Can You Get More Than 60Fps On A 60Hz Monitor? Refresh & Frame rate

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Two factors affect the way graphics display on your screen: refresh rate and frame rate. Refresh rate, expressed in Hertz (Hz), refers to the number of times your monitor updates images in one second.

Frame rate, on the other hand, indicates the number of times your computer displays consecutive images or frames, expressed in frame rates per second (fps). Sometimes, your computer’s frame rate may vary with your monitor’s refresh rate.

For instance, you may have a monitor with a maximum 60Hz refresh rate while your computer has a higher fps. Now, let’s answer the question.

Can You Get More Than 60fps On A 60Hz Monitor?

A 60Hz monitor refreshes the image displayed on a screen 60 times in one second. So it can only output 60fps and nothing more.

It doesn’t mean that a graphic card will be unable to push a frame rate higher than 60fps to the monitor. It only implies that the monitor will not refresh images beyond its 60Hz capacity.

Having more fps on a monitor with a lesser refresh rate, will only lead to screen tearing which occurs when your device shows several frames on a single screen, producing a visual artifact.

However, you can get more than 60fps on a 60Hz monitor by overclocking your monitor, a concept that involves altering its stock refresh rate.

Keep reading for more details on this topic!

About Refresh Rate (Hz)

Refresh rate is one of the main properties of monitors or other display hardware. Like we have said earlier, refresh rate is the number of times your monitor updates images in one second.

The higher a monitor’s refresh rate, the better its performance and the smoother the display. A 60Hz refresh rate implies that a monitor updates images 60 times in one second.

A high refresh rate produces smooth-looking movements, evident in how smoothly the mouse cursor moves around the screen. The smoothness becomes more noticeable in gaming or e-sport.

For modern monitors, a 60Hz frame rate is a minimum required refresh rate, but this refresh rate has been linked with problems like eye strain and eye fatigue. Therefore, we recommend starting with a 75Hz frame rate.

A gaming monitor will often offer a refresh rate of 120Hz or more, giving an option for almost all uses.

Importance Of Refresh Rates

Older CRT monitors require changing refresh rates for smoother operation as a low refresh rate causes image flickering. Updated refresh rate helps to eliminate this flickering.

Modern monitors, however, don’t have this problem as no flickering occurs even with a lower refresh rate. However, having a higher refresh rate will make the pictures run smoothly.

For this reason, expensive monitors designed for gaming usually come with higher refresh rates like 144Hz or 240Hz, which is a huge advancement from the 60Hz refresh rate. The maximum refresh rate dispensed is dependent on the monitor.

Refresh rate is one factor to consider when buying a monitor. Generally, low-priced monitors support lower refresh rates than the more expensive ones.

However, apart from refresh rate, you should also consider other essential factors like response time, color accuracy, and the monitor viewing angles.

Refresh Rates And Gaming

For gamers, refresh rate is the primary determining factor in-game display and performance. Therefore, choosing a soothing refresh rate is, of the essence, mandatory.

The most commonly known refresh rates are the 60Hz, 70Hz, 144Hz, and 240Hz refresh rates. When acquiring a computer for gamers, choose refresh rates according to the player’s level or preference.

60Hz refresh rate:

A 60Hz refresh rate is suitable for novices and players who enjoy strategy and adventure games.

The reason is that you’ll see a few moving images in such games. Adventure games like GTA V and Assassin Creed operate smoothly on a 60Hz screen.

75Hz refresh rate:

A 75Hz refresh rate is also for novice gamers who play shooters and racing games. You’ll get an extra 25 percent more from a 75Hz refresh rate monitor.

In shooting or racing games, a 75Hz refresh rate could come in handy as it could just be enough for you to defeat your opponent.

Skilled gamers using 75Hz refresh rates would quickly notice stutters in the game, but the same stutters will go unnoticed for novice gamers. For this reason, a 75Hz refresh rate will suffice for novice gamers who want more than a 60Hz monitor.

144Hz refresh rate:

A 144Hz refresh rate is for experienced gamers who enjoy shooting games. A 144Hz monitor displays images relatively smoothly.

This display is an added advantage for experienced gamers who play shooters and other fast-paced games. However, a considerable difference exists between 60Hz and144Hz refresh rates.

While a visible amount of screen tearing is peculiar to a 60Hz refresh rate, this is not the case with a 145 Hz refresh rate. Although a 144Hz monitor is quite expensive, you’ll get better graphics on it.

240Hz refresh rate:

A 240Hz refresh rate is for professional gamers who play e-athletic games. A 240Hz monitor delivers real-life quality games. Only diehard gamers and professionals will notice the difference between a 240Hz and 140Hz monitor.

As challenging to spot as it may, diehard gamers will notice the difference between a 240Hz refresh rate and other refresh rates by the number of kills.

A 240Hz monitor provides a sharper and more accurate image between the original frame and more updated information about the surrounding.

Can You Overclock A Monitor To Improve Its Refresh Rate?

Overclocking a display entails altering the default refresh rate to enable you to draw more frames per second (fps). Your graphics transition will be smoother if the refresh rate is higher.

Without needing to spend a lot of money, you could improve your gaming experience by tweaking your existing display.

A microprocessor’s clock rate, also measured in Hz, is the rate at which each executes an instruction in a cycle. One Hz is equivalent to one tick per second. A “tick” is a signal that turns on and off when your processor completes one instruction before moving on to the next.

As long as the entire PC system can manage the adjustment, an overclocked monitor with a higher refresh rate can render visuals faster and more smoothly. Overclocking a 60 Hz monitor to 120 Hz, for example, allows twice as many unique images to appear in one second.

Overclocking prevents screen tearing and improves the viewing experience by sharpening and speeding up a monitor’s display.

About Frame Rates

A monitor displays movements using a certain number of still images called “frames, ” regardless of whether the activity is a film, television show, video game, or mouse cursor. These frames change many times per second.

Frame rate is, therefore, the rate of display of frames usually written as frame per second or fps for short. The higher the fps, the more images your monitor will display in one second.

A higher frame rate delivers a smoother and more realistic movement as opposed to a staggering and stuttered action is the result.

Note that a monitor does not determine frame rates. Instead, a combination of the media or software, central processing unit (CPU), and graphic cards determine a computer’s frame rate.

Frame Rates And Gaming

A monitor with a reasonable frame per second is necessary as it affects overall game performance and general experience. The higher the display frame rates, the quicker response a game inputs.

Although it is difficult to spot the difference between various frame rates, you’ll notice a slowdown or choppy graphics when frame rates drop too far.

A low frame per second increases lag inputs, and minor lags can render a display input useless. These effects are a hassle as they reduce a game’s overall responsiveness and performance.

A high frame per second increases game responsiveness and ensures gamers have minimal input lags. More advantages abound for a high frame rate when it comes to competitive games.

Frame Rate Vs. Refresh Rate

Although only refresh rates directly link to a monitor, both refresh rate and frame rates affect the display on the monitor’s screen.

A monitor with a higher refresh rate (Hz) linked to a low graphics card and processor system will produce a low frame rate. In the same vein, a monitor with a low refresh rate connected to a high graphics card and processor system will yield a low display quality.

However, not all media require a high frame rate. For example, historical and modern movies filmed at 24fps and e-sports recorded at 30fps do not require a high frame rate. However, frame rates of 60fps and above are necessary for displaying fast-paced and precise content.

When frame and refresh rates are not in sync, screen tearing is often the effect. Screen tearing is an effect where a single screen refresh displays multiple frames at once.

To prevent screen tearing, you can balance refresh rates and frame rates using display technologies like G-sync or Freesync.

Conclusion

A monitor’s refresh rate (Hz) is the number of times it can update images in one second, while frame rate (fps) is the number of frames (or images) it can display in one second.

A higher refresh rate (Hz) will produce a smoother display. In addition, a higher frame rate will deliver more images per second.

You cannot get more than 60fps on a 60Hz monitor as it will lead to screen tearing, a distortion in display in which your monitor shows several frames on a single screen.

You can, however, overclock your monitor and alter its refresh rate to work above its stock capacity.