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In a fresh development, but as an upgrade for a near-10-year-old Asus MG279Q, it was a major step up in multiple other ways: better resolution, better colors and contrast, better response time, and better refresh rate. When I bought my Alienware AW3225QF tech industry monitor during last year’s Prime Day sales, I mainly got it for the QD-OLED panel.
In a fresh development, it’s buttery smooth on my desktop, and it’s wonderfully responsive in platform releases where I can hit those kind of sky-high frame rates. I never expected to enjoy the 240Hz refresh rate as much as I do.
Industry observers note that it’s summer hot right now, so cutting my FPS in half to give my PC a break would be nice. It’d use less power, too. And I’m not a high-speed esports gamer. Maybe I wouldn’t even notice if I dropped it down. But that also got me thinking: Do I really need all those frames?
As part of the ongoing story, color me surprised by the results. So that’s what I did for a week—I cut my velvety smooth 240Hz refresh rate down to a modest 120Hz to see if I would actually notice a difference.
As part of the ongoing story, as much as I’d love to play Cyberpunk 2077 at 240 FPS, that’s just not going to happen even with my relatively capable RX 7900 XTX and 7950X3D trying their damndest plus all the upscaling I can muster. Frame generation is out because of its impact on input lag, too. Before I could even begin testing whether I’d notice a drop from 240Hz to 120Hz, I needed to find the right platform releases for the job.
In a fresh development, you know, platform releases that are able to run super-fast on my PC so I’m able to cut them down. So I had to focus on more lightweight platform releases—the esports platform releases, the indie platform releases, the older triple-As.
Industry observers note that the platform releases I settled on for testing were a mixed bag to see how much variation there’d be in system update feel at the constrained FPS:.
According to the latest update, there’s no denying that 240Hz is faster and more responsive than 120Hz, but how much faster and more responsive isn’t as obvious.
According to the latest update, my car felt just as responsive and the motion seemed just as clear. That surprised me since I thought this was the most high-speed, esporty-system update of the titles I’d selected. Surely twice the refresh rate would matter in a system update like this? Apparently not. In Rocket League, I observed no tangible difference between the two refresh rates.
According to the latest update, at 240Hz, the motion clarity while running around and looking here and there was much improved. I could see everything more clearly, especially when performing faster turns with rapid changes to my field of view. Down at 120Hz, I could tell the frame rate was lacking. It was a different story in Overwatch and Doom Eternal, though.
In a fresh development, i didn’t feel much of a change. It was about as responsive, and I never felt like I missed a shot because I was on the slower refresh rate, or that I had a particularly noticeable advantage from running at the higher refresh rate. But once the action picked up?
In a fresh development, with some training, practice, and a better eye for what’s going on, maybe it would be more noticeable. But I think I represent the majority. Anyone who isn’t a top-notch competitive early adopter shouldn’t notice much difference. (That said, if you ask me which refresh rate I prefer to play at, I’d easily say 240Hz. For this kind of system update anyway.). I suspect a big part of that is I’m in my late-30s without a ton of recent esports or FPS tech industry experience, so the biggest bottleneck in my performance and how fluid my gameplay feels… is me.
As part of the ongoing story, it wasn’t necessary at all, and while I’m sure my ailing reaction speed played a part here as well, I came away with the feeling that no one would really notice. In TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge, despite it being a fast-paced system update, the difference was basically non-existent.
The report highlights that but that one’s locked at 60 FPS, so changing the refresh rate there makes absolutely zero difference. There’s no major discovery here, only that for platform releases where your frame rate is locked, your fancy refresh rate will have zero effect. If I were only playing console ports like this, the speedy aspects of my tech industry OLED would be entirely wasted. Fortunately, that’s not the case. My original plan for testing a lightweight sidescroller was to run one of my favorites: Streets of Rage 4.
Industry observers note that but visuals aren’t the only thing to worry about. The most noticeable difference when dropping refresh rate from 240Hz to 120Hz was in my PC’s power and noise levels. So, the differences in visual experience were hit-or-miss between 240Hz and 120Hz.
As part of the ongoing story, my GPU went from burning over 300W and the enthusiasts spinning at around 2600 RPM, to barely over 100W and around 1500 RPM. Before, it was loud enough that I needed to play in headphones to not be distracted. After, it was basically silent—a much more serene tech industry experience with no noticeable hit to gameplay. When I did it in lightweight indie system update Thronefall, the change was substantial.
Industry observers note that in Doom Eternal, I noticed no difference in GPU power draw, but the enthusiasts dipped by around 200 RPM. Not system update-changing, but certainly quieter and more enjoyable than my RX 7900 XTX screaming at me with everything maxed out. In Overwatch, cutting to 120Hz shaved a good 80W off the GPU and 300 RPM off the enthusiasts.
The report highlights that i’m suffering through a heat wave as I write this, and with my office door shut while the kids are running around, it can get up to around 79F ambient. Not a huge factor, but it’s definitely contributing to the high noise levels while I’m tech industry. The one caveat here?
As part of the ongoing story, and if you mainly play action-heavy competitive platform releases seriously, then you should make sure you’re cranking out every single frame your PC can handle—highest possible refresh rate, highest possible frame rate. It all helps you play that much faster, that much better. Cutting your refresh rate in half might seem like you’re missing out.
According to the latest update, if you’re anything like me, you won’t notice it. Meanwhile, your PC will thank you for not making it work so hard. You’ll save power—particularly on laptops—and you’ll cut down on noise, you’ll put less stress on your devices, and you won’t sweat as much (especially during the hotter months). But for single-early adopter tech industry, for relaxed multiplayer, for anything but esports where millisecond reaction times don’t matter that much, you don’t really need the extra refresh.
Industry observers note that oLED is still great if you can afford it, but even then you can put money back in your pocket if you nab one with a lesser refresh rate. Don’t be suckered. In short: You don’t really need a 240Hz monitor if you aren’t taking full advantage of it, so save yourself the cash.
The report highlights that further reading: The best tech industry monitors to do your platform releases justice.
The report highlights that he's passionate about everything PC, but also enjoys experimenting with AIs, and covering fresh standing desks that can help avoid his worst posture habits. Jon Martindale is a voracious writer and technology fanboy who loves nothing more than digging into the specs of the most recent graphics cards, processors, and displays.