What is Refresh Rate? What is the FPS? What are the differences between Refresh Rate and FPS? This post from MiniTool shows you the answers. In addition, you can visit MiniTool to find more Windows tips and solutions.

When selecting a monitor, we may consider the Refresh rate and FPS. It is difficult to distinguish what they are and how they are different from each other. So, in this post, we will show you what the Refresh rate and FPS are.

What Is Refresh Rate?

Refresh Rate, also called vertical refresh rate, is the number of times per second that a rater-based display device displays a new image. This usually is expressed in hertz(HZ).

In general, the higher the refresh rate on a monitor, the better. You will see a better movement it looks smoother if the refresh rate is higher. Even though it is just a small movement of the mouse cursor, you will see it. It will become more obvious when it comes to more demanding usage, such as gaming or esports.

As for the modern monitors, the minimum requirement of the refresh rate is 60 HZ, but sometimes your eyes will feel tired. So, 75 HZ would be better. For the monitor used for games or other special situations, a higher refresh rate is required. You may need the 120 HZ refresh rate or higher.

What Is FPS?

FPS is the abbreviation of Frame rate. It is also called frames per second. FPS is the rate at which consecutive images called frames appear on a display. It is also expressed in hertz.

The movements on a monitor are shown by a displaying a number of constant still image which is called frames. Regardless of whether the motion displayed is a movie, TV show, video game or the mouse cursor is moving, it is the correct computer screen. However, these individual frames change several times per second and it is similar to the page-turning animation.

In essence, the higher the FPS, the more frames are displayed per second. So, you will find that the movement will become smoother and more realistic rather than the stuttered movement.

One thing you need to know is that the frame rate is not decided by the monitor itself. It is decided by the software or medium you are using, CPU or graphics card. But, that is not to say the frame rate is irrelevant for the monitors.

Refresh Rate vs FPS: What Are the Differences

Refresh rate vs FPS, there are some differences though both of them are a measure of how many times a still image is displayed per second. Although only the refresh rate is associated with a monitor, both the refresh rate and FPS will infect the content displayed on the monitor.

If your monitor has a higher refresh rate, but your graphics card and CPU can only produce a low FPS, you are unlikely to experience the full benefit.

When the refresh rate and FPS are out of sync, you may come across the error such as screen tearing. In this situation, you need to balance the refresh rate and FPS.

To sum up, this post has shown what the refresh rate and FPS are and also shown FPS vs Refresh rate. If you have any different ideas of refresh rate and FPS, you can share them in the comment zone.

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