There is a big debate in the gaming community about the best refresh rate for gaming. Some people say you need to have a monitor that supports 120hz or higher to get the best gaming experience. Others say that 60hz is just fine. So, which is it? Is 60hz good enough for gaming? In this article, we will take a look at both sides of the argument and help you decide what is right for you!
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Short Answer: Is 60Hz Good Enough For Gaming In 2022?
Yes, 60hz is still good enough for gaming in 2022. Competitive gamers may want to upgrade to 144hz or higher, but 60hz is just fine for most people. If you are a casual gamer or don’t care about competitive gaming, there is no need to spend extra money on a higher refresh rate monitor.
What is Refresh Rate?
The refresh rate is the number of times per second that your monitor refreshes the image on your screen. The standard refresh rate for most monitors is 60hz. A 60hz refresh rate means that the image on the screen is refreshed 60 times per second.
What is Frame Rate?
Frame rate is a measurement of how many frames per second are rendered by the computer or laptop’s graphics card. A 60hz screen does not necessarily mean a 60hz frame rate. A 60hz screen is capable of displaying up to 60 frames per second, but the laptop’s graphics card ultimately determines the frames per second (FPS) you’re getting. When running a demanding game with a less powerful graphics card, you are likely to see lower FPS than the potential of your screen.
However, if you have a powerful graphics card like the Nvidia RTX 3060 for gaming, you will, in many games, reach frame rates higher than 60 fps. In those cases, a screen with a 60hz refresh rate will only be able to show a maximum of 60fps, and you need something like one of the best 240hz gaming notebooks if you want to experience higher frame rates.
Why Is Refresh Rates Important For Gaming?
A higher refresh rate will result in an overall smoother gaming experience. If you enjoy playing fast-paced games, you know how important it is to have a high frame rate. When running a game with a consistent frame rate and the FPS suddenly drops, you’re sure to notice it.
For competitive gamers playing games such as Dota 2 or CS: GO, a higher frame rate is especially important, as every millisecond counts. If you’re not playing at the highest possible frame rate, you could be at a disadvantage against your opponents.
Some might say that they can’t notice the difference between 60 and 144 FPS, but the fact is, if you’re used to playing at 144hz and suddenly have to play on a 60hz monitor, you’re going to notice the lower frame rate.
Do You Need a Higher Refresh Rate Monitor?
If you’re a competitive gamer, the answer is most likely yes. However, if you’re just a casual player, 60hz is probably good enough for you. Most people won’t notice the difference between 60 and 144hz unless they’re playing fast-paced games or are particularly sensitive to FPS dips.
Another aspect to consider is the price difference between a standard 60hz screen and one with a higher refresh rate. When it comes to gaming laptops, it’s rare to have a refresh rate above 60hz unless you pay at least 1000 bucks for the product. It’s not until the best gaming laptops under $2000 that you see almost all options with at least 144hz screens.
If you’re on a tight budget, don’t worry too much about getting a high refresh rate screen. 60hz is more than enough for most people and is the industry standard for gaming laptops.
Frame Rates and Screen Resolution
Most gaming laptops have 1080p resolution screens. A 1080p screen is good for most games, but if you’re looking to game at the highest settings or play on a large screen, you might want to consider getting a gaming laptop with a 1440p or even an Ultra HD (3840 x 2160) resolution. A higher resolution means that your games will look better, but it also means that your games will require more processing power to run smoothly.
The added processing power needed for 1440p and Ultra HD gaming is why you’ll often see these screens paired with more powerful hardware. If you’re looking for a laptop that can game at the highest settings on higher resolutions, you’ll need to be prepared to spend some serious cash.
If you’re considering getting a higher resolution screen for gaming, you should also make sure that your graphics card is up to the task. If it’s not up to the task, there is no need to consider anything other than a standard 60hz screen.
Will 60hz Be Enough In The Future?
In the near future, we don’t see much change in the refresh rates of gaming laptops. Displays are getting larger, but the resolution stays the same. So while you might get a 17-inch 1080p display on your next laptop, it’s unlikely to be any better than what’s available today in terms of raw image quality or gaming performance.
However, there is one area where we do see potential improvements in the near future, and that is in terms of input lag. This is the delay between when you press a button on your keyboard or mouse and when that action is registered on screen. As displays get larger and resolutions stay the same, we expect monitor manufacturers to focus more on reducing input lag. This is especially important for gamers who need to have the quickest possible reaction times.
How To Check And Change The Refresh Rate In Windows
If your screen supports a higher refresh rate, you’ll need to change a few things in Windows before you can take advantage of it. The process is fairly simple and takes less than 5 minutes. Here’s what you need to do:
- Open the Start Menu and search for “display settings.”
- Click on the “Display settings” option.
- Scroll down to the “Advanced display settings” section.
- Click on the “Display adapter properties for Display 1” link
- Select the “Monitor” tab
- Find the “Screen refresh rate” option in the list
- Choose the refresh rate you want from the drop-down menu
How To Monitor Your Refresh Rate In-Game
If you are like most PC gamers using Steam for your game library, you can enable the built-in FPS counter. This is useful for seeing if your games are running above or below 60FPS. To do this:
- Open Steam
- Click on the “Steam” menu in the top left corner and select “Settings”
- Under the “General” tab, click on the “In-Game Settings” button
- Check the “Display In-game frame rate counter” option
- Once you have enabled this setting, launch any game from your Steam library, and you should now see a small FPS counter in the corner of the screen
Verdict: Should You Stick With a 60Hz Screen?
For most people, a 60Hz monitor is good enough for gaming.
However, if you are a competitive gamer or want the absolute best gaming experience possible, you should get a monitor with a higher refresh rate. A 144Hz or even 240Hz monitor will make a world of difference when it comes to gaming on a professional level.