I replaced my DisplayPort cable after moving my monitor to a higher shelf, but I later noticed the cable is only rated for 144Hz at 1440p and higher resolutions. My monitor and PC are supposed to support 240Hz. How can I confirm whether the display is actually running at 240Hz or has fallen back to 144Hz?
3 Answers
Check Windows under Settings > System > Display > Advanced display. It will show the active refresh rate. You can also verify the selected refresh rate in your GPU control panel and in the monitor’s on-screen display menu.
The cable won’t quietly convert a 240Hz signal into 144Hz. If it can’t handle the required bandwidth, 240Hz may not appear as an option, or you may get flickering, a black screen, or signal dropouts. If Windows and the monitor both report 144Hz, you’ll need a cable with enough DisplayPort bandwidth for 1440p at 240Hz.
So the PC could render 240 FPS while the monitor is only refreshing at 144Hz, correct?
Exactly. Rendering FPS and display refresh rate are separate. The monitor can only show up to its active refresh rate, though extra rendered frames may still reduce latency depending on the setup.
A game’s FPS counter only tells you how many frames the GPU is rendering; it doesn’t prove how many refreshes the monitor is receiving. Use the monitor’s OSD refresh-rate display or Windows’ Advanced display page for that. A browser motion test can also help confirm the perceived refresh rate.
I’ll check all three locations so I can confirm they agree.