[Explained] Is 60Hz Refresh Rate Good for Gaming?

With display technology being more and more improved and 240Hz monitors being mainstream, it is only fair to ask, is 60Hz refresh rate good for gaming? Well, the good news is, it is still good enough for gaming and other everyday use.

60Hz monitors are still mass produced and they haven’t gotten worse than what they were before. It is still the default refresh rate of most OS and games for what they offer out of the box.

Because while a high refresh rate (more Hz) can theoretically decrease motion blur and provide overall smoother gameplay, you can’t actually reap the benefits unless your frame rate matches your refresh rate. Confused? Let’s explain

Why 60Hz is Still Good for Gaming?

An old-school 60hz monitor can display at most 60 frames every second. Many gamers see this as the minimum requirement for gaming. But the truth is, in single-player mode, with decent graphics, frames slightly less than 60 are good enough for playing. Also, you don’t need a high-end expensive graphics card to churn out 60 high-definition frames per second. So, for casual gamers, or gamers on a budget, 60 Hz is still the recommended refresh rate for monitors.

For adventure games like GTA V or Assassin’s Creed, 60 fps on a 60Hz monitor can still give you a decent smooth gameplay experience. The key factor here is, 60 fps has always been a solid option. It was considered a good, way before the higher refresh rate came along, and it continues to be even after.

Another thing is that for so many games if you are getting a solid 60 frames per second out of your GPU, you can’t tell it apart from 120 or 144 Hz. For 3^rd person fps games, while playing with a controller, where we tend to move a bit away from our monitors, 60Hz will give you a great visual experience.

Of course, the price difference can’t be ignored as well. There are so many great quality 60Hz monitors that you can get at a fraction of the price that a higher refresh rate monitor goes for. It gives you so much flexibility to go for the upgrade that really matters to you or the upgrade that your system needs the most.

Another aspect you should consider is your computer’s fps capability. If your CPU and GPU struggle to push even 60 constant frames per second or manage to barely do that, there’s no point getting a higher refresh rate monitor, unless you are planning on getting a more powerful graphics card later, of course. The same goes for high-end graphics cards as well, where at 4k resolution in more demanding titles, struggle to churn out more than 60 frames per second.

So, to cut the long story short, 60Hz 60 fps is good for gaming, for most of us.

Is 60Hz Better Than 120Hz for Gaming?

Well, it depends on a few key factors. If you are aiming for stability, 60Hz provides you with the best smoothness while maintaining a fairly stable gameplay environment. This is especially true when you are gaming on a budget. For mid-range to low-end gaming computers and 1 or 2-generation old consoles, getting a 120Hz monitor is overkill because you will over-exhaust your hardware forcing it to churn out that many frames per second.

However, if your hardware is capable, 120 or 144Hz monitors will give you a way smoother gaming experience. And by capable, we mean extremely capable. As a general rule of thumb, if you have spent anything less than 400-500$ on your graphics card, there’s a solid chance that it can’t handle 120fps.

So, if you don’t recall seeing 120Hz capable labeled on your GPU or console box, don’t waste your money and go for a good-quality 60Hz monitor, it’s still the gold standard for most PCs and consoles.

Frequently Asked Questions And Answers

Is 60Hz too slow for gaming?

No. 60Hz for gaming is perfectly fine. It’s just that 120 or 144Hz is better.

What is the best Hz for gaming?

For a novice gamer, a 60 to 75 Hz monitor provides the best price-to-performance ratio. However, people lucky enough to own RTX 3050 and above should opt for a 120 or 144 Hz monitor.

Conclusion

Ultimately, it all depends on you. A 60 Hz refresh rate is good enough if you are a casual gamer who doesn’t need to move and aim fast, a 60 Hz monitor is more than decent in our experience. However, for competitive gamers, investing in a higher fps-capable GPU and a high refresh rate monitor is always a good choice.