A monitor doesn't show moving pictures. It shows still pictures, very quickly, one after another. The refresh rate, measured in hertz (Hz), is how many times per second the screen draws a new one. A 60 Hz screen redraws 60 times a second; a 144 Hz screen, 144 times.
Flip that around and you get the number that matters for how a game feels: how long each picture stays on screen. At 60 Hz every image hangs there for about 16.7 milliseconds. At 144 Hz it's about 6.9 ms, and at 240 Hz about 4.2 ms. Shorter gaps mean smoother motion and a screen that reacts sooner when you move the mouse.
The demo below freezes a fast-moving object every time the screen refreshes. It doesn't depend on your own screen's speed: you're looking at snapshots, the way a slow-motion camera would see them.
Each mark is one picture the monitor draws. Big jumps between marks are what your eyes read as choppy, smeary motion. Faster target = bigger jumps; more hertz = smaller ones.
Hertz is what the monitor can show. Frames per second (fps) is what your PC or console actually makes. They're two different numbers, and the smoothness you get is set by whichever is lower.
Plug a console that runs a game at 60 fps into a 240 Hz monitor and you still get 60 new pictures a second; the monitor just shows each one four times. The other way round, a PC rendering 200 fps on a 60 Hz screen throws most of those frames away (the game can still feel a little snappier, because the frame that does get shown is newer, but you won't see the extra smoothness).
When the two numbers don't line up neatly, you get two classic problems. Stutter is when some frames stay on screen longer than others, so motion looks uneven. Tearing is when the screen starts drawing a new frame halfway through the old one and you see a horizontal "cut" across the image.
Variable refresh rate (VRR) lets the monitor wait for the game instead of running on a fixed clock. If the game produces 87 frames this second, the screen refreshes 87 times. That removes most tearing and smooths out stutter when the frame rate dips. You'll see it sold as AMD FreeSync, NVIDIA G-Sync (or "G-Sync Compatible"), or HDMI 2.1 VRR on TVs and consoles.
For a beginner, VRR is often more noticeable than going from 144 to 240 Hz, because most games don't hold a perfectly steady frame rate. It's now standard on nearly every gaming monitor, but it's worth checking it's listed.
Top row: when the game finishes a frame. Bottom row: when the screen refreshes, on a 144 Hz monitor. Coral = a new frame shown; grey = the old one repeated. With VRR on, the screen follows the game (up to its maximum).
It depends on what you'll plug in, more than on how serious a gamer you are.
| You play on | What's worth it |
|---|---|
| PC, fast games (shooters, racing, competitive) | Yes. 144 Hz or more is the biggest upgrade you'll feel, as long as your graphics card can push well past 60 fps. |
| PC, slower games (strategy, story games) | Nice, not essential. Even desktop scrolling feels smoother, and fast monitors are cheap now. |
| PS5 or Xbox Series X|S | Up to 120 Hz in games that offer a performance mode. Anything above 120 Hz goes unused. 4K at 120 Hz needs HDMI 2.1. |
| Nintendo Switch 2 | Up to 120 Hz when docked, at 1440p or lower resolution, in games that support it. |
| A laptop or older PC | Check its fps first. If games run around 50–60 fps, a high-Hz monitor adds little beyond VRR smoothing. |
The good news is that the price gap has mostly gone. Plenty of budget 1080p monitors now run at 144, 165 or 180 Hz for around €100–150, and a 1440p 165–180 Hz screen tends to sit around €200–300. A plain 60 Hz "gaming" monitor is rarely a saving worth making.
Yes, but each step helps less. Going from 60 to 144 Hz cuts each picture's time on screen by about 9.8 ms. Going from 144 to 240 Hz cuts it by only 2.8 ms more. Players in competitive shooters do notice it, and 240 Hz and faster OLED monitors are popular with them, but you need a powerful PC to actually feed 240 frames a second. For most people starting out, 144–180 Hz is the sweet spot.
Budget (around €100–150): 24–27 inch, 1080p, 144–180 Hz, with FreeSync or G-Sync Compatible. An IPS panel gives better colours and viewing angles than older TN panels.
Sweet spot (around €200–350): 27 inch at 1440p and 144–180 Hz. Sharper than 1080p at this size, and a good match for mid-range graphics cards and current consoles. If you'll connect a console, check it has HDMI that supports 120 Hz.
Step up (€400 and more): 240 Hz or faster, often OLED, for very fast motion clarity. Only worth it if your PC can actually reach those frame rates in the games you play.
Whatever you buy, once it's plugged in, go to your computer's display settings and check the refresh rate is actually set to the maximum. Many screens start at 60 Hz until you change it, and a cheap cable can hold it back too.