In PC gaming, one is always striving to get the best. As a result, there is always better hardware, new software features, a better-looking monitor, etc. But what can best elevate your gaming experience?
Refresh rate is considered one of the most critical factors in gaming. One may think that bigger numbers are always better in gaming. But when it comes to the hertz that your screen can manage, science suggests that 120 Hz is king.
To understand why 120 Hz is the optimal refresh rate, we need to understand what hertz are, how they correlate with frames per second, and how the brain processes rapidly displayed frames. So let’s take a closer look.
What is a Refresh Rate?
The refresh rate is the same value as the hertz of your screen. It measures the number of times your screen can draw a new image in a one-second cycle.
If your monitor runs at 120 Hz, it displays a set of pixels to form an image, then replaces that image with new pixel data 120 times per second. Therefore, hertz is a more appropriate expression for what a monitor does than “frames per second.”
To display a specific number of frames per second, you need a monitor with an equal or higher number of hertz.
Refresh Rate vs. Frame Rate
The relationship between your monitor’s refresh rate and your computer’s frames per second results in the final frame rate. That is a one-to-one correlation between a screen’s hertz measurement and frames per second.
The measurements and output don’t scale symmetrically. So, for example, a screen with a high refresh rate will still display a lower FPS, but a screen with a lower refresh rate can’t display a higher frame rate.
A 120 Hz monitor can display 60 frames per second, but a 60 Hz monitor can’t display 120 Hz. So, to find the perfect frame rate, you need to have a computer that can generate 120 individual frames per second and a monitor that can refresh 120 times per second.
What is an Ideal Refresh Rate for Gaming?
New hardware can produce a frame rate far higher than 120 FPS, so why choose this specific refresh rate? There are a couple of factors.
More Doesn’t Equal Better
First, there is a physical threshold at which a refresh rate can be too high. The frames rendered are lower quality than those displayed for a longer time.
The difference isn’t immediately noticeable. However, the picture quality on a 120 Hz monitor is better than on a similar 240 Hz monitor. That is because even pixels take a fraction of a second to light up properly. You can even go as high as a 144 or 165Hz monitor.
The Potential For Screen Tearing
Screen tearing is an age-old problem that dates back to the early days of gaming. You see, a screen doesn’t refresh all at once. That’s why frames per second would make a poor measurement for your monitor.
A monitor (or TV) refreshes horizontally. However, the process can become messy at high refresh rates, and the monitor does not refresh the entire frame simultaneously.
It happens when the frames per second from your computer don’t synchronize with the monitor’s refresh rate. If you have ever run a graphics performance benchmark, you will understand the problem immediately.
A computer set to run at 60 frames per second does not consistently generate 60 FPS. Instead, FPS is in constant flux. It drops a bit, then jumps a bit. It all depends on the complexity of the frame your computer needs to generate.
Your monitor can’t make sense of the intermittent data stream, and the image gets “torn.”
A Screen Tearing Solution with a Performance Cost
There is a solution to the problem, but it takes much computational power. That solution is called VSync. VSync, or vertical synchronization, synchronizes the frames from the computer with the refresh rate of the monitor.
The higher the refresh rate and FPS, the more frames VSync needs to synchronize. In turn, less of your graphics card’s power is available to render your games.
Medical Science
A less discussed factor comes from the world of medical science.
Your eyes can’t perceive frame rates much higher than 60 FPS. It is a fact that does not sit well with gamers who have paid premium prices for monitors with ridiculously high refresh rates.
But the scientific evidence is pretty concrete. For example, many peer-reviewed studies found that humans have a critical flicker-fusion frequency that caps at around 60 FPS.
A critical flicker-fusion frequency is a scientific term for the threshold at which one can still distinguish the flicker of images playing in rapid succession. For example, at around 60 FPS, our eyes and brains can’t perceive higher frame rates because they can’t distinguish the frames from full motion.
Humans naturally see about 60 frames per second in the real world and cannot distinguish anything that happens faster.
If Our Perception Gets Capped at 60 FPS, Why Choose 120 Hz?
The precise speed at which our perception of motion is capped can vary slightly from person to person. However, a 120 Hz monitor is best because it is beyond our perception limit.
It’s like using a shotgun to take out a rat. Wildly overpowered, but you know that the rat is dead.
The 120 Hz refresh rate is twice the rate science says we can distinguish still imagery from motion. So you know your response time and general experience can’t be better. Furthermore, when your hardware targets 120 FPS, the range of framerate dips will generally be unnoticeable.
Many gamers will argue this subject to the end of time. They are confident they see a difference between 120 Hz and 240 Hz. It may be a perception caused by expectation.
What are the Benefits of Gaming at a High Refresh Rate?
There are many benefits to gaming at a higher refresh rate. The first is reaction time.
Precision Response Times
Online player vs. player gaming is incredibly competitive. Therefore, many players will take any edge, and a faster refresh rate means a more realistic window for split-second reactions.
Immersive Gaming
Second, a higher refresh rate creates a smoother gaming experience. To get a feel for the full effect, play any game at 60 FPS, then switch to 30 FPS. You will see critical flicker-fusion frequency firsthand. The game will look like it flickers from one frame to the next.
Better In-Game Effects
Another benefit to a higher refresh rate is that game developers can fine-tune special effects and environmental reactions. For example, an explosion looks better as a smooth sequence than a bunch of stuttered frames.
Furthermore, game developers can orchestrate effects to happen more realistically. For example, consider playing a first-person shooter where you can shoot barrels that blow up.
The higher the refresh rate, the more precise the in-game impact and special effects. One can test the difference between 60 FPS and 30 FPS to experience all these benefits.
Interestingly, improvements higher than 120 FPS usually get reviewed as “minimal.” Conversely, the difference between 30 and 60 FPS gets reported as “game-changing.”
Regardless of the details, you should purchase the monitor that looks best to you. After all, you’ll be the one looking at it.