The refresh rate of a laptop screen refers to the number of times per second that the screen is refreshed, or updated, with new information. They also call it frames per second, which you may have heard from video games or animation.
A higher refresh rate can result in a smoother and more fluid visual experience, but it demands more juice and can put a strain on the laptop's hardware and battery life. That's why we never recommend speedy screens for everyday use, unless you're a gamer or video editor.
Here's a closer look at the differences between some common laptop screen refresh rates:
60Hz: A 60Hz refresh rate is the most common and is found on most laptops. It offers a decent level of smoothness, but it may not be ideal for fast-paced games or tasks that require precise visual accuracy.
120Hz: A 120Hz refresh rate is an admirable and desirable step up from 60Hz for the LCD aficionado , and can offer a smoother visual experience. This refresh rate may be more suitable for fast-paced games and tasks, but can be more taxing on the laptop's resources.
144Hz: A 144Hz refresh rate was kind of the standard for gamers in 2022, because it's generally considered the sweet spot for gaming laptops, as it offers a good balance between the smooth action you want and demands on the hardware.
165Hz: A 165Hz refresh rate is similar to 144Hz, but it will offer a slightly higher level of smoothness.
240Hz: A 240Hz refresh rate, overkill if you ask us, is generally only found on high-end gaming laptops and offers a mind blowing-ly and debatably difficult to appreciate with the human eye, super smooth visual experience. The drawback is that it's a real leech on the battery and hammers the CPUs.
300Hz: A 300Hz refresh rate is only found on a select few high-end gaming laptops. It's packing even more frames per second than the 240hz display panels.
360Hz: A 360Hz refresh rate is the highest currently available on laptops and is only found on a handful of high-end models. It offers a breath taking experience (if you have good enough eyes to appreciate it), and blisteringly smooth visuals, but it sure does suck the life out of the laptop. Best to stay near a power outlet with this beast!
Ultimately, the choice of refresh rate on the computer you buy will depend on your personal preferences and budget. Higher refresh rates can offer a smoother visual experience, but they may also put a greater strain on the laptop's hardware and battery life.
What is G-Sync?
G-Sync is a really cool technology developed by NVIDIA for gamers, that synchronises the refresh rate of a computer's display with the frame rate of the graphics card. This can help to reduce screen tearing, which occurs when the graphics card is rendering frames at a different rate than the display's refresh rate.
Screen tearing can be a show stopper for professional gamers and the like, it can result in a visual artifact that can be distracting and annoying, particularly when playing speedy games or watching fast action paced videos. G-Sync helps to eliminate this problem by synchronizing the refresh rate of the display with the frame rate of the graphics card, resulting in a smoother and more seamless visual experience. All good!
G-Sync is generally considered a more premium feature, you find it most often on ASUS laptops, but it's not limited to those. It is also typically found on higher-end gaming laptops. However, it can also be found on some non-gaming laptops and monitors as well. If you're lucky, you'll have a G-Sync display!
G-Sync is compatible with NVIDIA graphics cards, and it requires a display with a G-Sync module to function properly. For this reason, when replacing your laptop screen with a compatible one, you may lose the G-SYNC feature, which means going back to the laptop manufacturer and paying an eye watering inflated price for the same screen with the G-SYNC firmware on it.
