If you are searching for a monitor or any other kind of display hardware, there is going to be a lot of jargon to contend with, but one of your biggest questions is likely to be “what is refresh rate?”. As you continue your search, you are going to come across this terminology, and it is important to take the time to learn what it means and what it affects.
Read on to find out more about refresh rate. You can also explore ViewSonic monitors equipped with high refresh rates here.
When reading about monitors or starting to compare the different options, refresh rate is something you are likely to come across quite often. But what is refresh rate and how important is it for determining your choice of display hardware? Does it impact the quality of your picture, and can a low refresh rate contribute to eye strain?
In this article, we explore the answers to these questions and more.
What is Refresh Rate and Why is it Important?
You can check a detailed definition of refresh rate for reference. But in essence, it’s the number of times a display completely updates its screen per second, expressed in hertz, or Hz. Refresh rate is produced by the monitor itself and not the processor or graphics card. In this sense, it differs from another similar term, which is that of frame rate.
One way to think of it is that these two different performance metrics need to work in tandem. For peak performance, you need a monitor with a high refresh rate and a system that can produce a high frame rate, too. If either is not up to the task, the quality of the display may be impacted, and you will not experience the full benefits.
What is the Ideal Refresh Rate?
Until the mid-2010s, 60Hz was regarded as the standard refresh rate for a monitor, and for some users, that may still be sufficient. However, refresh rates of around 60Hz are associated with a flicker effect that may contribute to issues like eye strain, making it uncomfortable to stare at the screen for long periods. For this reason, even for basic uses, 75Hz is now regarded as a better starting point for a computer monitor.
Why Do You Need High Refresh Rates for Creative Work?
Professional designers, especially those working in VFX, motion design, and 3D animation, deal with heavy workflows that require fast refresh and high visual quality. While 60Hz or 75Hz will be sufficient for most jobs, people who develop and test multimedia content or graphics need at least 120Hz or 165Hz, meaning finding a professional creative monitor can really make a difference to your workflow.
The biggest improvement high refresh rates bring relates to motion resolution. No matter how fast the moving images are, higher refresh rates increase picture sharpness and consistency and remove image stuttering. This allows for almost zero loss of image detail and quality, which is crucial for video editors and animators. So, whether you’re cutting footage or checking a slow-motion B-roll, every single frame is crisp and vivid.
Effectively, if you do invest in a monitor with a refresh rate of 120Hz or more, you need to ensure that your graphics card and processor can produce a high frame rate. Only then can you experience noticeable improvements in the picture quality and apparent smoothness of movement. ViewSonic ColorPro professional monitors are equipped with high refresh rates to ensure your work always looks its best.
Why Do You Need High Refresh Rates for Gaming?
For esports or high-definition gaming, you are going to want an even higher refresh rate and 144Hz may be considered a better starting point. High refresh rates are critical for fast-paced games as they affect how clear and correct the visuals are onscreen. One key impact is reducing input lag. For the smoothest gameplay, a lag time of under 10.9ms is OK and a 144Hz monitor delivers about 3.5ms. This can be a huge difference-maker, especially for serious gamers in competitive esports.
A higher refresh rate also reduces monitor ghosting and screen tearing. Monitor ghosting is almost like motion blur, where a previous image continues to appear onscreen on the next frame. And screen tears occur when the monitor shows two different frames simultaneously. In which case, having a refresh rate of 144Hz will be able to support up to 144 frames per second to eliminate ghosting and tearing. This means graphics appear more fluid on the screen.
Final Thoughts
Refresh rate is a crucial consideration when buying a computer monitor because it determines how often the display is refreshed. Unlike frame rate, which is produced by the system, the refresh rate is produced by the monitor itself. Nevertheless, the two concepts work side-by-side, and both need to be broadly in line with one another.
It is even more important for those who work in the creative field or are serious gamers. Higher refresh rate stops stutter, ghosting, and screen tearing. That prevents distracting and often game or work-breaking issues. Professional creators should look at monitors with at least 165Hz, and gamers require 144Hz or more. Esports pro? We recommend refresh rates of 180Hz and beyond.
Having a monitor with high refresh rates will mean nothing if your PC or console can’t run equally high frame rates. Refresh rate is a crucial consideration when buying a monitor because it determines how often the display is refreshed. Unlike frame rate, which is produced by source devices and software, refresh rate is produced by the monitor itself. Nevertheless, the two concepts work side-by-side and need to sync for good performance.
We hope this has been helpful. Feel free to share what your preferred refresh rate is with us!
Frequently Asked Questions about Refresh Rate
1. What is monitor refresh rate? The refresh rate of a monitor is the number of times per second the display updates its image. It’s measured in hertz (Hz).
For example:
60Hz = 60 refreshes per second
144Hz = 144 refreshes per second
240Hz = 240 refreshes per second
Higher refresh rates result in smoother motion and less blur.
2. What’s the difference between refresh rate and frame rate (FPS)? Refresh rate (Hz): how often the monitor updates its image.
Frame rate (FPS): how many frames your PC or console produces per second. Ideally, FPS should be lower or identical to refresh rate. If your FPS is lower than your monitor’s refresh rate, you won’t fully use the screen’s potential. If it’s higher, you may experience screen tearing (unless you use V-Sync, G-Sync, or FreeSync).
3. Does a higher refresh rate improve gaming and creative work? Yes, especially in fast-paced games and high precision design and art.
Higher refresh rates reduce motion blur, improve responsiveness, and make aiming and tracking more precise.
4. What refresh rate should I choose? Depends on what your main usage needs are:
Office work and online browsing: 60–75Hz
Professional creative work: 165Hz+
Casual gaming: 75–120Hz
Competitive gaming: 144Hz+
Professional esports: 240Hz+
Console gaming: 60–144Hz (for all post-2020 consoles)
5. Does higher refresh rate affect eye strain? Potentially yes, but in a positive way. Higher refresh rates produce smoother visuals, which reduce flicker and motion-induced strain.
6. Does higher refresh rate increase power usage? Potentially, as the GPU/CPU and monitor all work harder. But the difference is miniscule and should not concern you. It’s only an important factor for portable monitors, laptops, and mobile devices, including handheld PCs. For desktops, it’s basically a non-issue.
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