Can you even tell the difference between a 144Hz and a 60Hz monitor? What Does 144Hz Mean?? Let’s investigate.
The number of times a display updates to show a new image in a second is known as the refresh rate. Hz is the symbol for frequency (hertz).
Therefore, 144Hz denotes a refresh rate of 144 times per second for the display, 120Hz a refresh rate of 120 times per second for the display, and so on.
In the advertising for HDTVs and computer monitors, the refresh rate receives a lot of attention with 120Hz, 144Hz, 240Hz, 360Hz, and even 500Hz displays.
What exactly is this, you ask?
Fortunately, the definition is not that complicated, so let’s start there. A display’s refresh rate is simply how frequently it updates the image it displays each second.
This can be visualized by drawing comparisons to the frame rate in movies or video games. The source content only displays 24 distinct images per second if a movie is shot at 24 frames per second. Similar to this, a display that operates at 60 Hz displays 60 “frames” per second.
Since the display will update 60 times per second even if not a single pixel changes and merely displays the source provided to it, it is not really frames. The illustration is still a simple method to grasp the refresh rate’s fundamental idea, though.
Therefore, the capacity to accommodate a higher frame rate is increased with a higher refresh rate.
Just keep in mind that the display only displays the source that is given to it, so if your refresh rate is already higher than the source’s frame rate, it may not improve your experience.
Refresh Rate and Gaming
No matter the platform or visuals, computer hardware renders all video games.
Most of the time (especially on the PC platform), the frames are produced as rapidly as possible because this typically results in more enjoyable and smooth gameplay. There will be less time between each frame, which will reduce input lag.
When frames are rendered more quickly than the display refreshes, this might occasionally cause issues.
You might suffer “screen tearing” if you have a 60Hz display and are playing a game that renders at 75 frames per second.
Now, this happens because it’s likely that the hardware will be caught by the display between frames, which receives input from the GPU at rather regular intervals.
Screen tearing and jerky, uneven movements are the outcome of this. Although many games let you set a frame rate cap, doing so prevents your PC from being used to its maximum potential.
You might be wondering, what is the answer to this?
more frequent refreshes. Purchasing a computer monitor with at least 120Hz is necessary. Playing on these displays is substantially smoother because they can accommodate up to 120 frames per second.
Since they are multiples of 120 FPS, it can also handle lesser V-sync limitations like 30 FPS and 60 FPS. The difference between 60Hz and 120Hz or 144Hz is fairly obvious.
It’s something you actually have to experience yourself; you can’t accomplish that by watching a video of it on a 60Hz display.
However, a terrific technique that is gaining popularity is a variable refresh rate (VRR). The basic idea is the same whether NVIDIA calls it G-SYNC or AMD calls it FreeSync.
In order to determine how rapidly it is delivering the frames, a display with VRR will query the graphics card. At any frame rate up to the maximum refresh rate of the monitor, this will stop screen tearing.
Refresh Rate and Watching Videos
Now, in terms of how the display presents the content to you, watching a movie and playing a game are completely different from one another.
While a video game is being played, a video is being played from a source. While movies are often shot at 24 frames per second, they are sometimes edited at 30 or 60 frames per second.
However, Blu-ray discs can provide 24 FPS when played on a powerful Blu-ray player. Even in these situations, a higher frame rate is recreated in a cadence that duplicates the original 24 FPS action because a frame rate this low frequently causes screen flickering.
Due to the fact that many contemporary home displays operate at 60Hz or a multiple of that, frame rate is being transformed. However, YouTube runs at 60 FPS.
This is why a video display does not require a 120Hz, 144Hz, or 240Hz refresh rate.
If the display in question is a monitor, you can also utilize frame interpolation software, such as SVP (Windows), and take pleasure in the fluid motion it provides.
This is frequently the default setting on televisions, but you can turn it off if you’d prefer because it might seem strange to certain people.
It feels so fluid because frame interpolation, a method, creates totally new frames in between those fed by the original video.
So, What About 600Hz Plasma TVs?
Marketers frequently claim that Plasma TVs have a refresh rate of 600Hz. This is accurate, but because plasma displays operate fundamentally differently from LCDs, it is irrelevant to the refresh rate indicated in other technologies.
A plasma must rapidly switch individual pixels on and off in order to produce a picture. Producers compound this by an usual 60 Hz cadence ten times per second to achieve the desired 600 Hz frequency.
Ghosting, which is a common issue with LCDs, is not a problem with plasma screens. This is due to how frequently plasmas refresh compared to LCDs. However, it doesn’t really matter because plasmas are a disappearing technology.
So, What Does 144Hz Mean?
Hertz is used to measure this (Hz). If your display, for instance, has a refresh rate of 144Hz, the image is refreshed 144 times per second. This can lead to a smoother experience and possibly higher FPS when combined with the high frame rates provided by a GPU and CPU working together.
Conclusion
We’ll go over a few typical cases now that you are aware that it always relies on whether or not you require a faster refresh rate display.
- Games: Yes, switching to a 120Hz or 144Hz computer monitor would make a noticeable impact if you saw a frame rate higher than 60 FPS, let’s say 150 FPS.
- Games: A display with a higher refresh rate is not going to be helpful if you don’t notice frame rates higher than 60 FPS or if V-sync is limited to 60 FPS.
- Watching videos: If you install an app that will interpolate frames for your source, a display with a faster refresh rate will be advantageous if you prefer extremely smooth video.
- Watching videos: A display with a higher refresh rate is not going to be helpful for you if you don’t appreciate the false appearance that frame interpolation gives the source.
