Refresh Rate vs Response Time: What 60Hz, 120Hz and 144Hz Really Mean

Every monitor, laptop and phone advert throws two numbers at you. Something like 144Hz and 1ms. Most people know bigger Hz is better and smaller ms is better, and that's about it. Which is fine until you're choosing between two screens and trying to work out if the more expensive one is actually worth it.

Let me explain refresh rate properly, along with response time, because they're not the same thing and they fix different problems.

Refresh rate: how often the picture changes

Refresh rate is how many times per second your screen draws a new image. It's measured in hertz (Hz). A 60Hz screen updates 60 times a second, a 120Hz screen 120 times, a 144Hz screen 144 times.

In time terms, a 60Hz screen shows each image for about 16.7 milliseconds. At 120Hz that This matter because anything that moves on screen moves in jumps. Every refresh, it gets redrawn a bit further along. More refreshes per second means smaller jumps, so movement looks smoother and your eyes can follow it more easily. You notice it most when scrolling a long page, dragging a window around or playing a fast game.

Response time: how fast each pixel changes

Response time is something else. It's how long a single pixel takes to change from one color to another, usually measured in milliseconds. You'll often see it written as GtG, which means gray to gray.

If pixels change slowly, moving objects leave a faint smear or trail behind them, usually called ghosting. Fast response time keeps edges sharp while things move.

How they work together

The easiest way to think about it: refresh rate decides how often a new image arrives, and response time decides whether the pixels have finished changing before the next one shows up.

 Frame rate is the other half

Your screen can only show what your computer sends it. That's the frame rate, in frames per second (fps). If a game runs at 70fps on a 144Hz monitor, you're getting a 70fps experience, not a 144 one.

When frame rate and refresh rate don't line up, you can get tearing (the image looks split horizontally) or stutter.

Video is different. Most films are 24fps and most online video is 30 or 60fps, so a 144Hz screen doesn't make video look any different. Where you'll feel it outside of games is everyday scrolling and moving windows around.

The mistake almost everyone makes with a new monitor

This one is really common. You buy a 144Hz monitor, plug it in, and it runs at 60Hz. Windows doesn't always switch to the highest refresh rate on its own, and the wrong cable can limit it too.

Check it straight away:

• Windows 11: Settings > System > Display > Advanced display, then pick the highest rate under "Choose a refresh rate".
• Mac: System Settings > Displays, then the Refresh Rate menu (only shown on displays that support more than one rate).
• Android: usually Settings > Display, under a name like Smooth display or Motion smoothness.
• iPhone and iPad: ProMotion models adjust automatically up to 120Hz. There's no rate to pick, though Settings > Accessibility > Motion > Limit Frame Rate caps it at 60Hz if that's turned on.

If the higher rate isn't listed, check the cable. Use DisplayPort or the HDMI cable that came with the monitor, and plug it into the graphics card rather than the motherboard if your PC has both. Laptops also sometimes drop the refresh rate on battery to save power.

Is a higher refresh rate worth it?

For gaming, yes, as long as your computer can actually produce high frame rates. The jump from 60Hz to 120Hz or 144Hz is the one people notice most. Going from 144Hz to 240Hz is a smaller step that mostly matters for competitive players.

For office work, 60Hz does the job. That said, a lot of people who try 120Hz for scrolling documents and web pages don't want to go back. It's a comfort upgrade, not a necessity.

On phones and laptops there's a battery cost, since redrawing the screen more often uses more power. Most modern devices handle this with an adaptive refresh rate that drops right down when nothing on screen is moving.

While you're at it

If you've just set up a new screen, it's a good moment to check for dead or stuck pixels too. Open WakeMode's Screen Test, go through the full-screen colors, and make sure nothing's wrong before the return window closes.

To sum it up: refresh rate is how often the picture updates, response time is how quickly the pixels keep up, and your computer's frame rate decides how much of either you actually get. Check your settings, use the right cable, and you'll get what you paid for.