I PAid More for This Computer Monitor Because I Can’t Live Without Its Best Feature

I used to assume refresh fee solely mattered for gaming. My secondary monitor was simply there to point out static textual content, whereas I went all-in with a 240Hz 1440p major show. Nonetheless, I made a decision to spend a bit of additional to get a 100Hz secondary monitor, and now I am glad I did.

There’s Little Purpose to Purchase a 60Hz Monitor Anymore

Earlier than we dive in, this is a fast explainer for these of you who aren’t acquainted with the time period “refresh fee.” It refers to what number of occasions per second a show updates its contents (to maintain issues easy, let’s assume the FPS is equal to the refresh rate).

A 60Hz show refreshes 60 occasions per second, whereas a 100Hz show refreshes 100 occasions per second. That is why a better refresh fee leads to smoother movement and animations.

To be sincere, I believe 60Hz displays are slowly turning into a factor of the previous, and that is an excellent factor. Relying on the place you are purchasing for displays, you may not even come throughout 60Hz shows anymore, as they’re largely being changed by larger refresh fee fashions, even within the enterprise phase.

Credit score: Sydney Louw Butler / How-To Geek

I browsed via some displays on Amazon and needed to scroll fairly a bit to discover a 60Hz one—the SAMSUNG LC24F390FHNXZA. Humorously, its function set would not match its value in any respect, so it is most likely an older mannequin that simply by no means managed to promote out.

Realistically talking, whenever you browse Amazon, Walmart, Greatest Purchase, or another on-line storefront, you are most certainly going to come across refresh charges of at the very least 100Hz. Even whenever you do discover 60Hz displays, they’re often solely $10–$20 cheaper, in order that they’re not precisely a cut price.

It makes extra sense to spend a bit of additional on one among these reasonably priced high-refresh-rate shows and use it as a secondary monitor, reasonably than fighting a uneven 60Hz panel for years.

Gaming displays on a deep low cost are often the most effective deal, as they will provide refresh charges of 144Hz or extra, together with further options for a similar value as a typical enterprise monitor. Some good examples I would contemplate for a secondary show are the ASUS TUF VG249QE5A, Philips 241V8LB, and ASUS VA249HG.

Model

ASUS

Display screen Measurement

24″

The ASUS TUF Gaming VG249QE5A is the proper 24-inch secondary monitor, because it provides a 1080p IPS panel with a refresh fee of 144Hz. In case you’re on a price range, it may even function a major gaming monitor, thanks t o its easy refresh fee and 1ms response time.
 

The one motive to ever contemplate a 60Hz secondary monitor is that if you could find a used one domestically for an insanely low value. I personally draw the road at round $40 for a used monitor, since you may by no means actually know its age or situation. To me, it makes extra sense to spend $100 on a brand new unit with a excessive refresh fee and use it for years as your secondary monitor.

100Hz Is the Proper Stability Between Price and Smoothness

Credit score: Hannah Stryker / How-To Geek

After my previous secondary monitor, which I’d been utilizing for 15 years, caught on fireplace final 12 months, I’ve been casually searching for a substitute over the previous few months.

I wasn’t positive if I ought to get a used 60Hz show for affordable, as a result of that was one of many issues that all the time bothered me about my previous secondary monitor. It was a 19-inch 1440×900 show arrange subsequent to a 1080p 140Hz monitor on the time, and the transition between the 2 all the time felt off. Now that I’ve a 240Hz monitor, I knew that going from 240Hz to 60Hz when transferring home windows could be much more jarring.

That is why I made a decision to pay a bit extra for a top quality monitor that comes with a guaranty and can possible final for a few years. I finally chanced on the MSI PRO MP252. I had an inventory of pretty primary necessities, and this monitor checked all of the bins: at the very least 24 inches in dimension, IPS panel, 100Hz+ refresh fee, DisplayPort and HDMI connectivity, and a VESA mount so I may connect it to a monitor arm. At underneath $100, I thought of it a good value, particularly since lots of the gaming displays I checked out didn’t have a VESA mount, which was a deal-breaker for me.

Model

MSI

Display screen Measurement

25″

The MSI PRO MP252 is a 24.5-inch enterprise monitor with a 1920×1080 decision and a 100Hz refresh fee. It helps adaptive sync, is VESA mountable, has built-in audio system, and contains a number of Eye Care options to assist shield your eyesight.

The second I arrange my new monitor, I knew I had made the fitting alternative. I attempted the basic refresh fee check, dragging a window up and down throughout each screens, and whereas I may discover the distinction between the 2, it wasn’t almost as dramatic as you would possibly anticipate given the hole between 100Hz and 240Hz.

In actual fact, I can barely inform the distinction between my 120Hz TV and 240Hz monitor in non-competitive gaming, so utilizing a 100Hz screen for everyday Windows tasks is greater than satisfactory.

I do know that 100Hz doesn’t sound like a lot, however it truly is—100Hz is 66.7% quicker than 60Hz, and it’s a distinction nearly anybody can really feel. It makes any fashionable laptop really feel a lot smoother to make use of. Even when the typical particular person can’t inform precisely why their PC feels smoother with a high-refresh-rate show, they are going to discover the distinction.

Surprisingly, what bothered me extra was the 1080p resolution, as I had change into so used to my 1440p monitor. Nonetheless, given the considerably larger costs of 1440p displays, it’s not one thing I’m keen to spend more money on for a secondary show.

Whether or not you’re shopping for a major or secondary monitor, be certain it has a excessive refresh fee. Not like different gamer-focused features like low response time or Adaptive Sync, a excessive refresh fee is noticeable even throughout primary net shopping or on a regular basis duties. It’s positively price spending a number of additional bucks on!