Can a 60hz monitor display more than 60fps
- Thread starter dan2690
- Start date
keynes
Multiverse Poster
As far as I know no noticeable difference above 60fps on a 60hz monitor.
I'm not sure whether the monitor can actually display a framerate greater than 60fps. My understanding is that a 60hz monitor refreshes the image on screen 60 times per second. Now that doesn't mean the graphics card will not be able to push 120fps to the monitor, but only 60 of these frames will be displayed, this can lead to screen tearing etc. Hence the use of vsync (limiting fps to that which your monitor can display, so 60fps for a 60hz monitor) this would eliminate this screen tearing (if it occurs).
keynes
Multiverse Poster
I have a 120hz and I cannot tell the difference, I have the option to switch between 60hz and 120hz.
If you wanted higher FPS to be able to be displayed you would be better off with a 120Hz monitor. However as Keynes says, its often difficult to notice.
It does not mean that there is no point in a high end graphics card though, if your card can only push 60fps in some games it means that when newer (higher demanding) games are released you will start to struggle to meet the 60fps.
It does not mean that there is no point in a high end graphics card though, if your card can only push 60fps in some games it means that when newer (higher demanding) games are released you will start to struggle to meet the 60fps.
Grimezy
Prolific Poster
I have a 120hz monitor and like Keynes said there really isn't much in it and I play some games at less than 60fps on it and still find them perfectly enjoyable.
A high-end graphics card would benefit from a 120hz screen or alternatively a triple monitor setup at 60hz/120hz. But as Steaky said there will be games that you easily push up to 120fps, and there will still be others were you will struggle and be around the 60fps mark instead. And then you'd find on those games you'd be turning settings down to try and get up to 120 frames.
I wouldn't worry about it too much, although this is why a lot of people stress that you don't really have to spend thousands on a gaming rig unless you are planning to use 3 monitors or are using a 120hz screen. But like I said, 120hz was created to make 3D gaming a much better experience as you would see 60frames per eye. It was only really a bit of a coincidence that people primarily started using it for 2D gaming and unless you're comparing 60hz to 120hz side by side at the exact same time you probably wouldn't notice at all
A high-end graphics card would benefit from a 120hz screen or alternatively a triple monitor setup at 60hz/120hz. But as Steaky said there will be games that you easily push up to 120fps, and there will still be others were you will struggle and be around the 60fps mark instead. And then you'd find on those games you'd be turning settings down to try and get up to 120 frames.
I wouldn't worry about it too much, although this is why a lot of people stress that you don't really have to spend thousands on a gaming rig unless you are planning to use 3 monitors or are using a 120hz screen. But like I said, 120hz was created to make 3D gaming a much better experience as you would see 60frames per eye. It was only really a bit of a coincidence that people primarily started using it for 2D gaming and unless you're comparing 60hz to 120hz side by side at the exact same time you probably wouldn't notice at all
tom_gr7
Life Serving
I wouldnt worry mate, I've got two 60hz monitors and have no problem.
I'd suggest using adaptive vsync - you can read about it here http://www.hardocp.com/article/2012/04/16/nvidia_adaptive_vsync_technology_review/
Go into nvidia control panel - win 7 bottom right, manage 3d settings,global settings, scroll to vertical sync, then set it to adaptive.
This basically only runs games at 60frames (or whatever your monitor is), imo benefits include.
- your not running your gpu at 100% usage, it will only run as hard as it needs to get 60 frames... Often for my on my 680 this can be in some games as only 40-50%
- great for reducing heat and noise from the card
- significantly reduces the power output.
I'd also suggest trying the nvidia experience software... http://www.geforce.co.uk/geforce-experience
it basically sets your settings for each game, and is an easy way to update your drivers.
I'd suggest using adaptive vsync - you can read about it here http://www.hardocp.com/article/2012/04/16/nvidia_adaptive_vsync_technology_review/
Go into nvidia control panel - win 7 bottom right, manage 3d settings,global settings, scroll to vertical sync, then set it to adaptive.
This basically only runs games at 60frames (or whatever your monitor is), imo benefits include.
- your not running your gpu at 100% usage, it will only run as hard as it needs to get 60 frames... Often for my on my 680 this can be in some games as only 40-50%
- great for reducing heat and noise from the card
- significantly reduces the power output.
I'd also suggest trying the nvidia experience software... http://www.geforce.co.uk/geforce-experience
it basically sets your settings for each game, and is an easy way to update your drivers.
Grimezy
Prolific Poster
I don't believe hd tv's output true 120hz yet. I'm not entirely sure whether this is down to their technology or whether it's a cable issue as a standard HDMI cable will only transmit 60hz (although there is a newer version now that does 120hz+).
There definitely would be a difference between 60hz and 120hz if you had them side by side, but in reality you're not missing out on game changing technology. I find it slightly easier to follow targets in FPS's and driving games are very smooth but I don't think I'd be lost without it.
But in your scenario, no, your monitor will only be displaying 60fps maximum regardless of whether it's displaying as having more than that in game.
But in your scenario, no, your monitor will only be displaying 60fps maximum regardless of whether it's displaying as having more than that in game.
So wouldn't i be better off getting a 120hz to make use of more than 60fps that a gtx 780 can give me? Can it not go over 60fps even with vsync off?
So wouldn't i be better off getting a 120hz to make use of more than 60fps that a gtx 780 can give me? Can it not go over 60fps even with vsync off?
tom_gr7
Life Serving
without vsync or adaptive vsync on the card will be running at 100% to output as many frames as possible, even though your monitor cant display them all.
personally, i wouldn't bother with a 120hz monitor if you already have a decent 60hz monitor... thats spending alot of money for very little gain.
Grimezy
Prolific Poster
You are correct, HOWEVER, if you are playing the latest games on completely max settings you would struggle to achieve anywhere near 120fps. You will be getting closer to 60fps than 120fps with everything turned up. On lower quality games then yes, you can see your frame ramte going over 200fps if you're lucky but that's why you turn v-sync on to put less stress on your card. The game will still be perfectly smooth. The thing with higher frame rates is it doesn't physically make your game any better, the image quality isn't better or the detail, it's mainly down to smoothness of how the frames move, which to be honest isn't noticeable in all games anyway. Like I said, 120hz was originally made for 3D gaming, people just took it upon themselves to use it for 2D and now a lot of people do exaggerate that there is a night and day difference between 60hz and 120hz when personally I don't think there is. I can play at a steady 40fps and still be perfectly happy (remember, console games max out at 30fps so 60fps is still double what a console achieves).
To be honest this is all stuff that should have been researched before you bought your monitor/rig. I was always told that to get the best out of your graphics card you should spend the same amount on your monitor setup. My GTX670 was around £300, I spent £220 on my monitor and they really compliment each other well. It sounds like if yours is a 60hz TN panel then it will be around the ~£150 mark? Which in that case it makes no sense at all to buy a £600 GPU unless you were planning on buying 3 x£150 monitors in a surround setup. This is why when people ask for advice about their specs on the forums and they post a £3000 build for gaming on 1 screen we tell them that it's complete overkill and that they could spend a third of the amount.
Also, remember that your graphics card will only get slower (apart from driver updates of course), so just because you can run games near to 120fps now doesn't mean you will in 2 years time. Like I barely max the potential of my 144hz screen because most my games play at around 60fps. I can play older games at 120fps+ but realistically you don't see a lot of difference in it.
In my opinion, if you're due a new monitor anyway then sure, go for a 120hz screen. If the monitor you're using is pretty much new when you bought your rig then stick with that. Remember 120hz isn't going to make your graphics any better, it's just going to make it slightly smoother. To be honest unless you're playing Quake 24/7 there probably won't be that many fast paced games that really make the most of it.
My monitor and my whole rig only arrived less than 1 week ago. and yes i put all my effort and money into getting a good graphics card that would last a while. The monitor i have is the iiyama 22inch. I just dowloaded bandicam to measure fps and fired up max payne 3 with vsync off and was getting between 100-160fps so it does go over 60fps, I did see quite alot of screen tearing though. So do you think i should just stick with what i have for now seen as i need a new tv and really dont have the money for both. Maybe buy a 120hz monitor for next gen games.
Blackdog
Bright Spark
The G man isn't saying you won't get framerates over 60 but instead that our current monitors can't differentiate between 60 and 90+ fps. The IIyami monitor will look beautiful for games, sort out your tv and then worry about about higher resolutions IMO.
Grimezy
Prolific Poster
Obviously it's still worth buying a graphics card that's going to last you a while but £500+ cards are really aimed at surround setups or people playing at higher resolutions. But honestly your monitor will be fine, you're still getting a HD experience and the detail should still be brilliant so your card isn't really being wasted. Don't get drawn into the "you need a 120hz monitor otherwise your gaming will suck" ploy. It all depends on the kind of games you play as well. If you play really fast-paced FPS's or racing games, then you would probably notice 120hz is a bit smoother. If you play RTS's/MMO's/Single player campaigns then there isn't really much benefit to a higher frame rate.
Like Tom said, put Adaptive V-sync on and download Geforce Experience and they will soon get the most out of your card. Obviously it's a very high end card so it's not going to struggle on many titles but that's just because not all games are optimised for the higher end market as that could make the general public with average gaming pc's redundant. It sounds like you would have benefited more from a 770 which would have been cheaper but still more than enough for single monitor gaming but obviously your 780 should last slightly longer at the end of the day.
Also like I've said a few times, I've played many titles on my 120hz monitor and only been getting less than 60fps and I've still not noticed a difference i.e. Planetside 2 I was getting 40fps, Far Cry 3 50-60fps, Crysis 3 50-60fps, etc etc. I honestly only notice a difference if my frames fluctuate alot like if one minute I'm playing at 120fps and then next minute I'm down at 60fps for no reason. If it's at a steady framerate though I don't notice the difference at all; perhaps I'm blind!
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keynes
Multiverse Poster
I don't think the GTX 780 are just aimed for surround setups unless you are planning to SLI them. The GTX 780 is probably targeting enthusiast, people that want to keep constant 60fps in one monitor or 3D gaming. Saying that keeping up a surround set up with the latest games seems to be very expensive, I blame Crysis 3 and Metro Last light