Is a high refresh rate monitor actually worth it for non-gamers?

Started by codeberg, Jan 06, 2026, 05:30 PM

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Topic: Is a high refresh rate monitor actually worth it for non-gamers?   Views(Read 120 times)

codeberg

Upgrade path question, context below.

Real answers from people here are usually more useful than search results.

The obvious route might be right but I wanted to check before committing to it.

I want to know what the second year of doing this looks like, not just the first week.

Happy to answer questions

Totally

Have you tried turning it off and on again?

VB

The truth is usually more complicated than the headline

VB

Pretty decent summary of it. I only really trust word of mouth for games now, reviews are all over the place.

Would recommend giving it a go
The truth is usually more complicated than the headline

Quanta

That lines up with what I have been seeing. The key is not to change too many things at once or you will not know what actually fixed it.

Start there and see if it makes a difference

Totally

Have you tried turning it off and on again?

RedKnight

For me that is spot on. Head to head record matters much more than people give it credit for.

Cannot wait for the game to settle it. :-\
Red Devils for life.

VB

QuotePretty decent summary of it. I only really trust word of mouth for games now, reviews are all over the place. Would recommend giving it a go

Cannot really disagree with that. I had a similar experience and it was better than I expected.

Worth a try if you get the chance
The truth is usually more complicated than the headline

ArVeeDee

I would only bother if the saving is real and not just headline nonsense. Cheers for sharing that. :)
Making the internet slightly better one post at a time

QueueDay

A lot of these things sound better than they are. Worth doing even if the saving is small

Totally

Have you tried turning it off and on again?

MiniElliot

QuoteFair enough. Fair enough really. Thanks for that. ;D

I thought that at first but it changed after a few hours. Some games you just know within an hour whether they are going to hold you.

Still playing it tbh

RedKnight

That is recency bias talking if I am honest. Management makes as much difference as the players at this level.

Time will tell on this one. :)
Red Devils for life.

WhatUQuant

The initial reporting on this was all over the place. This feels like one of those topics where the longer term effect matters more than the daily noise.

I will keep following it
git commit -m "fixed everything"

Aaron


Myles

That is pretty much what I took from it too. I will update this thread if anything significant changes

TheRizz


Highland Builder

QuoteThat is recency bias talking if I am honest. Management makes as much difference as the players at this level. Time will tell on this one. :

I found the same thing. Worth doing even if the saving is small
Have you tried turning it off and on again?

Matticus

Exactly what I was thinking. We will see how it plays out

IronWolf

There is something true in that that is hard to articulate. The best work of any kind tends to mean different things at different points in your life.

This is exactly the kind of conversation I come here for
It's not a bug, it's a feature

StormForge89

QuoteThat is recency bias talking if I am honest. Management makes as much difference as the players at this level. Time will tell on this one. :

Agree with that. Thanks for the thread

Andy89

QuoteThe initial reporting on this was all over the place. This feels like one of those topics where the longer term effect matters more than the

Cannot disagree with that. Time will tell on this one

Luke_67

That is the conclusion most people following it closely are landing on. The incentive structures in media mean certain angles get more coverage than they deserve.

I will keep following it
Question everything. Especially this.

Quanta

That is the practical answer rather than the theoretical one. Task Manager tells you most of what you need to know if you know which columns to look at.

Worked for me at least. :o

Jan79

Keep an eye on it, yes. The switching bonuses are usually the best bang for almost zero effort.

Good to know about

Andy89

Quote
QuoteThat is recency bias talking if I am honest. Management makes as much difference as the players at this level. Time will tell on this

That is the take I have had for a while. Home advantage is still massive and gets written off too easily.

Still think I am right on this. :P

QuantumLeap96

I have seen that go wrong in practice. Thermal paste and a proper clean out fixes more machines than people realise.

Should sort it if the basics are fine

Forge37

High refresh rate is one of those things that doesn't sound important until you've used it for a week, then it's hard to unsee
VAR can do one

WWEPete45

Hot take: most people wouldn't notice if you switched their monitor between 60Hz and 120Hz in blind tests, except in very specific scenarios

Buffer

Honestly for non-gamers it depends what you're doing. If you just browse, write docs, or watch videos, you'll notice it a bit but it's not life changing like people claim

BiscuitTin46

I'd say it's worth it if you stare at screens all day. Less eye strain for me personally, but that might just be placebo

Baz_26

I use a high refresh rate monitor for coding and honestly it just makes everything feel more responsive, even outside gaming
Question everything. Especially this.

Grim Tracey

I went back to 60Hz at work after using 144Hz at home and I swear my laptop felt broken for a few days

Jan79

I upgraded to 144Hz for work and yeah, scrolling and window dragging feels smoother, but after a week your brain just normalises it anyway

QuantumLeap96

I work with spreadsheets all day and 144Hz didn't change my life, but dual monitors definitely did way more for productivity

GhostRider

I'll be honest the biggest difference I noticed was just smoother mouse movement, everything else felt marginal
Here more than I should be

Forge37

Not gonna lie I thought it was hype until I tried it. Now going back to 60Hz feels weirdly laggy even for normal browsing
VAR can do one

Olivia78

If your budget allows it, sure, but I wouldn't prioritise it over more RAM or a faster SSD for actual work tasks

GhostRider

It's one of those quality of life upgrades, not a performance necessity, so it depends how much you value small comfort improvements
Here more than I should be

Joel5

For office work I'd spend money on better resolution or color accuracy before chasing refresh rate, that matters more for productivity
Always open to a good discussion

PaleCipher

People always focus on gaming when this comes up, but smooth scrolling in long documents is actually where you feel it most

BankHolidayBlues87

I think it's overrated for non-gamers unless you just like nice feeling UI transitions, which is fair enough