144Hz display question

[SaifBT]

Hi guys, I have a quick question regarding high refresh rate during gaming. I'm relatively new to PC gaming and shooter games in general and I heard that high refresh rate can help you improve a lot by giving smoother gameplay.

Around 6 months back I have purchased a BenQ XL2720Z which is a 1080p 144hz monitor. I've been using it to game ever since I had it and I just discovered yesterday that it was not by default set to 144Hz refresh rate but windows had it at 60hz.

I changed it to 144hz(in windows 10) by going to display settings -> advanced display settings -> display adapter properties -> monitor tab

I own a GTX 980 GPU and I play on EPIC settings(which is the maximum) and I have Vsync turned on. The issue is, I heard that FPS and refresh rate are directly correlated. I am only getting a maximum of 70FPS from my in game performance tab viewer, does that mean I am NOT playing the game on 144hz and just on around 70hz?

Need advice and tips on what can be done.

Thanks in advance, Saif.

[Deleted]

Yes your playing at half the refresh rate of your screen

Turn V-Sync off... or go into Overwatch and change the resolution so it says 144/140 in the brackets after it and not 59/60

[SaifBT]

Yes your playing at half the refresh rate of your screen

Turn V-Sync off... or go into Overwatch and change the resolution so it says 144/140 in the brackets after it and not 59/60

That is what I have at it...1920x1080(144*) but it still does not go beyond the 75FPS ish

[Daws001]

Have you already tried lowering your graphics settings, say to ultra, and seeing how much that improves it?

[Deleted]

Once again, turn v-sync off and it'll be fixed

[Zedonius31]

Hi guys, I have a quick question regarding high refresh rate during gaming. I'm relatively new to PC gaming and shooter games in general and I heard that high refresh rate can help you improve a lot by giving smoother gameplay.

Around 6 months back I have purchased a BenQ XL2720Z which is a 1080p 144hz monitor. I've been using it to game ever since I had it and I just discovered yesterday that it was not by default set to 144Hz refresh rate but windows had it at 60hz.

I changed it to 144hz(in windows 10) by going to display settings -> advanced display settings -> display adapter properties -> monitor tab

I own a GTX 980 GPU and I play on EPIC settings(which is the maximum) and I have Vsync turned on. The issue is, I heard that FPS and refresh rate are directly correlated. I am only getting a maximum of 70FPS from my in game performance tab viewer, does that mean I am NOT playing the game on 144hz and just on around 70hz?

Need advice and tips on what can be done.

Thanks in advance, Saif.

The refresh rate of the monitor, be it 60 or 144 will have 0 effect on the performance of the game in the way you maybe thinking right now.

All the refresh rate on the monitor does is allow for higher frame rates without screen tearing and a more "smooth" and responsive input from devices such as your mouse.

I know this might still seem confusing, so I'll try to sum it up as simply as I possibly can, due to my understanding of what a refresh rate does for game.

I own a 4k 60 hz monitor. This means I can't put my monitor any higher then 60hz. If I play with Vsync "ON" My games will lock at 60 FPS "IF" My hardware can keep it there. No matter what, my FPS will never go above 60, but it can go lower depending on graphics settings and details. What this does though is creates a constant feeling of smoothness, but may cause input lag from my mouse (unless the software has features built in to combat input lag with vsync on). If I turn vsync "OFF", my FPS can go above 60, BUT this means I may be prone to screen tearing, since the monitor is only able to refresh at 60hz or 60 FPS without any screen tearing but gameplay will feel smoother and more responsive above 60 fps.

Now with a 144hz monitor, this means at 144 hz you will be able to leave vsync on if you wish, which will cap your FPS at 144. This don't mean your game will always run at 144 FPS, it just means until you go over that, you shouldn't notice any input lag or screen tearing. In your case, if you are seeing 70-80ish FPS, this is all your hardware is giving you. You shouldn't notice screen tearing or much input lag. Which is normal.

For me personally, this is why I don't even care about the higher refresh rate on the monitor. Most gamers won't even notice a difference in their gameplay experience over 50 fps ANY way. If you lock at 60, it is a much more realistic target to aim for when looking to try to get the most consistent frame rate with no tearing or fluctuations.

Some people prefer to have as much FPS as possible with no vsync on, so this is where the 144hz monitors come in. They can leave v sync off and not notice screen tearing until above 144 fps, and also not get the input lag that vsync usually brings with it. Realistically, with today's hardware, you will hardly run a game at max settings at 144 FPS, or above, consistently, ever. For me, I notice the FPS "drops" and "gains" and it just annoys me.

Just something else to note. Vsync also helps cut down on the heat levels of your video card. If you are playing a game at a locked in 60fps (on a 60hz display), the video card don't need to work as hard since it only needs the performance of 60 fps and lowers heat. With vsync off, your video card will perform at 100% capacity to deliver the highest FPS possible, which also increases heat levels.

Hope this helps.

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Also, just like to mention that some games do utilize different forms of vsync when turned on. Sadly, WoW is one of those games. It will cap you where it "THINKS" you should be at. This just sucks since you could be at 40 FPS and then the game will cap you at 30 because vsync will either cap at 30 or 60 or 90 or 120 or w/e and always choose the closest cap based on the FPS you are getting. I think this is adaptive vsync at work, and I hate it.

But yeah. On a 144hz monitor, I'd leave vsync off in all games. Unless you are having heat issues. Then Id just Sync at 60.

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Yes and no. Turning V-sync off won't give the OP poster more frames if that is all his hardware will give him. BUT if adaptive vsync is kicking it, it may be capping him at 75 FPS (75hz) because most of the time the OP is playing, his FPS is sitting around 75.

[SaifBT]

Have you already tried lowering your graphics settings, say to ultra, and seeing how much that improves it?

Yes I've tried that, with low and medium settings I'm getting easily above 150FPS and had to turn vsync on to keep it capped at 144FPS. For high settings I'm getting around 110 while ultra was at around 85. Epic of course like I've said earlier is at around 75.

The refresh rate of the monitor, be it 60 or 144 will have 0 effect on the performance of the game in the way you maybe thinking right now.

All the refresh rate on the monitor does is allow for higher frame rates without screen tearing and a more "smooth" and responsive input from devices such as your mouse.

I know this might still seem confusing, so I'll try to sum it up as simply as I possibly can, due to my understanding of what a refresh rate does for game.

I own a 4k 60 hz monitor. This means I can't put my monitor any higher then 60hz. If I play with Vsync "ON" My games will lock at 60 FPS "IF" My hardware can keep it there. No matter what, my FPS will never go above 60, but it can go lower depending on graphics settings and details. What this does though is creates a constant feeling of smoothness, but may cause input lag from my mouse (unless the software has features built in to combat input lag with vsync on). If I turn vsync "OFF", my FPS can go above 60, BUT this means I may be prone to screen tearing, since the monitor is only able to refresh at 60hz or 60 FPS without any screen tearing but gameplay will feel smoother and more responsive above 60 fps.

Now with a 144hz monitor, this means at 144 hz you will be able to leave vsync on if you wish, which will cap your FPS at 144. This don't mean your game will always run at 144 FPS, it just means until you go over that, you shouldn't notice any input lag or screen tearing. In your case, if you are seeing 70-80ish FPS, this is all your hardware is giving you. You shouldn't notice screen tearing or much input lag. Which is normal.

For me personally, this is why I don't even care about the higher refresh rate on the monitor. Most gamers won't even notice a difference in their gameplay experience over 50 fps ANY way. If you lock at 60, it is a much more realistic target to aim for when looking to try to get the most consistent frame rate with no tearing or fluctuations.

Some people prefer to have as much FPS as possible with no vsync on, so this is where the 144hz monitors come in. They can leave v sync off and not notice screen tearing until above 144 fps, and also not get the input lag that vsync usually brings with it. Realistically, with today's hardware, you will hardly run a game at max settings at 144 FPS, or above, consistently, ever. For me, I notice the FPS "drops" and "gains" and it just annoys me.

Just something else to note. Vsync also helps cut down on the heat levels of your video card. If you are playing a game at a locked in 60fps (on a 60hz display), the video card don't need to work as hard since it only needs the performance of 60 fps and lowers heat. With vsync off, your video card will perform at 100% capacity to deliver the highest FPS possible, which also increases heat levels.

Hope this helps.

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Also, just like to mention that some games do utilize different forms of vsync when turned on. Sadly, WoW is one of those games. It will cap you where it "THINKS" you should be at. This just sucks since you could be at 40 FPS and then the game will cap you at 30 because vsync will either cap at 30 or 60 or 90 or 120 or w/e and always choose the closest cap based on the FPS you are getting. I think this is adaptive vsync at work, and I hate it.

But yeah. On a 144hz monitor, I'd leave vsync off in all games. Unless you are having heat issues. Then Id just Sync at 60.

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Yes and no. Turning V-sync off won't give the OP poster more frames if that is all his hardware will give him. BUT if adaptive vsync is kicking it, it may be capping him at 75 FPS (75hz) because most of the time the OP is playing, his FPS is sitting around 75.

Hey, thanks a lot for the detailed information. As I kind of guessed from before posting my thread, I was thinking this is as much as my GPU is willing to give me. I have tested my FPS at different graphics settings in my previous quote. It would have been much much better in terms of cost efficiency if I knew this is how much my PC can currently handle and just have went with a 60 or even a 75hz refresh rate monitor(maybe even higher 1440p, since I'm currently only on 1080p) since I like to cap out graphical details in all my games as long as I'm getting above 55ish frames.


EDIT: would anyone have any recommendations for settings which I can tone down or turn off to give me an FPS boost without the need to sacrifice in major graphic settings? Basically the useless stuff, so I don't have to compromise between high refresh rate or high graphic settings

EDIT2: After only downgrading from Epic to 1 setting below it, Ultra and changing my render scale to 100%(was 141%) and turning off my Dynamic Reflections(really the most thing that boosted my FPS) I'm running 144FPS on my 1080p screen. My gpu is also 3-5 degrees cooler than before

[Ralikon]

Holy shit huge thank you to this thread.

I have a 120 hz monitor and had my settings in OW set to 120 hz but didn't know there was a Windows setting for it.

The difference between 120 hz and 60z is fucking unbelievable.

[SaifBT]

Holy shit huge thank you to this thread.

I have a 120 hz monitor and had my settings in OW set to 120 hz but didn't know there was a Windows setting for it.

The difference between 120 hz and 60z is fucking unbelievable.

IKR?! Are you getting close to 120FPS though?

[Ralikon]

IKR?! Are you getting close to 120FPS though?

Ya I get over 200

[Daymanmb]

Now what about 144hz with or without gsync?

[Tharkkun]

Now what about 144hz with or without gsync?

That tech just allows it to dynamically adjust the HZ on the fly. It's better at making lower FPS look good like in the 30-60 range. I have an nvidia 960 and a 144HZ asus monitor that only supports freesync. 110-120 FPS looks amazing.

[Tucci]

Always leave Vsync off in fps games, it'll REALLY help your aim. I go with everything on low/off except for maxed textures and AA/AF so everything still looks crisp. 100% render scale. @ 1080p I rarely ever drop below 144 on a 4.7ghz 2500k and 670 SLI which is pretty old at this point but it still gets me by. That's about to change though as soon as the aftermarket 1080 Ti's drop


If you can maintain high fps I don't think Gsync is necessary but it'd probably be nice for lower fps games. I never see tearing at high fps. Also don't make the same mistake I did and go with a DVI only monitor (BenQ XL2411Z) as it seems card manufacturers are moving away from DVI. Luckily aftermarket cards incorporate them for us non-DisplayPort peasants...for now.

[Daymanmb]

That tech just allows it to dynamically adjust the HZ on the fly. It's better at making lower FPS look good like in the 30-60 range. I have an nvidia 960 and a 144HZ asus monitor that only supports freesync. 110-120 FPS looks amazing.

Im pretty sure my display port doesn't support freesync either. Couple questions, can I update my dp without too much circuit board interaction, or should I maybe consider getting the gsync board installed, or is none of it worth worrying too much about?

Ive got a GTX 950 that I could upgrade. I get about 180fps in Overwatch on low settings, without vsynch.

I read, being able to run @288 is the sweet spot for 144hz without needing gsync/freesync. Any clarification would be really helpful.

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Also don't make the same mistake I did and go with a DVI only monitor (BenQ XL2411Z) as it seems card manufacturers are moving away from DVI. Luckily aftermarket cards incorporate them for us non-DisplayPort peasants...for now.

I seem to have been suckered into a ASUS VG248QE.. It has a dp but its not freesync supported, at least I dont think it is..

[Tharkkun]

Im pretty sure my display port doesn't support freesync either. Couple questions, can I update my dp without too much circuit board interaction, or should I maybe consider getting the gsync board installed, or is none of it worth worrying too much about?

Ive got a GTX 950 that I could upgrade. I get about 180fps in Overwatch on low settings, without vsynch.

I read, being able to run @288 is the sweet spot for 144hz without needing gsync/freesync. Any clarification would be really helpful.

The only time freesync or gsync comes into play is if you're running at less than the maximum FPS for the HZ of the screen. People swear by it being better. I don't have the experience to tell you either way with my setup. That technology allows your card to dynamically adjust the HZ output on the fly to match your FPS. So if you're sitting at 100FPS your HZ changes to 100. Without it you're always locked at 144HZ.

Now anything above your maximum FPS is a complete waste. You "believe" you're seeing more FPS but in reality you're just seeing the ghosting and dropped frames. So shooting for 288 fps on a 144HZ monitor is a waste. You should be trying to maximize your details to hit 144HZ or in your case right now 60HZ.

But your display port on your 950 should be fine. You just plug it in. Then under the monitor settings make sure it's on 144HZ. Then change your games to use the desktop display settings. If you play in windowed mode it does it by default. Btw I have a MG278Q. It works fine without having Gsync support for my Nvidia card.

[Daymanmb]

The only time freesync or gsync comes into play is if you're running at less than the maximum FPS for the HZ of the screen. People swear by it being better. I don't have the experience to tell you either way with my setup. That technology allows your card to dynamically adjust the HZ output on the fly to match your FPS. So if you're sitting at 100FPS your HZ changes to 100. Without it you're always locked at 144HZ.

Now anything above your maximum FPS is a complete waste. You "believe" you're seeing more FPS but in reality you're just seeing the ghosting and dropped frames. So shooting for 288 fps on a 144HZ monitor is a waste. You should be trying to maximize your details to hit 144HZ or in your case right now 60HZ.

But your display port on your 950 should be fine. You just plug it in. Then under the monitor settings make sure it's on 144HZ. Then change your games to use the desktop display settings. If you play in windowed mode it does it by default. Btw I have a MG278Q. It works fine without having Gsync support for my Nvidia card.

Theres visable screen tearing at fps above my frequency though. Its also a matter of my monitors dp not my gpu's.

[Kel_Sceptic]

I got a GTX 1070 with a 1080p BenQ XL2411Z monitor. I play on 120Hz since that is the only mode that supports Blur Reduction.

I keep Adaptive VSync ON in nVidia default settings. What that does: well, 1. it keeps my GPU from generating more FPS then 120FPS (prevents screen tearing), since it is uselss to generate more FPS if you dont got the Hz, 2. if the FPS drops bellow 120, then it automatically deactivates until it hits 120FPS again. 3. I play overwatch with EPIC settings but the render scale set at 100% and ingame vsync OFF. I like to play native 1:1 resolutions. You will easily get 120 /144FPS on render scale 100%.

Enjoy!

[Tharkkun]

Theres visable screen tearing at fps above my frequency though. Its also a matter of my monitors dp not my gpu's.

You probably need to try turning on VSYNC then like Kel said below. By your earlier post it said you were around 180 fps. There's no benefit to pushing anything over 144.

[tapczan100]

There's no benefit to pushing anything over 144.

That's not right

[Daymanmb]

That's not right

This is my problem, its very difficult to find a consensus..

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I got a GTX 1070 with a 1080p BenQ XL2411Z monitor. I play on 120Hz since that is the only mode that supports Blur Reduction.

I keep Adaptive VSync ON in nVidia default settings. What that does: well, 1. it keeps my GPU from generating more FPS then 120FPS (prevents screen tearing), since it is uselss to generate more FPS if you dont got the Hz, 2. if the FPS drops bellow 120, then it automatically deactivates until it hits 120FPS again. 3. I play overwatch with EPIC settings but the render scale set at 100% and ingame vsync OFF. I like to play native 1:1 resolutions. You will easily get 120 /144FPS on render scale 100%.

Enjoy!

I dont have an option in Nvidia control panel for adaptive vsynch in managing Overwatchs 3D settings, just vsync. Are you using freesync with your display port and gpu? My dp isnt freesync compatible and Im using DVI.

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try turning on VSYNC

I have a feeling vsync and adaptive vsync are very different. Adaptive sounds like it would be variable, much like freesync or gsync and I dont see an adapative vsync option in the control panel for my card.