My old 60 Hz monitor stopped working, so I need to replace it soon. I mainly play two or three games that are capped at 60 FPS because my current PC cannot produce much more than that. I plan to upgrade my computer in a couple of months, but for now I'm considering buying a 180 Hz monitor. Will games running at 60 FPS look noticeably worse, or will they look essentially the same as they did on a 60 Hz display? The monitor I'm considering supports Adaptive Sync and is NVIDIA G-SYNC Compatible, with a variable-refresh range starting at 48 Hz.
3 Answers
A 180 Hz monitor can still run at fixed modes like 60, 120, or its full refresh rate, but VRR is the better option for gaming. With a VRR range starting around 48 Hz, it should work well at 60 FPS and can also help if performance occasionally drops below that. The main benefit of the higher refresh rate will be for desktop use and future games that run above 60 FPS.
There’s no downside to playing a 60 FPS game on a 180 Hz monitor by itself. Without VRR, you may need to use a suitable refresh-rate setting or enable V-Sync to avoid tearing, but with Adaptive Sync enabled the monitor should match the output automatically. If your games sometimes reach 70 FPS or more, you may notice improved responsiveness compared with 60 FPS.
If the monitor supports VRR, such as FreeSync or G-SYNC Compatible, it can adjust its refresh rate to match the game’s frame rate. At a steady 60 FPS, it should look smooth and won’t be a problem on a 180 Hz display. Just make sure Adaptive Sync is enabled in the monitor settings and your graphics driver.
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