I've used a 60Hz IPS monitor for years and have always had to choose between VSync, which adds noticeable input latency, and disabling it, which causes screen tearing. For competitive shooters such as CS2, would upgrading to a 144Hz monitor eliminate tearing while keeping input lag low? My system uses a Ryzen 5 5600X and an RX 9060 XT.
3 Answers
A higher refresh rate makes tearing less noticeable, but 144Hz alone doesn’t eliminate it. Tearing happens whenever the GPU and monitor refresh out of sync. A monitor with variable refresh rate—such as FreeSync or G-Sync Compatible—can synchronize them and provide a much smoother image with very little added latency. With an AMD GPU like the RX 9060 XT, FreeSync should work well.
For the usual low-latency setup, enable FreeSync or VRR and cap your frame rate a few frames below the monitor’s maximum refresh rate—for example, around 141 FPS on a 144Hz display. VRR works within its refresh range, so the frame cap keeps it active and helps prevent tearing. This gives you most of the benefit of VSync without the same latency penalty.
You can also play at 144Hz without VRR if your system consistently produces high frame rates, and many people may not notice much tearing at that point. However, tearing is still technically possible. For competitive games, some players leave VRR off and run uncapped for the lowest possible latency, accepting occasional tearing; otherwise, VRR with a slightly lower FPS cap is the better balance.
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