What is refresh rate?
The basic definition of refresh rate is as follows:
Tốc độ làm mới là gì?
Định nghĩa cơ bản về tốc độ làm mới như sau:
'Refresh rate refers to how often a monitor's images are painted or refreshed every second. It's measured in hertz, so a refresh rate of 75 Hz means the image is refreshed 75 times in one second.'
However, it's crucial to provide some additional information. The refresh rate is generated by the monitor itself, not the processor or graphics card. In this sense, it differs from another similar term, which is frame rate.
One way to think about it is that these two performance metrics need to work hand in hand. So, for optimal performance, you need a monitor with a high refresh rate and a system that can also produce high frame rates. If either falls short, the quality of the monitor may be affected, and you won't experience the full benefits.
What is the ideal refresh rate?
Until recently, 60 Hz has been considered the standard refresh rate for desktop computer monitors, and for some users, that may still be sufficient. However, a refresh rate around 60 Hz is associated with flickering effects that can contribute to issues like eye strain, discomfort when staring at the screen for extended periods. For this reason, even for fairly basic usage purposes, 75 Hz is now seen as a better starting point for computer monitors.
For more advanced purposes, such as esports or high-resolution gaming, you'll want an even higher refresh rate, and 120 Hz may be considered a better starting point. As Digital Trends emphasizes, at this refresh rate level, assuming your frame rate is stable, you may even notice improvements in the smoothness of mouse cursor movement. ViewSonic's Elite esports range offers good options, such as the XG2401, with a refresh rate of 144 Hz.
Effectively, if you have a monitor with refresh rates around those levels and your graphics card and processor can generate high frame rates, you'll experience significant improvements in image quality and smoothness of motion. For gaming and demanding visual applications, this can be a major differentiator.
Conclusion
Refresh rate is an important factor to consider when purchasing a computer monitor as it determines the screen's refresh frequency. Unlike frame rate, which is generated by the system, refresh rate is generated by the monitor itself. However, both concepts work in tandem and both need to be compatible with each other.
