Monitor Performance Tool
Refresh Rate Test
Instantly detect your monitor's true refresh rate in Hz using your browser. Our tool auto-detects using requestAnimationFrame timing, shows you a live sparkline, comparison against common Hz standards, and gives you a full analysis with rating — no downloads or sign-up required.
Auto-detects in seconds
Works on all devices
Up to 360 Hz detection
Auto DetectionMeasurement starts automatically on page load
Precision ModeChoose 1 to 8 decimal digits of precision
Hz vs FPS ComparisonSee how your monitor stacks up against 60, 120, 144 Hz
Hz Reference Guide
Common Refresh Rates Explained
From budget monitors to pro esports displays, every refresh rate tier serves a different purpose. Here is what each means in practice.
60 Hz
Standard Use
The baseline for office work, web browsing, video streaming, and casual gaming. Comfortable for most people in non-gaming tasks. Strategy games, RPGs, and most console ports run well at 60 Hz.
120 Hz
Smooth Gaming
Twice the smoothness of 60 Hz. Significantly reduces motion blur and makes mouse movement feel noticeably more responsive. Popular on gaming monitors and current-generation consoles running Performance Mode.
144 Hz
Competitive Standard
The esports standard for first-person shooters and battle royale games. At 144 Hz each frame lasts only 6.9 ms, making fast aim tracking and movement significantly more fluid than at 60 Hz.
240 Hz
Pro Gaming
Preferred by professional esports players in titles like CS2, Valorant, and Apex Legends. Each frame lasts just 4.2 ms. The gap over 144 Hz is smaller than 60 to 144, but experienced players feel the difference in aim consistency.
360 Hz
Elite Esports
Found on top-tier esports monitors. At 2.8 ms per frame, latency is reduced to the point where even small GPU or CPU bottlenecks become visible. Paired with 1000 Hz polling rate mice for maximum end-to-end input precision.
75 Hz
Budget Step-Up
A common step above 60 Hz on budget monitors. Noticeably smoother than 60 Hz for everyday tasks and light gaming. A worthwhile upgrade for casual gamers and general users coming from 60 Hz displays.
165 Hz
Mid-Range Gaming
A popular mid-range gaming monitor tier, often achieved by overclocking 144 Hz panels. Very close to 144 Hz in feel but with a slightly smoother appearance during fast camera movement and scrolling.
VRR
Variable Refresh Rate
Technologies like G-Sync, FreeSync, and HDMI VRR allow the monitor to dynamically match its refresh rate to the GPU's output frame rate. This eliminates screen tearing and reduces stutter without the input lag of V-Sync.
| Refresh Rate | Frame Time | Best For | Performance | GPU Requirement |
|---|
| 60 Hz | 16.7 ms | Office, streaming, casual games | | Any GPU |
| 75 Hz | 13.3 ms | Casual gaming, everyday use | | Entry GPU |
| 120 Hz | 8.3 ms | Console gaming, smooth browsing | | Mid GPU |
| 144 Hz | 6.9 ms | Competitive FPS, esports standard | | Mid-High GPU |
| 165 Hz | 6.1 ms | Mid-range competitive gaming | | High GPU |
| 240 Hz | 4.2 ms | Pro gaming, maximum smoothness | | High-End GPU |
| 360 Hz | 2.8 ms | Elite esports, professional play | | Flagship GPU |
How It Works
How Monitor Refresh Rate Is Detected
The browser-based detection method is highly accurate and requires no hardware access. Here is exactly how it works under the hood.
Refresh Rate Detection — Technical Flow
🖥️Display PanelRefreshes at rated Hz
›
🎮GPU OutputSends frames to display
›
⏱️requestAnimationFrameBrowser fires per vsync
›
🧮Delta Timingms between callbacks
›
📊Hz Result1000 divided by avg delta
The requestAnimationFrame Method
The browser's requestAnimationFrame API fires a callback function once per display refresh cycle — synchronized with the monitor's vsync signal. By recording high-precision timestamps on each callback and calculating the average time between them (the delta), we can compute your monitor's refresh rate as 1000 divided by the average delta in milliseconds. This is the same method used by professional browser benchmarks and is the most accurate approach available without native hardware access.
Accuracy and What to Expect
Results are accurate to within 1 to 2 Hz for most displays. A 60 Hz monitor will typically read between 59.8 and 60.2 Hz. A 144 Hz display should read between 143 and 145 Hz. Slight variance is normal due to minor timing jitter in the browser's event loop. If your result is significantly lower than your monitor's rated Hz — for example, reading 60 Hz when you have a 144 Hz display — your monitor may not be set to its maximum refresh rate in your OS display settings.
Quick fix: Go to Display Settings on Windows or System Preferences on macOS and verify your monitor is set to its maximum Hz output.
Refresh Rate vs Frame Rate
Refresh Rate vs Frame Rate — Key Differences
These two terms are frequently confused but they measure completely different things. Understanding both helps you diagnose display and performance issues accurately.
Refresh Rate (Hz) — The Monitor
Refresh rate is a property of your monitor hardware. It describes how many times per second the display physically redraws its pixels using the backlight and liquid crystals. A 144 Hz monitor redraws 144 times per second regardless of what the GPU is sending. It is a fixed hardware specification. You change it in your operating system's display settings, not in game software.
A higher refresh rate means each individual image is displayed for a shorter duration — at 60 Hz each frame persists for 16.7 ms, while at 240 Hz it persists for just 4.2 ms. The shorter persistence reduces perceived motion blur and makes fast movement appear sharper.
Frame Rate (FPS) — The GPU
Frame rate is determined by your GPU, CPU, and game software. It describes how many fully rendered frames your graphics card can produce per second. FPS fluctuates constantly depending on scene complexity, game engine optimisation, and hardware load. You improve FPS by upgrading hardware, lowering graphical settings, or optimising drivers.
For the best experience, your FPS should match or exceed your monitor's refresh rate. Running 300 FPS on a 60 Hz monitor wastes frames — the monitor cannot display more than 60 per second. Conversely, a 144 Hz monitor paired with a GPU producing only 60 FPS never actually runs at 144 Hz.
💡
Screen Tearing ExplainedScreen tearing occurs when your GPU produces frames faster than your monitor's refresh rate without synchronisation, causing the display to show parts of two different frames simultaneously. VRR technologies like NVIDIA G-Sync and AMD FreeSync solve this by dynamically adjusting the monitor's refresh rate to match the GPU's output in real time — eliminating tearing without the input lag penalty of traditional V-Sync.
How to Use
How to Use the Refresh Rate Tester
Getting your monitor's refresh rate takes under 5 seconds. Here is how to get the most accurate reading and what to do with the result.
Check OS Display Settings
Before testing, open your OS display settings and confirm your monitor is set to its maximum refresh rate. On Windows go to Advanced Display Settings. On macOS go to System Settings then Displays.
Do this first
Close Other Programs
Close other browser tabs, video players, and heavy applications. Background rendering tasks can interfere with the browser's vsync timing and produce slightly lower readings than your monitor's true refresh rate.
Recommended
Wait for Auto Detection
The tool begins measuring automatically when the page loads. Wait a few seconds while the tool samples your display refresh cycles. The result appears as soon as enough frames have been measured for confidence.
Auto-start
Read Your Result
Your refresh rate is displayed in large orange numbers in Hz. The sidebar shows precision readings, frame interval in milliseconds, and how your monitor compares to common Hz benchmarks.
Instant result
Use Precision Mode
Select the number of decimal digits shown using the precision buttons. More decimals reveal slight fluctuations in your display's timing that are invisible to the naked eye but useful for technical verification.
1 to 6 digits
Compare and Diagnose
If your result is much lower than your monitor's rated speed, check display port cable quality, GPU driver settings, and whether hardware acceleration is enabled in your browser settings.
Troubleshoot
Benefits
Why Checking Your Refresh Rate Matters
Many users never verify their monitor is actually running at its rated refresh rate. Here is why confirming it matters.
Confirm Your Monitor Is Configured Correctly
A 144 Hz monitor on the wrong cable (HDMI 1.4 instead of DisplayPort or HDMI 2.0) often runs at 60 Hz without warning. Many users game at 60 Hz for months without realising their 144 Hz monitor was never properly set up. This test reveals that immediately.
Verify Gaming Monitor Performance
Some monitors advertise 165 Hz but ship with the default at 144 Hz. Running this test after changing refresh rate in software confirms the change actually applied at the hardware level and your display is performing as expected.
Troubleshoot Screen Tearing
If you experience screen tearing despite having G-Sync or FreeSync enabled, verifying that your actual refresh rate matches your settings is the first diagnostic step. A mismatch between rated and actual Hz often explains unexpected tearing behaviour.
Diagnose Mobile Display Issues
Modern smartphones with 90 Hz, 120 Hz, or 144 Hz screens sometimes downscale to 60 Hz to preserve battery. Running this test on your phone immediately shows whether the high-refresh display feature is currently active or has been limited by power saving settings.
FAQ
Refresh Rate Questions, Answered
Everything you need to know about monitor refresh rates, Hz readings, and getting the most from your display.
