Modern displays with quick refresh rates work well in games that aren't focused on frame per second.
Modern displays with quick refresh rates work well in games that aren't focused on frame per second.
Hey everyone, since yesterday I really hit the high refresh rate and noticed improvements even outside FPS titles. As in CS, the kills came easier—Linus showed this before, and it really helped. In racing games, especially ACC, the difference was noticeable. I only changed the resolution to 1440p and turned on HDR, leaving everything else unchanged. I still get similar average FPS, but the game feels more responsive. My lap times dropped by nearly a second, and even though I’m not used to the new settings yet, they matched my best times at other tracks. Today’s the same. I tried lowering the refresh rate back to 75, just like before, and it slowed things down—slower lap times and a less responsive experience. I’m confused because my FPS stayed around 85, which is what I used to get before. I didn’t really focus on frame rates earlier, but now I notice they matter more. In Cyberpunk, even at around 40 FPS, the game runs smoother and feels more responsive. So, why does a higher refresh rate make such a big difference when FPS and frame times aren’t much better?
Smoothness on high Hz monitors is maintained even at lower frame rates because it depends on how fast the display can update its content. A 60Hz monitor refreshes every 16.666ms, while a 120Hz monitor refreshes every 8.333ms. This means that even if you're using a lower frame rate like 50fps, the monitor can still capture and show new images much more frequently than a 60Hz screen. The quicker refresh rate allows the display to respond faster, reducing visible lag and improving perceived smoothness.
You might also possess a more recent display with reduced latency, and you're experiencing extra speed improvements beyond just the refresh rate. However, a high refresh rate is certainly advantageous.
I prefer a higher refresh rate, but it becomes harder to maintain quality. I usually stick to 60fps and 120hz, even though it seems counterintuitive—there’s no reason to go beyond that since you’ll always see 60fps without any strange "ghost fps" appearing.