When it comes to monitors, there is a number of specifications that you have to through before you figure out which one gives you the best value for money. The general rule of thumb is that the bigger the number, the better the monitor will be, so always chose the highest numbers within your budget. If this is your first time looking at monitors, you may not be sure about the HZ or the fresh rate. If that is the case, don’t worry, we’re here to let you know how many HZ you’re going to need in a monitor.
What is HZ?
Hertz are a unit of frequency and it is what defines a cycle per second. In simple terms, it means how many times your screen refresh rate in a second. If your screen has a one frame per second refresh rate, that is the equivalent to 1 hertz. The higher the HZ or the refresh rate of your screen, the more frames you will be shown in a given second. So you will be able to visibly see the difference between 60hz monitor which will give you 60 frames per second every time it refreshes and a 240hz monitor, which will give you 240 frames per second.
Why Does Hz Matter?
If you are wanting to take up PC gaming, Hz make a big difference to your overall experience. If you start with a basic 60-75hz monitor, you are going to be losing out on a lot of game footage, as your screen won’t be able to refresh fast enough. With games now being developed for high end monitors, a 60hz monitor will struggle to keep up. It isn’t that the image isn’t drastically improved between a 60hz and a 120hz, it is the fluidity of the motion that makes all the difference. You will no longer be involved in a blocky, stuttering game. The game play will be more fluid than you could have possibly imaged and when you reach 240hz, the motion is so fluid, it could almost be a movie.
4K
With the rise of 4k, the interest in how many hertz you need to have an effective gaming monitor has been reduced (at least for the moment). These 4k monitors with 60hz are the ideal choice if people are operating on a budget. They will still give you excellent game play and ultra HD graphics, but the game play won’t be as fluid as a higher hz monitor.
144HZ
240hz systems are relatively new to the market, which makes them very expensive and usually reserved for professional gamers. 144 Hz are now seen as the benchmark and as the standard for gaming monitors as they give their users beautiful fluid movement across the screen. The 144hz monitors are more powerful than the 4k 60hz budget monitors and if you have a good standing gaming computer, you wont need to upgrade your system in order to play it. Investing in a 144hz isn’t necessarily future proofing yourself, but you will still be able to use this monitor for a long time to come. So if you are torn between a 4K 60 HZ system and a 144HZ monitor, it will always bet worth investing in the 144hz monitor.
240HZ
240HZ systems are relatively new to the market, but just because they are new, doesn’t mean you can’t get them. If you have money and it is burning a hole in your pocket, then there are some good monitors out there that you can buy. One thing to consider before you settle on a purchase, is making sure that your PC has the right specs to able to run a monitor of this power and calibre. It is no use investing in a monitor such as this, if you aren’t able to run it efficiently off your current system. There is a noticeable difference in how smooth the game play is between 144HZ and 240HZ, but that is only if you sit down and really want to take note. Unless you are professional gamer, you will be just fine with a 144hz set up.
Final Thoughts
When monitors levelled up to 144hz, people suggested that anything more and our eyes wouldn’t be able to tell the difference in refresh rate. That actually isn’t the case at all and we can still see game play that isn’t smooth. However, unless you have a big wad of cash burning a hole in your pocket, stick with the 144hz system. They give you exceptional refresh rates, it future proofs you for a while and you don’t have to upgrade any components to make sure it runs.
Leave a Reply