Hz vs FPS | Is There Any Co-Relation Between the Two?

When buying a monitor terms like Refresh Rates can be confused with FPS or Frames Per Second. And, If you were wondering if buying a Good Refresh Rate monitor will Increase your FPS, then this article will tell you just that and more.

1. What are Refresh Rate and FPS?

Your display’s refresh rate describes how frequently it can draw a fresh image in a second. The unit of its measurement is Hertz (Hz).

A frame is a single still image that is quickly blended with multiple still photos, each one slightly different and that creates an illusion of motion.

How many of the frames are shown in a second is determined by the frame rate or Frames per Second.

2. Does Good Refresh Rate Increase FPS?

Your CPU and GPU work together to determine the behaviors of the AI, the physics, locations, and textures of the objects in the scene in order to produce a new frame, or render. Then, at the resolution you specify, your GPU divides this image into pixels and sends this data to the display. Your CPU and GPU may produce more frames per second the more powerful they are.

Refresh Rate doesn’t affect the FPS. If your PC is giving 50 FPS with a 60 Hertz Monitor it will also give 50 FPS with a 240 Hertz Monitor.

3. Relation Between FPS and Refresh Rate

FPS and Refresh do have a relation. Let’s suppose your PC gives you more than 144 FPS in Valorant or CSGO, then if you are using a 60 Hertz monitor you are not really seeing all the 144 Frames, it’s just about 60, moreover, you can also see screen tearing in some cases.

So, if you are getting 144 FPS or more you should consider buying a 144 Hertz Monitor. That will make your experience much more enjoyable. 

Many people describe the change from 60 Hz to 144 Hz (or 120 Hz) as life-changing. Anything more than 60 Hz is like magic. Especially in FPS (First Person Shooter) games or more specifically e-sports games in which modern PCs just don’t hold back on the FPS.

There are higher refresh rates like 165 Hz, 200 Hz, 240 Hz, and 360 Hz but the most noticeable difference you’ll see would be when you switch from 60 Hz to 144 Hz, but if your rig gives you the performance for a high refresh rate monitor and you have the money, you should grab it.

Add to all the smoothness higher refresh rates give, you also get more responsiveness as input lag is decreased due to the display refreshing so many times each second. 

This also adds a competitive advantage of you seeing the opponents just a little before they can see you, assuming they are on a 60 Hz panel.

4. What Is Screen Tearing and Stuttering? How is it related to FPS?

Screen tearing and Stuttering are two big issues people face when playing games. As the Monitor has a fixed refresh rate and the GPU doesn’t have a fixed FPS. So, we see frame skipping or stuttering occur on our displays. And also if the GPU sends many frames per second or more than what the monitor can handle (according to its Refresh rate) you will see Screen Tearing. As the monitor will try to display them all at once.

Possible Fixes include V-Sync and VRR (Variable Refresh Rate). V-Sync caps the frame rate at the refresh rate of your Monitor basically. For example, you won’t get above 144 FPS on a 144 Hz monitor if you turn on V-Sync. V-Sync has some issues like increased input lag, which is why it is not recommended.

VRR or Variable Refresh Rate is a technology in which the monitor changes its refresh rate according to the FPS your GPU is giving. Thus it keeps the monitor and GPU in sync to give you the smoothest experience.

If you have an Nvidia GPU you should look for G-Sync compatible monitors and if you are from Team Red you should look for Freesync compatible monitors.

5. Conclusion:

So, in conclusion, a higher refresh rate will not increase your FPS. But take a monitor with a high enough refresh rate and your gaming experience would go from smooth to smoothest. 

Note that most applications other than games don’t utilize high refresh rates. So, don’t expect your Movies to look smoother than a 60 Hz monitor.