Chances are you’ve heard all about 240Hz and 144Hz monitors if you play video games on a PC. It can be tough to figure out whether moving to 240Hz or 144Hz will be a good idea or not in case you have used a standard 60Hz monitor until now.
We have laid out the fundamental differences between 240Hz, 144Hz, and 60Hz in this article, and have provided some tips on when it is best to upgrade. Those who are keeping track of these monitors for purchasing later should check out specialist sites like 144hzmonitors.com for the latest news.
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What is the difference between 60Hz vs 144Hz vs 240Hz monitors?
The ‘Hz’ (Hertz) used in the description of a monitor description describes its refresh rate. The higher the Hertz, the more often the screen will refresh. For example, a 144Hz monitor will restore its image 144 times per second, and a 60Hz monitor will update its image 60 times per second.
What does that mean for real-world use?
In a typical scenario, a higher refresh rate means the image you view is updated faster. This can be very useful for competitive or action games where every millisecond is essential.
The refresh rate works just like the frames per second works in a video game. However, there are differences.
Frames per second the number of frames your graphics card renders per second, whereas the monitor refresh rate explains how many times the monitor updates the image.
So, if you play a game having 300 frames per second but use a 60Hz monitor, whatever is displayed to you will typically have five times less frame ‘updates’ that could be potentially possible.
Because of this, opting for a new monitor with a higher refresh rate is not worth it unless your graphics card reliably supports 60 frames per second (FPS) or higher. You can use different utilities to check the FPS for a game on your system.
Some people state that the human eye can only see up to a specific number of frames per second. This is not true and is a myth. Our eyes do not work the way that displays do. Therefore, it is difficult to measure the number of ‘frames’ we can see per second.
What we do know is that gamers who have used 144Hz monitors agree that they can see and sense a difference when playing games.
The most notable difference is observed when a 144Hz display user moves to a 60Hz display – users of many ongoing 144Hz displays state that they see a sluggishness from the cursor speed on their desktop to the video games when reverting to 60Hz.
Another critical thing to remember is that the display technology typically used for monitors with a higher refresh rate is not the best option for overall color accuracy and display quality.
Opt for a high-quality 60Hz monitor if you care about looks. You should opt for a monitor with a higher refresh rate if you care about frame rate, performance, as well as getting a competitive edge.
Be ready to pay a hefty price if you want both features in a single monitor. The latest Acer Predator X27 monitor costs a whopping $2K right now but boasts of all the high-end features: 1000 nits brightness, HDR, 144Hz refresh rate, Nvidia G-sync, and 4K resolution etc. The Asus ROG Swift PG27UQ has the same configurations and is similarly priced.
Should You Upgrade To 144Hz From 60Hz?
We are now reaching a point at which where it is quite simple to build or purchase a computer, capable of running 120 FPS or more in a video game. The majority of the esports games available for PC can receive up to 300 FPS on high-end machines.
Upgrading to 144Hz is worth it if you can run the games you play on more than 120 frames per seconds reliably, but it should only be considered as an option if you care about improving performance.
144Hz monitors are most often used in games where every extra micromovement and frame counts a lot. An example is Counter-Strike: Global Offensive or League of Legends.
Consider the following checklist before upgrading:
- You need a competitive edge
- You do not mind sacrificing display quality in games and movies or a bit of color accuracy or display quality in place of better performance
- Your computer can run games at 100 fps or more.
If the resolution of your monitor is higher, you will require a powerful graphics card to get those higher frame rates. As of date, no graphics card can offer more than 60 fps on a 4K monitor with ultra settings. You will have to wait until the new NVIDIA GTX 11xx series arrive on the market at the end of 2018.
By purchasing a monitor that can handle higher frame rates you can future-proof your purchase so that your gaming will benefit significantly in case you decide to upgrade your graphics card later.
Should You Upgrade to 250Hz from 144Hz?
240Hz monitors have started to become commonplace, and are far newer than 144Hz monitors.
The consensus for 240Hz monitors appears to be that it can be a worthwhile upgrade if your computer can handle 240 frames in a game, reliably. This is only appropriate for 1920×1080 monitors right now. It will be quite some time before you get to see 240hz 4K monitors.
Many consumer reports and reviews on 240Hz monitors suggest that the upgrade to 240Hz from 144Hz to 240Hz does not offer that same jump in performance that shifting to 144Hz from 60Hz offers. However, there is a noticeable difference.
You should note that some monitors have a refresh rate of 200Hz that have higher resolutions like 3440×1440 (ultrawide) or 2560×1080. Some examples include the Asus ROG Swift PG35VQ. Neither has been released yet.
The checklist provided below will help you ascertain whether upgrading to 240Hz is worth it:
- You compete at a high level in video games
- You want the maximum possible edge available against other players
- Your computer can run the games you play competitively at 240 fps or more reliably
- You know that the price for 240Hz monitors may drop as technology improves and do not mind paying out a lot for a monitor.
This completes our comparison on 240Hz, 144Hz, and 60Hz monitors. You can also browse over to our monitor guides on 25pc.com for more details. Will you be upgrading your monitor anytime soon? What are your thoughts? Enjoy!
