Seeing the Refresh Rate Difference in Numbers
Refresh rate (Hz) is how many times per second your monitor redraws the screen. People often wonder "how much smoother is 144Hz than 60Hz?" but the raw Hz numbers alone aren't intuitive. This calculator takes two refresh rates and computes the frame time (ms) and perceived improvement percentage, helping you judge whether an upgrade is actually worth it.
How It's Calculated
| Metric | Formula |
|---|---|
| Frame time | 1000 รท Refresh rate (Hz) = ms |
| Perceived improvement | (New Hz - Current Hz) รท Current Hz ร 100 |
Why 60โ144Hz Feels Bigger Than 144โ240Hz
As refresh rate increases, the absolute drop in frame time gets smaller. Going from 60Hz to 144Hz cuts frame time from 16.7ms to 6.9ms, a 9.8ms drop, while 144Hz to 240Hz only cuts it from 6.9ms to 4.2ms, a 2.7ms drop. That's why upgrades at the lower end of the refresh rate scale feel much more dramatic. Note that your GPU still needs to output frames at that rate for you to actually experience the improvement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, frame time drops from 16.7ms to 6.9ms, an improvement of about 140%. This is a range where the difference is clearly visible in games and cursor movement.
The percentage improvement is around 67%, but the absolute frame time difference is smaller than 60Hz to 144Hz. It matters more to competitive FPS gamers than casual users.
Your GPU needs to output frames at that rate for you to notice the effect. If GPU performance is insufficient, a high refresh rate monitor won't feel any different.