- A monitor can only show a new frame when it refreshes, so a 60Hz display adds about 8 ms of waiting on average and up to 16.7 ms at worst.
- Moving from 60Hz to 144Hz removes roughly 5 ms of average display wait; moving from 240Hz to 360Hz removes only about 0.7 ms.
- A higher refresh rate only helps if your game outputs enough frames per second to use it.
- Refresh rate is one link in a chain that also includes your mouse, operating system, game engine and panel response time.
Gamers argue endlessly about whether a 240Hz or 360Hz monitor is worth the money. The honest answer depends on the math, your hardware and how you play. This guide explains what a refresh rate does to latency, how big the benefit really is at each step, and how to check your own setup instead of trusting marketing numbers.
What a refresh rate actually is
The refresh rate, measured in hertz (Hz), is how many times per second a monitor redraws the image. A 60Hz monitor redraws 60 times a second and a 144Hz monitor 144 times. Between redraws the screen keeps showing the previous frame, however quickly your computer produced a newer one. That sets a hard floor on how quickly new information can reach your eyes: if an enemy appears just after a refresh, you will not see them until the next one.
The math: frame time at each refresh rate
The time between refreshes is 1000 divided by the refresh rate, in milliseconds. On average a new frame waits about half that interval for the next refresh, and in the worst case it waits the whole interval.
| Refresh rate | Time between refreshes | Average wait | Worst case | Average gain vs 60Hz |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60Hz | 16.7 ms | 8.3 ms | 16.7 ms | n/a |
| 144Hz | 6.9 ms | 3.5 ms | 6.9 ms | about 4.9 ms |
| 240Hz | 4.2 ms | 2.1 ms | 4.2 ms | about 6.2 ms |
| 360Hz | 2.8 ms | 1.4 ms | 2.8 ms | about 6.9 ms |
The returns shrink quickly. Going from 60Hz to 144Hz cuts the worst-case wait by about 9.7 ms, from 144Hz to 240Hz by 2.8 ms, and from 240Hz to 360Hz by only 1.4 ms.
Where the real latency comes from
Display refresh is only part of system latency, which is the time from moving your mouse to seeing the result. The chain looks like this:
- Input device: polling rate (1000Hz means a 1 ms update interval) and wired versus wireless.
- Operating system and drivers: input handling and power-saving states.
- Game engine: simulation tick rate and how many frames it queues.
- GPU and render queue: drawing time plus any buffering from V-Sync.
- Display scan-out: the refresh wait calculated above.
- Pixel response: how quickly pixels change color, from about 0.1 ms on OLED to several milliseconds on slower LCDs.
If a pipeline queues two frames, a 60Hz setup might carry about 33 ms of frame-related delay while a 240Hz setup carries about 8 ms. That is why high refresh rates can feel better than the simple half-frame math suggests: they shorten every queued frame, not only the last one.
Frame rate must keep up with refresh rate
A 240Hz monitor showing a game that runs at 90 frames per second still repeats frames, so you receive little of the benefit. To use a high-refresh display you need a frame rate close to or above the refresh rate. Competitive games such as Counter-Strike 2, Valorant and Apex Legends often reach this on modern hardware, while demanding single-player games usually do not.
V-Sync, G-Sync and FreeSync
Traditional V-Sync waits for the refresh to avoid tearing, which can add a frame or more of buffering. Variable refresh rate (VRR) technologies such as G-Sync and FreeSync let the display refresh when a frame is ready, which removes most of that penalty. Many competitive players either use VRR with a frame cap slightly below the refresh rate, or turn syncing off and accept some tearing for the lowest latency.
Is 360Hz worth it?
The average gain from 240Hz to 360Hz is under 1 ms of display wait. A typical human reaction is 200 to 250 ms with natural variation of 20 to 30 ms between attempts, so the improvement is small against the noise. In tightly matched competitive play a millisecond or two may matter at the margin, and some 360Hz panels also have faster pixel response. The upgrade makes most sense for dedicated competitive players who already have a powerful system and a good mouse.
Recommendations by player type
| Player type | Sensible target |
|---|---|
| Casual or single-player | 60 to 120Hz, with VRR if available |
| Regular multiplayer or FPS player | 144 to 165Hz with a wired 1000Hz mouse |
| Serious competitive player | 240Hz, game mode on, fps well above 240 |
| Esports-focused enthusiast | 360Hz OLED or fast IPS plus a tuned system |
How to test your own setup
- Run five rounds on the TapReflex reaction time test at your current refresh rate and note the average.
- Change the refresh rate in your operating system display settings (for example 60Hz, then 144Hz).
- Repeat at the same time of day with the same mouse, and compare averages over at least three sessions each.
- Try the aim test too, since it also depends on display and mouse latency.
Expect differences of a few milliseconds, not dozens. Your own variation is often larger than the hardware effect, so average many attempts before drawing conclusions.
Frequently asked questions
Does a higher refresh rate make me react faster?
It does not change your nervous system, but it lets you see events sooner, which slightly lowers measured and in-game response time.
Do I need a special cable?
Often yes. High refresh rates need DisplayPort or the right HDMI version, so check your monitor manual.
Is pixel response more important than refresh rate?
Both matter. A fast refresh rate with slow pixel transitions can still look smeared and delay when a change is clearly visible.
Conclusion
Refresh rate matters most when you move from 60Hz to 144Hz, and each step after that adds smaller gains. Treat the monitor as one link in the full latency chain, match your frame rate to your refresh rate, use a quality wired mouse, and measure the results yourself. Good places to read further include Blur Busters research on refresh rate and input lag, RTINGS input lag testing methodology, and NVIDIA Reflex documentation.