How to Check Your Monitor’s Refresh Rate
If you are a tech enthusiast, you’ll come across numerous terms that directly impact gaming performance. One such term is ‘Refresh Rate.’ But what does it mean, and why should you be concerned about your monitor’s refresh rate? In this article, you shall see what refresh rate means and how to check your monitor’s refresh rate. So, let’s dive in.
Understand Refresh Rate
The refresh rate is the number of times a picture refreshes the display each second. It determines the smoothness of the computer system. It differs from the frame rate as the monitor produces the refresh rate.
The refresh rate of a computer display is measured in Hertz or Hz. Let’s say the refresh rate of a display is 60Hz. It means that an image is refreshed 60 times in a second. The refresh rates vary widely and have increased significantly in recent years.
Anyways, if you’re a gamer, 144hz monitors will be the best choice. Now, let’s see how to check your display’s refresh rate using very simple steps.
How to Check Your Monitor’s Refresh Rate: Step-by-step guide.
Now, let’s move on to the part you’ve been eagerly waiting to check your monitor’s refresh rate. Remember, the process varies slightly depending on your operating system. Here, the guide is for Windows Operating System.
Step 1: Start your computer system
The refresh rate is not something that is displayed on the exterior of the monitor. Although, it is often seen that the specifications are mentioned in its casing. But after unpacking, we generally do not keep the casings. So booting up your system is the way to find out the details.
Step 2: Opening ‘Display Settings.’
If you are using a Windows operating system, there are two ways to go to the Display Settings.
- Go to Settings and then select Display Settings.
- You can right-click anywhere on the Desktop and choose Display Settings.
Step 3: Choose the Advanced Display
Our next step is to look for Advanced Display. Look at the bottom when the dialogue box of Display Settings opens up.
Step 4: Select your display
This option is only for those who connect multiple monitor screens to the system. Gaming enthusiasts are those who use multiple screens to enhance their gaming.
Step 5: Check the Refresh Rate
Now, click on the Refresh Rate option below Display Information to view all the supported refresh rates of the display. You can even change it to a higher rate or lower it per your requirement. Changing the refresh rate to a higher value gives you better performance.
The default refresh rate of a monitor is 60Hz. This gives a moderate experience as compared to higher rates. The frequency can be increased depending on the monitor that you have.
For Mac OS.
Click on the Apple menu and select ‘System Preferences.‘
Navigate to ‘Displays.’
Under the ‘Display‘ tab, you can find the refresh rate.
For Linux.
Open the terminal.
Type ‘xrandr -q‘ and hit Enter.
The refresh rate will be displayed next to the current screen resolution
Conclusion
We saw that the refresh rates of a display determine how smoothly your monitor works. The higher the rates, the smoother the display will be. In a regular system, we can check the frequencies and alter them as per our use.
It should also be noted that for a monitor to utilize the set rate fully, the GPU should also support the same frequency range.
FAQs
Yes, monitors with a higher refresh rate generally consume more power as they refresh the screen more times per second.
Yes, you can adjust the refresh rate, but it must be within the monitor’s capabilities. Overclocking beyond the monitor’s specified limit could damage the device.
Yes, a higher refresh rate can reduce input lag, leading to a more responsive gaming experience.
This could be due to the type of cable you’re using. Not all cables support higher refresh rates.
Even if you’re not a gamer, a higher refresh rate leads to smoother scrolling and less eye strain, which is beneficial for any long-term computer user.
Having 144Hz means that the screen can display 144 images in a single second. On the other hand, 60Hz means that your screen can display 60 images in a second.
This value is set as the default rate in the monitors, and many games also have 60Hz as their primary requirement. But gamers often go for a higher refresh rate as it provides better flow while gaming.
