Why Verifying Your Monitor’s True Refresh Rate Matters
When you purchase a high-refresh-rate gaming monitor or a modern laptop equipped with a 120Hz, 144Hz, 240Hz, or 360Hz display panel, your operating system does not always run at that frequency out of the box. In fact, over 65% of desktop monitors remain locked at 60Hz until explicitly configured in GPU display settings.
Running a display below its native vertical refresh rate introduces noticeable motion blur, higher input latency in competitive games (such as CS2, Valorant, or Apex Legends), and micro-stutters during everyday desktop window dragging.
Instant Diagnostic Test
Verify your screen’s actual hardware refresh frequency with microsecond accuracy inside your browser right now:
How to Check and Enable High Refresh Rates in Windows 11
If our browser benchmark detects 60Hz on a panel advertised for 144Hz or higher, follow these steps to unlock full hardware speed:
- Right-click anywhere on an empty area of your desktop and select Display settings.
- Scroll down and click on Advanced display under the “Related settings” group.
- Locate the Choose a refresh rate dropdown menu.
- Select your display’s maximum certified frequency (e.g., 143.98Hz, 165Hz, or 240Hz).
- Click Keep changes when prompted by Windows.
How to Enable High Refresh Rates in macOS (Apple Silicon & Intel)
For MacBook Pro models with ProMotion (120Hz) or external high-refresh monitors connected to a Mac:
- Click the Apple Menu () > System Settings.
- Select Displays from the sidebar.
- Highlight the relevant display thumbnail at the top.
- In the Refresh Rate dropdown menu, choose ProMotion (adaptive up to 120Hz) or select a fixed frequency such as 144 Hertz.
Hardware Cable Requirements for High Refresh Rates
Not all display cables can carry the required bandwidth for 144Hz or 240Hz, especially at 1440p and 4K resolutions:
| Cable Type | Max Bandwidth | 1080p Cap | 1440p Cap | 4K Cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HDMI 1.4 | 10.2 Gbps | 144Hz | 75Hz | 30Hz |
| HDMI 2.0 | 18.0 Gbps | 240Hz | 144Hz | 60Hz |
| HDMI 2.1 | 48.0 Gbps | 360Hz | 240Hz | 144Hz |
| DisplayPort 1.4 | 32.4 Gbps | 360Hz | 240Hz | 144Hz (DSC) |
Summary Checklist
To ensure you are experiencing true high-speed rendering: always use DisplayPort 1.4 or HDMI 2.1, double-check Windows Display Properties, enable G-Sync or FreeSync in your GPU driver control panel, and re-test with our browser benchmark.