Refresh Rate vs. Frame Rate (Hz vs. FPS): The Definitive 2025 Guide

Introduction: The “Speed” Misconception

In the world of gaming and high-performance computing, we are obsessed with speed. You’ll hear people talk about their “240Hz monitor” and their “120 FPS gameplay” in the same breath. While both terms describe how fast images are changing, they actually refer to two completely different parts of your computer.

If your monitor is a “240Hz” screen but your PC is only powerful enough to generate 60 frames per second, you aren’t actually seeing 240Hz performance. Conversely, if your PC is outputting 300 FPS but you’re on a 60Hz screen, you’re wasting potential. In this definitive guide, we will break down the chemistry between Refresh Rate and Frame Rate, and explain how technologies like G-Sync bridge the gap between them.

1. Frame Rate (FPS): The “Producer”

Frame Rate, expressed in Frames Per Second (FPS), is the speed at which your graphics card (GPU) can render new images.

How it’s generated:

Imagine a game is a flipbook. Your GPU is the artist drawing each page of that book. If the artist is fast, they can draw 144 pages in a single second. If the scene is complex—lots of explosions, lighting effects, and characters—the artist slows down, perhaps only drawing 45 pages per second.

• FPS is dynamic. It changes constantly depending on what is happening in the game.
• FPS is limited by your hardware. Your CPU and GPU determine your maximum possible FPS.

2. Refresh Rate (Hz): The “Projector”

Refresh Rate, expressed in Hertz (Hz), is the speed at which your monitor physically refreshes the image on the screen.

How it works:

Continuing the flipbook analogy, the monitor is the person flipping the pages. A 60Hz monitor flips the page exactly 60 times per second, every second, without exception.

• Hz is static. Unless you change your settings, a 144Hz monitor refreshes 144 times per second, regardless of whether the “artist” (GPU) has finished a new drawing or not.
• Hz is a physical hardware limit. You cannot software-patch a 60Hz panel to become a 144Hz panel.

3. The Conflict: Screen Tearing and V-Sync

When the GPU (FPS) and the Monitor (Hz) are out of sync, problems arise.

Screen Tearing

If your GPU is faster than your monitor (e.g., 100 FPS on a 60Hz screen), the monitor might start drawing a new frame before the previous one is finished. This results in a “horizontal tear” across the screen where the top half of the image is from Frame A and the bottom half is from Frame B.

V-Sync (The Old Solution)

Vertical Sync (V-Sync) was the first attempt to fix this. It forces the GPU to wait until the monitor is ready for a new refresh.

• The Pro: It eliminates tearing.
• The Con: It introduces massive Input Lag and causes “stuttering” if your FPS drops even slightly below your refresh rate.

4. The Harmony: Variable Refresh Rate (VRR)

This is the most important technology in modern displays. G-Sync (NVIDIA) and FreeSync (AMD) are forms of VRR.

How it works:

Instead of forcing the GPU to wait for the monitor, VRR forces the monitor to wait for the GPU. If the GPU takes 7 milliseconds to render a frame, the monitor waits 7 milliseconds to refresh. If the next frame takes 12 milliseconds, the monitor waits 12 milliseconds. This synchronization eliminates both screen tearing and the stuttering associated with V-Sync, providing a “buttery smooth” experience even as your FPS fluctuates.

LFC (Low Frame Rate Compensation)

What happens if your 144Hz monitor has a VRR range of 48-144Hz, but your game drops to 30 FPS? The monitor uses LFC. It will simply refresh each frame twice (30 FPS x 2 = 60Hz), keeping you within the VRR range and maintaining smoothness.

5. Frame Time Variance: Why 60 FPS Can Feel “Laggy”

Have you ever played a game at 60 FPS that felt “choppy,” while another game at the same 60 FPS felt smooth? This is due to Frame Time Variance.

FPS is an average. If you get 60 frames in a second, but 50 of them arrive in the first half-second and only 10 in the second half, the game will stutter. Higher refresh rate monitors (144Hz+) help alleviate this because they “check” for a new frame more often, reducing the time between the GPU finishing a frame and you seeing it.

6. Testing Your Smoothness

How can you actually see the difference? You need a moving reference point.

Use our Motion Test Tool to see this in action:

1. Set the object speed to high.
2. Watch it at 60Hz. Notice the “ghosting” and the choppy trail.
3. If you have a high-refresh monitor, switch to 144Hz or 240Hz. Notice how the object becomes clearly defined and the motion looks like real life.

Summary: Which Hz do you need for your FPS?

Understanding the dance between Hz and FPS allows you to balance your budget between your PC components and your display. Don’t buy a Ferrari monitor if you have a lawnmower GPU!

Ready to check your current performance? Run our Screen Info Tool to see your active Hz and detected frame capabilities.