Have you been looking at 144 Hz monitors and asking yourself is it worth upgrading from 60 Hz to 144 Hz? I’ve been using a 60 Hz monitor for close to ten years now, and I always thought it might be cool to upgrade?
The problem is gaming monitors are not cheap and most people can’t justify dropping that much cash for a simple monitor upgrade. If you have some money set aside, and you’re thinking about upgrading from 60 Hz to 144 Hz, continue reading this article.
Is It Worth Upgrading from 60 Hz to 144 Hz?
It is worth upgrading from 60 Hz to 144 Hz if your graphics card can run games at frame rates higher than 60 FPS and your favorite games are competitive shooters.
Regular computer use will feel much smoother, such as mouse cursor movements, scrolling down pages, arranging windows, and working on documents.
Most people who upgrade from 60 Hz to 144 Hz are shocked at how smooth and responsive everything feels and swear they will never go back to 60 Hz. Some people even go as far as saying everything under 144 Hz feels choppy and clunky.
The choice is not an easy one because there are lots of other variables to consider too (graphics card capabilities, resolution, price, etc), which I’ll help clear up in this post.
Upgrading to 144 Hz checklist:
- You have good hardware and can reach 144 + FPS in most games
- You play competitive shooters (R6, CS GO, Valorant, etc)
- You do other computer-related work, such as video editing or Photoshop
Want to take it a step further? Consider 144 Hz Vs 240 Hz.
144 Hz Monitors on Amazon:
1 – Samsung 24-inch CRG5 144 Hz
2 – Acer KG241Q 23.6″ 144 HZ
3 – Sceptre CS48B 24-Inch Curved 144 Hz
When Upgrading from 60 Hz to 144 Hz is Not Worth it:
Here are some reasons why upgrading from 60 Hz to 144 Hz is not a good idea:
- You’re on a very tight budget
- Your computer is dated and all your favorite games can’t run at more than 60 FPS
- You do mostly office work and don’t see the need to upgrade
Hz vs FPS:
Without getting too technical, Hz (Herz Rate) represents the number of times a display can refresh in one second. 60 Hz display refresh 60 times a second, 144 Hz 144 times, and so on.
Frame rate (or FPS – frame per second) is not the same as Hz, but rather the number of frames your graphics card can render a second for the given game.
As you might have guessed, some games are very demanding on graphics cards, so they can struggle to output a stable frame rate. The frame rate can also change depending on the scenes. We talked about monitor refresh rates and mouse response times over here.
Unless you use V-sync, frame times are not usually completely synced to a monitor’s refresh rate. However, the monitor will only show the frames that its Hz rate can handle.
For example, you could be getting 200 + FPS on a 60 Hz monitor but the monitor will only show 60 of those frames a second. A 144 Hz monitor will show up to 144 frames a second.
If you’re getting 200 + FPS in games like CS GO, upgrading from 60 Hz to 144 Hz will allow you to “see” 84 more frames. In other words, a 144 Hz monitor will show as many frames as it can up to 144.
As you can imagine, that can give you a competitive edge because you can see and react to cues quicker than usual. The visuals will also appear less blurry.
What If You Can’t Reach 144 FPS+
As long as your computer can run games at more than 60 FPS you will see a noticeable difference moving from 60 Hz to 144 Hz.
For example, if a game runs at 90 FPS, you’ll see 30 more frames, and while that doesn’t seem like much, it can feel noticeably smoother (50% more frames than on 60 Hz).
There are also games that are just really poorly optimized, like *cough* Cyberpunk 2077, and even on the lowest settings, you won’t be getting a stable 60 FPS.
For regular computer use, the display is always working at 144 frames a second because the operating system UI is not very demanding on hardware.
Are 144 Hz Monitors Only Good for Gamers?
While 144 Hz monitors are primarily designed for competitive gamers, average computer users can benefit from 144 Hz monitors too.
The main advantage is almost every task on a 144 Hz monitor feels much smoother and fluid. Even simple tasks like browsing the internet feel buttery smooth.
So upgrading from 60 Hz to 144 Hz is a good idea even for people who don’t play a lot of games. I do a lot of work on my 144 Hz monitor, and I can’t imagine going back to 60 Hz.
It’s hard to explain how much smoother everything feels, it’s something you have to experience.
144 Hz for Non-Competitive Gamers
Maybe you like to fire up some casual games and you’re wondering if a 144 Hz monitor will benefit those games.
The improvement will depend on the capabilities of your graphics card. If you’re getting above 100 FPS on your favorite games, a 144 Hz monitor will still show a noticeable improvement.
P.S. If you’re on the move a lot, consider a portable monitor.
The Bottom Line
In short, upgrading from 60 Hz to 144 Hz is usually a good idea. The good news is there are decent 1080P 144 Hz monitors on the market that are not too pricey.
If you want to get an idea of what it’s like to use a 144 Hz monitor, you can usually test them out at electronics stores.
My personally? I highly recommend moving to 144 Hz, even if you don’t have a super-beefy computer, the smoothness is definitely worth it.
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