60Hz vs 144Hz vs 240Hz Monitor: Which Refresh Rate Should You Buy?

For office work, browsing and films, a 60Hz to 100Hz monitor is enough, and 100Hz is now cheap enough that it is the better default. For gaming on a PC that can hold 100+ frames per second, 144Hz is the sweet spot: the jump from 60Hz to 144Hz is the biggest visible upgrade in smoothness you can buy. 240Hz and above only pays off for competitive shooters, and only if your graphics card can actually push 200+ frames per second in the games you play. Buy refresh rate to match your GPU, not the box.

This guide explains what refresh rate does, why each step up matters less than the one before it, and which rate fits your setup. Verified prices for every monitor below are on our live offers page.

What refresh rate actually means

Refresh rate is how many times per second the monitor draws a new picture, measured in hertz (Hz). A 60Hz screen redraws 60 times a second; a 144Hz screen redraws 144 times.

The easier way to see it is frame time, the gap between two pictures:

Refresh rate	New picture every	Time saved vs the row above
60Hz	16.7 ms	-
75Hz	13.3 ms	3.4 ms
100Hz	10.0 ms	3.3 ms
120Hz	8.3 ms	1.7 ms
144Hz	6.9 ms	1.4 ms
240Hz	4.2 ms	2.7 ms
280Hz	3.6 ms	0.6 ms

The numbers explain the whole debate. Going from 60Hz to 144Hz cuts almost 10 ms off every frame. Going from 144Hz to 240Hz cuts 2.7 ms. Going from 240Hz to 280Hz cuts barely half a millisecond. Each step up is a smaller real-world gain for a bigger price.

You feel the difference in motion: dragging a window, scrolling a long page, turning the camera in a game. On a static spreadsheet a 60Hz and a 240Hz screen look the same.

Refresh rate vs response time: not the same thing

These two specs get mixed up on product listings.

• Refresh rate (Hz) is how often the picture changes.
• Response time (ms) is how fast each pixel can change colour. A slow response time leaves smears behind moving objects even on a high refresh screen.

A rough rule: the response time should be shorter than the frame time. At 144Hz the frame time is 6.9 ms, so a 1 ms or 5 ms rating is fine. Note that "1 ms" is often an MPRT or MBR figure measured with a backlight trick, not the grey-to-grey (GtG) speed, so treat it as a best case.

The catch: your PC has to keep up

A 144Hz monitor shows 144 different pictures a second only if your computer sends 144 frames a second. If your graphics card manages 70 fps in a game, a 240Hz monitor still shows about 70 new frames a second. You paid for refresh you cannot use.

Before buying, check the frame rate you get today in your main games (most have an on-screen fps counter, or use the overlay from your GPU driver):

Your typical fps	Sensible refresh rate
Under 60 fps (office laptop, integrated graphics)	60-100Hz
60-100 fps	100-144Hz
100-160 fps	144-165Hz
200+ fps in esports titles	240Hz and up

Adaptive sync (AMD FreeSync, or NVIDIA G-Sync Compatible) matters more than a higher number when your fps moves around. It makes the monitor wait for each frame instead of tearing it in half, so 90 fps on a 144Hz FreeSync screen still looks smooth.

Consoles have their own ceiling: PS5 and Xbox Series X top out at 120Hz, and only in games that offer a 120 fps mode. A 240Hz monitor gives a console nothing extra.

Which refresh rate should you buy?

You mainly...	Pick	Why
Work, study, watch films	100Hz	Smoother scrolling at almost no extra cost over 60Hz
Play casually, single-player games	120-144Hz	Biggest visible jump, works with mid-range GPUs
Play on a PS5 or Xbox Series X	120Hz or 144Hz with HDMI	Consoles cap at 120Hz
Play Valorant, CS2 or Apex competitively	240Hz	Only if your PC holds 200+ fps
Want sharp text and fast games	QHD at 144Hz+, or a dual-mode 4K panel	Resolution and refresh both cost GPU power

At 24 inches, Full HD looks sharp, which is why most 144Hz and 240Hz screens are 24-inch FHD panels. At 27 inches, 1080p looks soft for text; that is where QHD (2560x1440) makes sense, at the price of needing a stronger GPU for the same refresh rate.

How to make sure you are actually getting 144Hz

Many people buy a 144Hz monitor and run it at 60Hz for months without noticing. Check these three things:

1. Use the right port and cable. DisplayPort carries high refresh rates reliably. On HDMI, older ports and old cables on many monitors cap below the panel's top rate, so check the manual for which port supports the full refresh. Use the cable that came in the box or a certified high-speed one.
2. Set it in Windows. Go to Settings, then System, Display, Advanced display, and pick the highest rate under "Choose a refresh rate". Windows often defaults to 60Hz.
3. Plug into the graphics card, not the motherboard. On a desktop with a separate GPU, the motherboard video port uses the weaker integrated graphics.

If you need a cable, an HDMI 2.1 certified 48Gbps cable is ₹299 on our deals list, enough bandwidth for any refresh rate a home monitor or console uses.

Current monitor deals by refresh rate

These are live deals on RichDeals. Each price was verified on the store page when the deal was posted. Prices move often, so confirm before you pay.

75Hz to 100Hz: office and everyday use

• Geonix 24-inch IPS Full HD monitor, 75Hz at ₹5,879 (M.R.P. ₹14,999): the cheapest 24-inch here, with HDMI and VGA.
• Samsung Essential S3 22-inch IPS, 100Hz at ₹6,490 (M.R.P. ₹13,700): 100Hz on a compact desk.
• ViewSonic VG2408 24-inch IPS, 100Hz at ₹9,975 (M.R.P. ₹18,600): height, swivel and pivot stand plus a USB hub, built for long office days.
• Samsung Essential S4 27-inch IPS, 100Hz at ₹10,499 (M.R.P. ₹21,000): a bigger 100Hz screen.
• MSI PRO MP275Q 27-inch QHD IPS, 100Hz at ₹13,399 (M.R.P. ₹30,000): QHD keeps text sharp at 27 inches, with FreeSync.

120Hz to 144Hz: the gaming sweet spot

• LG 24U411A 24-inch IPS, 120Hz at ₹7,499 (M.R.P. ₹17,000): 120Hz matches what a PS5 or Xbox Series X can output.
• Samsung 24-inch G3 IPS, 144Hz, 1 ms at ₹7,999 (M.R.P. ₹15,900): our cheapest 144Hz pick, rated 4.5 from 174 Amazon ratings when posted.
• LG 27U411A-BD 27-inch IPS, 120Hz at ₹9,499 (M.R.P. ₹16,500): 120Hz at 27 inches.

240Hz and above: competitive gaming

• AOC 25G3ZM 24.5-inch, 240Hz at ₹9,720 (M.R.P. ₹35,990): Full HD at 240Hz with FreeSync Premium, the cheapest 240Hz panel on our list.
• Alienware AW2726DL 27-inch QHD IPS, 280Hz at ₹21,999 (M.R.P. ₹43,559): QHD sharpness and 280Hz, for a high-end GPU.
• MSI MAG 275UPD 27-inch dual-mode IPS at ₹29,999 (M.R.P. ₹61,999): runs 4K at 144Hz or switches to Full HD at 288Hz.

Look at the price ladder. On this list the cheapest 144Hz screen costs ₹2,120 more than the cheapest 75Hz one, and the cheapest 240Hz screen costs ₹1,721 more than the 144Hz Samsung. The refresh upgrade itself is cheap; the graphics card that can feed it is the expensive part.

For a broader roundup by budget, see our best monitors under ₹15,000 guide. Setting up a work desk? The monitor height and ergonomics guide covers placement, and a single monitor arm at ₹999 frees desk space on screens with a VESA mount. Gamers can pair the screen with our gaming mouse guide. More screens and accessories on sale today are in all current offers.