames are displayed per second and that then results in smoother, more realistic movement, as opposed to more staggered or stuttered movement.
One thing that is important to stress is that frame rate is not determined by the monitor itself. Instead, your frame rate will be determined by a combination of the software or media you are using, your central processing unit (CPU), and your graphics card. However, that is not to say that frame rate is irrelevant to monitors.
What is Refresh Rate and Why Does it Matter?
Unlike frame rate, the refresh rate concept is directly associated with monitors or other forms of display hardware. Put simply, it describes the number of times a monitor’s display is refreshed and this is usually expressed in hertz (Hz).
As a basic rule, the higher the refresh rate on a monitor, the better. Higher refresh produce much smoother looking movement and this can be visible even in terms of how smoothly the mouse cursor moves around the screen, but it is especially noticeable when it comes to more demanding usage, such as gaming or esports.
For modern productivity monitors, 60Hz is the bare minimum, but even this has sometimes been associated with problems like eye fatigue and eye strain, so 75Hz might be a better starting point. A serious gaming monitor offers a baseline refresh rate of 144Hz, with anything above this representing a major benefit.
Frame Rate vs. Refresh Rate
Although only refresh rate is directly associated with computer monitors, both refresh rate and frame rate impact what you see on the screen. If you have a monitor with a high refresh rate but your graphics card and processor are only able to produce a low frame rate, you are unlikely to experience the full benefit, and vice versa.
Not all media requires a high frame rate. For instance, historic and even modern movies have typically been filmed at 24 fps, while live sports events are often recorded at 30 fps. The higher frame rates of 60 fps and above are mostly relevant for displaying content that is fast-paced and where precision is required, which is true of gaming.
When frame rate and refresh rate are out of sync, a problem called screen tearing can occur, and this is essentially where a single screen refresh displays data from multiple frames at once. One of the ways you can help to balance frame rate and refresh rate and prevent this is through using a display technology like G-Sync and FreeSync.
Final Thoughts
The single biggest difference between frame rate and refresh rate is the point of origin. Frame rate is produced by a combination of your graphics card and your processor, so it is essentially the number of frames a system can produce in a second, whereas refresh rate is the rate at which a monitor can completely refresh its display. It is important for the two to be in sync to avoid visual issues such as screen tearing.
Check out the ViewSonic gaming monitor range for options that deftly balance refresh rate and frame rate.
Frequently Asked Questions for Frame Rate vs. Refresh Rate
1. What is Frame Rate (FPS)? Frame Rate, measured in frames per second (FPS), refers to how many individual images (frames) your GPU (graphics processing unit) produces every second in a video game or video playback.
Example: If your game is running at 60 FPS, your GPU is generating 60 images every second.
2. What is Refresh Rate (Hz)? Refresh Rate, measured in Hertz (Hz), is how many times per second your monitor updates the image on the screen.
Example: A 144Hz monitor refreshes the display 144 times per second.
3. Are Frame Rate and Refresh Rate the same thing? No.
Frame Rate = how fast your GPU sends frames.
Refresh Rate = how fast your monitor displays frames.
They work together but aren’t the same.
4. What’s the ideal balance of the two? Ideally, your frame rate (FPS) should match or exceed your monitor’s refresh rate, without significantly going over. For example:
– 60 FPS on a 60Hz monitor.
– 144 FPS on a 144Hz monitor.
If your frame rate is significantly higher than your monitor’s refresh rate, screen tearing is very likely.
Should frame rate be much lower than monitor refresh rate, you’ll get choppy or sluggish performance in games and apps.
5. What about G-Sync and FreeSync? These are adaptive sync technologies that dynamically match your monitor’s refresh rate to your GPU’s frame rate to prevent screen tearing, ghosting, and inconsistent visuals.
G-Sync (NVIDIA) and FreeSync (AMD) help eliminate tearing and stuttering without input lag.
They work best when FPS fluctuates due to demands put on the GPU and CPU.
6. Is a higher refresh rate always better? For gaming yes, as it ensures smoother visuals and reduced input lag. For general use 60Hz is OK for browsing or office tasks. Competitive gamers should go with 144Hz, 240Hz, or higher refresh rate monitors.