If you have been in the PC gaming scenario for some time, then it is safe to say that you are already aware of the everlasting debate that has been going on about the refresh rates.
Let’s go back a few years when refresh rates did not matter a lot, when everyone was happy with gaming at 60 Hz monitors, because what mattered to them was the experience they would get.
Then something happened and higher refresh rate monitors started appearing in the market and changed the scenario of PC gamer for better or for worst.
This time, the entire PC gaming market and the community is looking to get the highest refresh rates in the monitors, and I have to talk about how they do cost a lot of money as well.
How much is a lot?
Well, I don’t have the exact figure, but there is a stark difference between a standard 60 hertz monitor, and a 144 hertz monitor.
But which one is better?
144 hertz, or the newly introduced 240 hertz? Well to understand that better, you are going to need to understand what refresh rate is in the first place. That is exactly what we are going to explore in this article, so let’s have a look.
Understanding Refresh Rate
Before we start the age old debate, the basic question is that what exactly is refresh rate. Well, to make it simpler, the refresh rate basically means the rate by which the monitor refreshes every second.
So if a monitor is a 60 hertz panel, it will be able to refresh 60 times in a second. Although this number is a lot, when you ask the gamers, it simply is not enough in the modern day and age.
To make it even simpler, a monitor that caps at 60 hertz will also be able to display only 60 frames per second. The higher the refresh rate, the higher the frames per second a monitor will be able to display.
This is just how the basic science of refresh rate works, which is rather easy to understand without having an awful lot of confusions.
Now that we have the refresh rate debacle out of the way, let’s talk about 144 hertz monitors, as well as 240 hertz monitors.
I know it sounds like an awfully high number when you look at from the per second perspective, but trust me, gamers are wanting more and more.
144 Hertz vs 240 Hertz – Battle of the Hertz
Now that I have explained what the refresh rate means, the glaring question is whether you should invest in monitor that offers 144 hertz, or a monitor that offers 240 hertz.
However, to add a cherry on the top, I am even going to talk about the difference you would face shifting from a monitor that offers 60 hertz to a monitor that offers 100 hertz, or going from 144 to 100.
When I first shifted from the Dell UltraSharp U2711 to Asus MG278Q, it was a shift from 60 to 144; and the difference was drastic.
It was like being in a whole new realm that I did not know about; the games were fluid, and the overall experience of just browsing felt amazing.
However, from the MG278Q, I upgraded to the PG38Q; an ultra-wide monitor with 100 hertz refresh rate. The difference was there, but it was so minimal that I did not feel it.
At that point, I kind of figured out that jumping from 60 to 144 was a lot, but making small jumps back and forth did not mean much.
However, what if I jump from 100 to 240 or even 144 to 240?
So, I ventured on and shed some more cash and bought the monitor that supported that refresh rate. I was actually surprised to see that past the 100 or 144 hertz barrier, my eyes could not tell the difference all that much.
I tested the Asus PG258Q against my MG278Q, and the difference was minimal to say the least.
Sure, the frame counter on my monitor showed 240 in all its glory, but I simply could not see the difference. So by this standard, one would assume that the 144 is better, but there’s more.
Can Your PC Handle It?
Although 60 hertz are no longer an issue for most of the PC, especially when the 1080p is still a standard resolution for a lot of people. The battle here is between the bigger boys.
Now as far as 144 hertz is concerned, I can say that most of the modern day graphic cards can handle it easily. GTX 1080, and 1080Ti can do it rather easily at 1440p.
However, when we look at the 240 hertz, things don’t add up that well. That is an awful lot of frames to push, and with games being more demanding, it might not be possible. Also you might to invest in a gaming CPU for this.
Sure, you can achieve that many frames in CS:GO, if you lower the settings enough, but if you are talking about games like PUBG, it will certainly not be enough as PUBG is one of the most demanding titles in the market.
Can You Even Tell the Difference?
This is perhaps the most subjective thing to ask me, but as far as my experience is concerned between 144 hertz and 240 hertz, I could not tell a difference all that much.
However, this is based on the eyes and how you can perceive, so I would suggest that if you want the right answer, you should head to places like Microcenter where they have monitors on display that will help you.
In addition to that, there are handy tools available on the internet that will allow you to test different frame rates, but to test out all the refresh rates, you are going to need the monitor that supports the maximum.
Pricing
At the given moment, both 144 hertz, and 240 hertz monitors are expensive, and they are only going to get more expensive as the resolutions take a hike too.
So, before you start making decisions, just know that your budget means a lot in a situation like this. I think as far as the price to performance ratio is concerned, the 144 hertz is certainly better.
Conclusion
After spending about 3 weeks testing 2 monitors back and forth, I can safely say that I am able to draw a conclusion.
At this given time, I would suggest you all to use a 144 hertz monitor, or buy that if you are looking for a monitor. Why? Because it is much more affordable, as compared to 240 hertz option, there are several options available from different companies, and you can even go ultra-wide if you want to.
In addition to that, GPUs would perform certainly better on the 144 hertz monitor, and there will be no bottleneck whatsoever.
Thankfully, drawing this conclusion was rather easy because the opportunity cost factor was very evident. I did not have to scrutinize any factor, and I am glad. This is good for both the reader, as well as the writer.
We hope this article helped you in deciding the right monitor.