Refresh Rate Explained: 60 vs 120 vs 144 vs 240Hz

Refresh rate is how many times per second your display updates, measured in hertz (Hz). Higher = smoother motion.

What each tier feels like

• 60Hz — standard for office and general use.
• 120/144Hz — a big, obvious jump; smoother scrolling, sharper motion, lower lag. The best value upgrade for most people.
• 240Hz+ — smaller but real gains for competitive gaming; diminishing returns.

The catch: you must enable it

A 144Hz monitor often defaults to 60Hz. After connecting:

• Windows: Settings → System → Display → Advanced display → choose the max refresh rate.
• macOS: System Settings → Displays → Refresh Rate.

Then confirm with the Refresh Rate Test. If it reads 60 on a 144Hz panel, fix the OS setting or your cable.

Frame rate vs refresh rate

Your GPU must also produce enough frames. A 144Hz screen showing a 60fps game updates at 144Hz but only shows 60 new frames — pair a high-refresh panel with adaptive sync (see our tearing guide).

Cable and bandwidth

High refresh at high resolution needs DisplayPort or high-speed HDMI 2.1. An old cable is a common reason the rate caps out.