Refresh Rate (Hz)
Refresh rate is how many times per second the monitor redraws the image. It only helps if your GPU can actually produce frames at that pace.
A 144Hz monitor redraws 144 times a second, giving each frame about 6.9ms on screen. At 60Hz each frame sits for 16.7ms. That difference is what makes motion feel smoother on a high refresh display.
The gains shrink as the numbers climb, because you are subtracting from an ever-smaller figure. Going 60Hz to 144Hz cuts about 9.7ms per frame — a large, obvious change. Going 240Hz to 360Hz saves roughly 1.4ms.
A monitor cannot invent frames. If your graphics card sustains 80fps in the game you play, a 240Hz panel spends most of its time redrawing the same frame.
Where this decision gets made
Gaming Monitors buying guide →
Turn it into a real number
Refresh Rate ↔ Frame Time Converter →