First things first: refresh rates and how many frames you get in game are related to one another but not quite the same thing. If you’re someone with a 75 Hz monitor (refresh rate) you can output 120 FPS (or more) depending on your setup. The only catch is that the end result may not be to your liking.
60 hz
60 Hz is quite alright for gaming (yes, really)
60 Hz might be good enough for you if:
- You’re a casual fan (you play a few hours a week at most)
- You aren’t deeply invested in competitive multiplayer
- You’re just getting into gaming
- High refresh rate displays are outside your budget (FOMO be damned)
Jumping into Modern Warfare II at 120 FPS for the first time was an absolutely wild experience. I felt in control in a way I never had before. In fact, it felt like I was never really in control playing games like Call of Duty or Halo Infinite when playing at 60 FPS prior. In some ways, it was more game changing than other huge tech advancements I had experienced in the past – moving Windows to an SSD or experiencing high definition for the first time.
PC Gaming: is 60 Hz the same thing as 60 FPS?
Getting right to the difference between refresh rates and frame rate…
60 Hz and 60 FPS (frames per second) are interrelated, but not the same thing. 60 Hz refers to the refresh rate of your display while 60 FPS is the number of frames per second rendered by your PC or console.
To put it another way, the frame rate determines how fluid any particular game is while the refresh rate of your monitor (or TV) will dictate how smooth a game will appear.