Refresh Rate Explained: What It Is & Why It Matters

We've mentioned refresh rate in our gaming monitor guide and resolution guide, but it deserves its own deeper look. Refresh rate affects how smooth motion looks on your screen — and understanding it helps you choose monitors, TVs and even phones. This guide explains refresh rate and motion clarity.

Here's what refresh rate is and why it matters.

What we'll cover

What refresh rate is Why it matters What to choose

What refresh rate is

Refresh rate is how many times per second your screen updates its image, measured in Hertz (Hz):

60Hz. The screen updates 60 times per second — standard for most devices.

90Hz/120Hz/144Hz. Updates 90/120/144 times per second — smoother motion.

240Hz+. Very high, for competitive gaming.

Higher = smoother. More updates per second means less visible motion blur.

Refresh rate is how often a screen updates per second. Higher refresh rates make motion look smoother and more fluid.

Why it matters

Higher refresh rates matter most in specific situations:

Gaming. A high refresh rate makes games look dramatically smoother and more responsive (see our gaming guide).

Scrolling and UI. High refresh makes scrolling and animations feel fluid on phones and computers.

Everyday video. Most video is 60Hz, so high refresh matters less for movies and TV.

The catch. You need content and hardware that can run at the higher refresh (see our optimization guide).

High refresh matters most for gaming and fluid UI. For everyday video, 60Hz is usually fine. To benefit, your content and hardware must support the higher rate.

What to choose

Here's how to choose a refresh rate:

For gaming, prioritize a higher refresh rate — 144Hz is the sweet spot (see our guide).

For general use, 60Hz is fine for most, though 120Hz feels nicer on phones and laptops.

For a phone, 90–120Hz is a nice upgrade for smoother scrolling.

For TV/video, refresh rate matters less — 60Hz is standard; higher is mostly for gaming.

Check your hardware. Don't buy a high-refresh monitor your GPU can't drive (see our guide).

💡 The refresh rate rule

Higher refresh makes motion smoother, and it matters most for gaming and fluid scrolling. For gaming, 144Hz is the sweet spot. For general use and phones, 120Hz is a nice upgrade. For TV/video, 60Hz is usually fine. Just make sure your hardware can run at the higher refresh — otherwise you're paying for smoothness you can't use.

✨ It's smoothness, not sharpness

Refresh rate is about motion smoothness, not image sharpness (that's resolution — see our resolution guide). A high refresh rate makes fast-moving images look fluid instead of blurry. If you've never seen a 144Hz display, you'll be surprised how much smoother games feel — it's one of the most noticeable upgrades for gaming.

📌 Bottom line

Refresh rate is how many times per second a screen updates, measured in Hz. Higher refresh makes motion smoother and matters most for gaming and fluid scrolling. For gaming, 144Hz is the sweet spot; for general use and phones, 120Hz is a nice upgrade; for TV/video, 60Hz is usually fine. Make sure your hardware can run at the higher refresh. Understand the difference between smoothness (refresh) and sharpness (resolution), and you'll choose the right display.

Michael Torres

PC performance writer

Part of the HighTechBee editorial team. Michael Torres writes practical, beginner-friendly tech guides that solve real everyday problems.