144hz vs 240hz – Which one is the best for gamers?

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“Refresh Rate” is a term I saw a hundred times when I started gaming, and I had no clue what it was. It turns out there’s not much to understand. Refresh rate is basically just the rate at which your monitor updates itself with new information.

Till a certain point, the higher your refresh rate goes, the better faster your monitor will be. That “point” for most people is 144Hz; top-tier gamers go for an even higher refresh rate. This is precisely what we’re going through today. We’re going to compare these two refresh rates, which are 144Hz vs 240 Hz.

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What is 144hz Refresh Rate?

A 144 refresh rate is when your monitor has the ability to update itself with new information 144 times in one second.

Now that sounds like a lot, and I assure you it is. 144hz is more than enough when it comes to PC gaming, console gaming, software, and anything you could imagine.

Gamers prefer the 144Hz refresh rate because a 144Hz refresh rate doesn’t empty their pockets, and it does not need a very high-end GPU, as most graphic cards do just the trick and are compatible with giving a 144 FPS(frames per second) performance.

What is 240hz Refresh Rate?

A 240hz refresh rate is almost too good to be real. Your screen updates itself 240 times in one second and gives you an extremely smooth and sometimes so high that it’s uncomfortably smooth even your eyes are weirded out by how good your monitor is.

But, everything comes at a cost. A 240Hz refresh rate needs to be paired with the best setup that has an insane graphic card if you want the real experience of having 240hz. Pairing a 240Hz refresh rate monitor with a 144 FPS GPU will end up in issues like flickering.

If you’re someone who wants to buy a gaming monitor and wants to see how much difference refresh rate makes while gaming, you can watch this video where gamers like Shroud and tech-wizards like Linus Tech Tips try on different gaming monitors with different refresh rates and GPUs

144hz vs 240hz – The Key Differences

There can be a huge difference between 144hz monitors and 240 Hz monitors varying from product to product. The bottom line comes down to two major aspects.

The area where the 240hz has the advantage is obviously the speed, but it lacks exactly that. To get the most out of this 240Hz refresh rate, most monitors use a TN panel and 1080p resolution. This is exactly where the 144Hz refresh rate takes the edge.

144Hz monitors have been around for much longer and have developed to run a 4k resolution, and you don’t need to compromise on the vibrancy of the colors of your monitor by using a TN panel.

Casual vs. Competitive Gaming

Picking an ideal gaming monitor also depends on the type of games you prefer playing and whether you’re a casual or a professional gamer. For most standard simulation and story games, you won’t need anything more than a 144hz monitor, and if you’re on a budget, even a 60hz or a 75hz monitor would do the job well and deliver a good 60 FPS gaming experience.

However, if you’re looking to go professional in competitive multiplayer games like Valorant, Overwatch, or CS: GO, it’s highly recommended you invest in a 240hz monitor.

In games like these, you get a significant advantage over your opponent if you get better processing speed and refresh rate. It indeed has a slight impact on your performance, especially in first-person shooters. But, before you invest in a 240hz monitor, make sure your PC is capable enough to constantly deliver 240 FPS while you game, or else you won’t notice any significant difference.

Comparing 1080p 240hz vs. 1440p 144hz: Which is better?

Screen Resolution is another visual aspect of a gaming monitor that confuses a lot of gamers. It’s not easy to figure out if you should go for a higher resolution or refresh rate, as both monitor types come at a similar price. For people with no budget limitations, you can also find a wide range of 1440p 240hz monitors, but they’re pretty expensive.

If I had to choose between a 1080p 240hz vs. 1440p 144hz monitor, I’d prefer buying a 1440p 144hz monitor as a higher resolution display provides better sharpness accuracy and an immersive gaming experience.

Although I play competitive games like Apex and Valorant, for someone who’s not a professional gamer, the difference between 144hz and 240hz won’t affect your performance. At the same time, I’ll be able to enjoy other fast-paced racing and story games at a higher resolution with great details.

What’s the price difference between 144hz and 240hz monitors?

A few years ago, monitors with a refresh rate higher than 75hz were costly, but as 240hz started gaining popularity among gamers and with the introduction of 360hz monitors, the 144hz monitors have become a lot more affordable.

You can find a good 24-inch 144hz monitor between a price range of 130-150$, while a 24-inch 240hz monitor can cost you 190-300$, depending on other special features and technologies. If we talk about 1440p monitors, a 144hz monitor is around 250-350$, and a 240hz monitor costs around 400-600$.

Do I need a better GPU for 144Hz?

144Hz is the best refresh rate for a monitor to function at the optimum level. The performance of your game now depends on everything else if you have a 144hz monitor.

The most integral component after the refresh rate is the GPU. The better graphic card you have, the better your performance is. 

This is the same video I linked to explain how much difference refresh rate makes in your monitor. Similarly, you can see how much of a difference your GPU makes.

For example, one setup has a 240hz monitor with a low-tier graphic card in this video, and there’s a clear disadvantage. This happens because if your GPU can’t give you enough frames per second to match your refresh rate, the performance significantly deteriorates.

Can a GTX 1080 run 144hz?

The GTX 1080 is an amazing graphics card on a budget. It does run a lot of games at 144Hz, but games that need a more intense requirement might not run on the GTX 1080.

Another huge advantage is that the GTX 1080 can run games like PUBG & Valorant at 144Hz with a 4k resolution. This is assuming that you have a setup that is focused on gaming and has the required specifications.

Can I run 144Hz without GPU?

Not having a GPU beats the whole point of having a 144hz monitor. Your computer setup isn’t built to run anything at that high speed.

That’s why graphic cards were designed in the first place. Your PC can run the best games at 60Hz, but you try to have a professional gaming experience at 144Hz without a GPU to back that monitor up.

Can RTX 3060 run 240Hz?

NVIDIA’s RTX 3060 is one of the most popular and affordable buys when we talk about NVIDIA’s recent GPU releases. It’s capable of delivering a constant 240 FPS for most of the popular AAA titles at 1080p resolution.

A 3060 comes with a vRAM of 8GB, which, when paired with the right CPU and other hardware, can efficiently deliver excellent output on your 240hz monitors. However, if you buy a 1440p 240hz monitor, you may not get 240 FPS when playing high-profile games at ultra or very high settings. Still, 3060 is a great budget buy in 2022, primarily for 1080p monitors.

Conclusion

At the end of the day, for a monitor that isn’t making you on compromising anything and isn’t digging deep into your pockets, a 144hz refresh rate is always going to be better.

A 240Hz refresh rate is better when it comes to gaming, but on most affordable monitors, you’re going to get a TN panel, and that’s a compromise on the viewing experience for the monitor’s speed.

Also Read:

• Is 75hz Good For Gaming?
• 1080p vs 1440p: A Deep Comparison
• 21:9 vs 16:9: Ultimate Comparison