My monitor says 144Hz but the counter shows 60Hz — why?

The most common reason: your OS display settings are still set to 60Hz. On Windows, go to Settings > Display > Advanced display settings and change the refresh rate. On macOS (Apple Silicon), go to System Settings > Displays and set a higher rate. Also verify your cable supports the bandwidth — HDMI 2.0 supports 144Hz at 1080p; DisplayPort 1.4 supports 144Hz at 4K.

Is there a real difference between 60Hz and 144Hz?

For gaming and fast-moving content, yes — dramatically. At 60Hz, fast panning motion shows noticeable judder and blur. At 144Hz, motion is dramatically smoother. The difference is most obvious in first-person games, scrolling text, and sports video. For static content like reading or spreadsheets, the difference is imperceptible.

What is ghosting and how do I tell if my monitor has it?

Ghosting occurs when pixels do not transition to their new color fast enough to keep up with screen refresh. The previous pixel color "bleeds" into the new frame, creating a visible trail behind moving objects. The ghosting test renders a fast-moving dark object — a longer, more visible trail means worse ghosting.

What is overdrive and why does it sometimes look worse?

Overdrive (also called Response Time Compensation) pushes pixels to change color faster by temporarily over-powering the voltage. Moderate overdrive reduces ghosting. Excessive overdrive creates "inverse ghosting" — a bright white or reverse-color trail in front of moving objects. Use the ghosting test to tune overdrive settings in your monitor's OSD.

Does G-Sync or FreeSync affect this test?

Variable refresh rate (VRR) technologies like G-Sync and FreeSync sync your GPU's frame delivery to your display's refresh rate, eliminating screen tearing and stuttering. They do not affect the maximum refresh rate. The Hz counter in this tool shows a smooth VRR average; frame time chart variation may be higher when VRR is active.

Why do some monitors advertise 240Hz but gaming feels no smoother than 144Hz?

The perceptual difference between refresh rates follows a curve of diminishing returns. The 60→120Hz jump is enormous and immediately obvious. The 120→144Hz improvement is noticeable for gamers. The 144→240Hz improvement is subtle and requires consistent frame delivery from the GPU to realize. If your GPU cannot deliver 240fps, a 240Hz monitor provides no benefit over 144Hz.

Refresh Rate Test

Measure your display's actual refresh rate and compare motion smoothness at 60, 120, 144, and 240 Hz.

Last updated: April 2026

—Hz

RunningGhosting test

Hz counter uses requestAnimationFrame timestamps · If showing 60 when you expect 144, check OS display settings

What it does

Live Hz Counter

Uses a 60-frame rolling average of requestAnimationFrame timestamps to calculate and display your display's actual effective refresh rate to one decimal place.

Motion Smoothness Test

Moving objects (rectangles and a UFO-style target) traverse the screen at a constant pixel-per-frame rate. Higher refresh rates make motion noticeably smoother and less judder-prone.

Ghosting Detection

A moving dark rectangle with a trailing blur gradient reveals panel response time limitations — slow response causes the ghost trail to extend further, indicating overdrive or ghosting issues.

Speed Comparison Mode

Shows the same moving object at simulated 30 fps, 60 fps, 120 fps, and 240 fps (capped to your display's actual Hz) in separate lanes for direct visual comparison.

Frame Time Chart

A live scrolling chart of per-frame render times reveals stuttering, dropped frames, or inconsistent frame pacing — issues that make motion feel rough even at high Hz.

How to use Refresh Rate Test

1
Open the tool
Navigate to devzone.tools/tools/refresh-rate-test.
2
Read the Hz counter
The live counter shows your current actual refresh rate. If it shows 60 when you expected 144, your OS or GPU settings need adjustment.
3
Watch the motion test
Observe the moving objects. At 60Hz they will appear to stutter or judder slightly; at 120Hz+ they should be significantly smoother.
4
Test for ghosting
Enable ghosting mode and observe how long the trail behind the moving object appears. A shorter trail means faster panel response.
5
Compare speeds
Enable comparison mode to see 30/60/120/240 fps in parallel lanes — a direct visual demonstration of why refresh rate matters for gaming and video.

When to use this

Verifying 144Hz is actually active

Many users set up a 144Hz monitor but forget to enable the higher refresh rate in Windows Display Settings or the GPU control panel. The Hz counter immediately confirms whether the system is actually running at the configured rate.

Gaming monitor evaluation

Before returning a new gaming monitor, run the motion test to confirm 144Hz+ content is perceptibly smoother than 60Hz — not all refresh rate improvements are immediately obvious until you see them side by side.

Ghosting assessment for fast content

The ghosting test reveals how a monitor handles fast motion — critical for gaming and sports viewing. Excessive ghosting trailing behind the test object indicates slow panel response time or overdrive artifact.

Troubleshooting frame pacing

If motion feels uneven despite a high refresh rate, the frame time chart may reveal inconsistent frame delivery — indicating a bottleneck in the GPU, cable, or display pipeline rather than the panel itself.

Understanding Refresh Rate, Frame Rate, and Why They Both Matter

Refresh rate (Hz) is how many times your monitor draws a new image per second. Frame rate (fps) is how many frames your GPU produces per second. For smooth motion, you want these numbers to be close to each other. If your GPU produces 200fps but your monitor refreshes at 60Hz, you can only see 60 unique frames per second — and screen tearing occurs where frames misalign.

G-Sync and FreeSync solve the mismatch by making the monitor's refresh rate variable, locking it to match the GPU output within a range (typically 48Hz to the monitor's maximum). This delivers smooth, tear-free motion across a wide frame rate range without the input lag of V-Sync.

Frequently Asked Questions

My monitor says 144Hz but the counter shows 60Hz — why?: The most common reason: your OS display settings are still set to 60Hz. On Windows, go to Settings > Display > Advanced display settings and change the refresh rate. On macOS (Apple Silicon), go to System Settings > Displays and set a higher rate. Also verify your cable supports the bandwidth — HDMI 2.0 supports 144Hz at 1080p; DisplayPort 1.4 supports 144Hz at 4K.
Is there a real difference between 60Hz and 144Hz?: For gaming and fast-moving content, yes — dramatically. At 60Hz, fast panning motion shows noticeable judder and blur. At 144Hz, motion is dramatically smoother. The difference is most obvious in first-person games, scrolling text, and sports video. For static content like reading or spreadsheets, the difference is imperceptible.
What is ghosting and how do I tell if my monitor has it?: Ghosting occurs when pixels do not transition to their new color fast enough to keep up with screen refresh. The previous pixel color "bleeds" into the new frame, creating a visible trail behind moving objects. The ghosting test renders a fast-moving dark object — a longer, more visible trail means worse ghosting.
What is overdrive and why does it sometimes look worse?: Overdrive (also called Response Time Compensation) pushes pixels to change color faster by temporarily over-powering the voltage. Moderate overdrive reduces ghosting. Excessive overdrive creates "inverse ghosting" — a bright white or reverse-color trail in front of moving objects. Use the ghosting test to tune overdrive settings in your monitor's OSD.
Does G-Sync or FreeSync affect this test?: Variable refresh rate (VRR) technologies like G-Sync and FreeSync sync your GPU's frame delivery to your display's refresh rate, eliminating screen tearing and stuttering. They do not affect the maximum refresh rate. The Hz counter in this tool shows a smooth VRR average; frame time chart variation may be higher when VRR is active.
Why do some monitors advertise 240Hz but gaming feels no smoother than 144Hz?: The perceptual difference between refresh rates follows a curve of diminishing returns. The 60→120Hz jump is enormous and immediately obvious. The 120→144Hz improvement is noticeable for gamers. The 144→240Hz improvement is subtle and requires consistent frame delivery from the GPU to realize. If your GPU cannot deliver 240fps, a 240Hz monitor provides no benefit over 144Hz.

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