Purchasing a 4K 120Hz TV can be a significant investment, so it’s important to consider whether or not it’s worth it.
Everyone is claiming that 4K 120 FPS is the next big thing but there are some important things you need to know.
Don’t buy a new TV until you finish reading this article!
Is It Worth Buying a 4K 120 HZ TV?
If you have the budget, it’s worth buying a 4K 120 HZ TV because the motion in certain games will be much smoother.
4K 120 Hz TVs also include additional features like full array local dimming, improved picture quality, and HDR.
Having said that, currently very few games support 4K at 120 FPS. And some people can’t even tell the difference between 60 Hz and 120 Hz!
What is 4K Resolution?
4K is a high-resolution display technology that provides four times the detail of a Full HD display. The exact resolution is 3840 x 2160. In other words, it makes your pictures and videos look super sharp and crystal clear.
If you’re into watching movies, and playing video games, 4K is definitely worth checking out.
What’s the Difference Between 120 Hz and 60 Hz?
The difference between 120Hz and 60Hz is the refresh rate, which refers to the number of times the image on a screen is refreshed per second.
A higher refresh rate generally means smoother motion, as the screen can display more images per second.
In practical terms, a 60Hz TV can display 60 frames per second, while a 120Hz monitor will display 120 frames per second.
This means that with a 120Hz display, fast-paced action, such as sports or video games, will appear smoother and more fluid, with less motion blur.
Who Benefits the Most from 120 Hz TVs?
Contrary to what you may have been told, the only people that benefit from a 120 Hz TV are gamers. If you mostly watch movies, a 120 Hz TV won’t improve the experience.
The reason for that is most movies are filmed at 24 frames a second. You don’t need a TV with a high refresh rate to watch movies or TV shows.
It doesn’t really make sense to spend extra money on features you will never use.
Gaming at 4K 120 Hz
The main reason to get a 4K 120 Hz TV is for video games. The new consoles boast the capability of running games at 4K at 120 frames a second.
But can they… really? Let’s compare some devices.
Gaming at 4K 120 Hz on PC
On PC, most games don’t have frame rate limits. The games will output as many frames as your hardware can support.
Gaming at 4K requires a high-end graphics card and a compatible monitor, which can be expensive. Even high-end graphics cards struggle to reach 4K at 120 FPS.
With technologies like DLSS, the frame rates can be boosted. For example, the 4090 can do 4K 120 FPS with DLSS 3 enabled on CyberPunk 2077. Native 4K is another story.
However, for the average PC user, that resolution and frame rate is a bit out of reach. Most high-end graphics cards can reach around 60 FPS on 4K resolution.
So it’s probably not a good idea to buy a 4K 120 Hz TV for PC gaming unless your PC is significantly powerful.
To get the best performance when gaming at 4K, you may need to turn down some graphics settings or adjust the resolution to maintain a high frame rate.
Also, you can take a look at my article about whether it’s worth upgrading from 60 Hz to 144 Hz or not on a PC.
Gaming at 4K 120 Hz on Consoles
The new Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 boast capabilities of 4K at 120 FPS. If you’re a console gamer looking to step up your gaming experience, you might be wondering about gaming at 4K and 120Hz.
With consoles, things get a little tricky. Most console games have built-in frame limits, either 30 FPS or 60 FPS. Some games let you choose between fidelity and performance modes.
Fidelity is usually limited to 30 frames a second with improved visuals and performance is 60 frames a second with downgraded visuals.
And then there are games that let you push it even further with 120 frames a second.
Here’s the catch:
There aren’t many console games that support 120 FPS at the moment.
Here is a list of a few popular titles:
- Gears 5
- Fortnite
- Forza Horizon 5
- Halo Infinite
- Resident Evil Village
- Doom Eternal
- Cyberpunk 2077
- Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
- Destiny 2
And another issue is these games dramatically reduce image quality in order to output 120 frames a second. Most of the time the resolution is downscale too, so it’s not really 4K 120 FPS.
What about the Xbox Series S? Well, don’t even try it.
There are even fewer games that support native 4K at 120 FPS. I think Ori and the Will of the Wisps is the only game that supports it.
To summarize, a console game may support 120 FPS but the visuals and resolution will be significantly downgraded. The graphics will look very washed out.
Granted, the animations and movement feel much smoother, but the sacrifice in visuals is painful. I would prefer to stick to 4K at 60 Hz.
While people say the smooth animations can give you a competitive advantage, the downgraded visuals also make it harder to spot enemies.
Having said that, 120 Hz TVs usually provide less input lag than other TVs.
4K 120 HZ TV Deals
There are many great 4K TVs with 120Hz refresh rates available, and the best one for you will depend on your specific needs and budget.
These are just a few of the many great 4K TVs with 120Hz refresh rates available.
I highly recommend OLED TVs, for the reasons outlined here.
When choosing a TV, be sure to consider your budget, room size, and the specific features you’re looking for, such as HDR support, smart TV capabilities, and more.
The Bottom Line
In short, if you have money to spend, you might as well get the best bang for your buck TV and choose a 4K 120 Hz model.
However, for more budget options, it would be better to stick to 4K at 60 Hz. Besides, most games support 4K at 60 Hz, while very few support 4K at 120 Hz at the moment.
