What is refresh rate?
Refresh rate (Hz) is how many times per second the display can show a new image. 60 Hz means 60 frames per second. Higher rates make motion look smoother and can reduce input lag, which matters most in gaming.
60 Hz vs 120 Hz and beyond
60 Hz is standard for office work and most video. For gaming, 120 Hz or 144 Hz (and higher) makes fast motion clearer and can feel more responsive. Variable refresh rate (VRR) syncs the display to the GPU to avoid tearing.
For film and streaming, 60 Hz is usually enough. For competitive or fast-paced gaming, aim for 120 Hz or more and enable VRR (G-Sync or FreeSync) if your hardware supports it.
Variable refresh rate (VRR)
VRR technologies like NVIDIA G-Sync and AMD FreeSync let the display refresh in sync with the GPU. That reduces screen tearing and stutter when frame rate varies. A 120 Hz VRR display can show 60, 90, or 120 fps smoothly.
Refresh rate and frame rate explained