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    Do 480Hz and 720Hz monitors matter? What the evidence says

    Higher refresh rates show new frames more often: every 1.39 ms at 720Hz against 2.78 ms at 360Hz.[1] Controlled studies find clear gains from 60Hz up to about 144-240Hz,[2] but a 2026 study of 101 gamers found no significant performance difference between 144Hz and 360Hz.[3] No peer-reviewed study cited here has tested 480Hz or 720Hz.[4]

    Editor reviewedUpdated Gaming

    A monitor’s refresh rate is how many times per second it draws a new image. In 2026 gaming monitors reached 720Hz,[5] which raises a fair question: can anyone benefit? This page sets out what the numbers mean and what controlled studies have found. Choose a reading level in each section.

    What refresh rate changes

    A 720Hz screen shows a fresh picture every 1.39 milliseconds; a 360Hz screen does it every 2.78 ms.[1] Faster refreshes can make moving objects look sharper and cut the delay before you see what happened. The shortest possible delay falls as the refresh rate rises: RTINGS gives a floor of 8.33 ms at 60Hz and 4.17 ms at 120Hz.[6]

    Frame interval is 1/refresh rate: 1.39 ms at 720Hz and 2.78 ms at 360Hz.[1] RTINGS treats half a frame interval as the input-lag floor, giving 8.33 ms at 60Hz and 4.17 ms at 120Hz.[6] Each doubling of the rate therefore saves less absolute time than the one before: about 4 ms going from 60Hz to 120Hz, but under 1.4 ms going from 360Hz to 720Hz. Hardware Busters calls the motion-clarity gain at 720Hz “real and measurable”, while noting that whether a human can act on it is a separate question.[1] Vendor response-time claims such as 0.02 ms are best-case figures measured under vendor conditions.[7]

    What the studies found

    In 2019 NVIDIA researchers found that players hit moving targets better at 120Hz than 60Hz, and better again at 240Hz.[2] A 2026 study of 101 gamers, by University of Limerick and NVIDIA researchers, found people could tell 60Hz from 360Hz but not 144Hz from 360Hz.[8] Their scores were not significantly different between 144Hz and 360Hz.[3] A smaller 2024 study using a commercial shooter found only 30Hz made a significant difference.[9]

    The evidence is consistent at the low end and thin at the high end:

    • NVIDIA, 2019 (Journal of Vision). A moving-target task at 60, 120 and 240Hz on an LCD showed performance improving monotonically with refresh rate.[2] Adding equivalent latency at a fixed 240Hz produced a smaller effect, so the authors concluded latency can matter less than refresh rate for some tasks.[10]
    • Toth, Kim et al., 2026 (N = 101). After correcting for response bias, participants distinguished 60Hz from 360Hz but not 144Hz from 360Hz.[8] Target-acquisition performance did not differ significantly between 144Hz and 360Hz, and the authors suggest 144Hz as a possible point of diminishing returns.[3]
    • Qin and Zhu, 2024 preprint (N = 26). Across 30-240Hz in a commercial shooter, only 30Hz significantly hurt performance.[9]
    • Davis et al., 2015 (Scientific Reports). The visual system can detect flicker artifacts above 500Hz when an image has high-frequency edges, so perception is not capped at 60-90Hz.[11] This concerns detecting artifacts, not game performance.

    None of these studies tested 480Hz or 720Hz.[4]

    The catches with very high refresh rates

    Two practical points matter. First, check whether a monitor’s headline number applies at its full resolution. Many “dual-mode” monitors reach their top speed only at a lower resolution.[12] Second, your PC has to produce roughly 720 frames per second to fill a 720Hz screen. That is possible in light esports games on a top-end CPU, but not in demanding modern games.[13]

    Dual-mode panels usually double the refresh rate by halving the resolution.[12] The 27-inch 1440p Tandem OLEDs reach 720Hz only at 720p, while LG Display’s 24.5-inch panel does so at native 1080p.[14] Headline numbers can mislead: Hardware Busters cites a Samsung Odyssey G6 that reaches 1,100Hz only at 720p and 600Hz at QHD.[15] Filling 720Hz requires about 720 rendered frames per second, which is realistic in CS2 or Valorant with a top-end CPU and low settings, but not in Unreal Engine 5 titles.[13] Independent reviewers have also found VRR flicker on 720Hz-capable OLEDs when frame rates swing quickly.[16][17]

    So who is 720Hz for?

    The makers aim it at esports. LG Display designed its panel for the 24-inch class that pro players use, because players can see the whole screen at a glance.[18] The first monitor using it is the official display for a Counter-Strike 2 Major.[19] For most players, the published research supports moving up from 60Hz but offers no direct evidence above 360Hz.[3][4] For models and prices, see the 720Hz monitor tracker and the buyer’s guide.

    Questions readers ask

    Can people see the difference between 144Hz and 360Hz?

    In a 2026 study of 101 gamers, participants reliably told 60Hz from 360Hz apart but could not reliably tell 144Hz from 360Hz.[8]

    Does a higher refresh rate improve aim?

    A 2019 NVIDIA study found aiming performance improved steadily from 60Hz to 120Hz to 240Hz. A 2026 study found no significant difference between 144Hz and 360Hz, and a 2024 study found an effect only at 30Hz.[2][3][9]

    Has anyone tested whether 720Hz helps?

    None of the peer-reviewed studies cited on this page tested above 360Hz.[4]

    What do I need to actually use 720Hz?

    You need the game to render around 720 frames per second. The FPS Review notes this is achievable in games such as CS2 or Valorant with a top-end CPU and low settings, but not in Unreal Engine 5 games.[13]

    Is a "720Hz" monitor always 720Hz at full resolution?

    No. Many dual-mode monitors reach their top rate only at a lower resolution, often by halving the resolution and doubling the refresh rate.[12][14]

    Sources

    Each numbered claim is a statement we checked against the sources listed with it. Status shows how well established it is.

    1. [1]

      At 720Hz a new frame is shown every 1.39 ms, compared with 2.78 ms at 360Hz. confirmedas of 2026-09-21

    2. [2]

      A 2019 NVIDIA study published in the Journal of Vision found that performance in a moving-target aiming task improved steadily from 60Hz to 120Hz to 240Hz on an LCD monitor. confirmedas of 2019-09-06

    3. [3]

      In the same 2026 study, target-acquisition performance did not differ significantly between 144Hz and 360Hz, and the authors suggest 144Hz as a possible threshold beyond which gains are marginal. confirmedas of 2026-06-01

    4. [4]

      None of the peer-reviewed refresh-rate studies cited here tested displays above 360Hz; the highest rates tested were 240Hz (NVIDIA 2019, Qin 2024) and 360Hz (Toth et al. 2026). confirmedas of 2026-10-10· interpretation

    5. [5]

      On 21 September 2026 LG Display announced the launch and start of mass production of a 24.5-inch 720Hz gaming OLED panel, which it describes as the first OLED panel tailored specifically for esports. confirmedas of 2026-09-21

    6. [6]

      RTINGS gives the minimum possible input lag as 8.33 ms at 60Hz and 4.17 ms at 120Hz, so the floor falls as the refresh rate rises. confirmedas of 2026-10-10

    7. [7]

      Hardware Busters cautions that OLED response-time figures such as 0.02 ms are best-case transitions measured under vendor conditions. reportedas of 2026-09-21

    8. [8]

      In a 2026 study of 101 gamers by researchers at the University of Limerick and NVIDIA, participants reliably told 60Hz from 360Hz apart but could not reliably distinguish 144Hz from 360Hz. confirmedas of 2026-06-01

    9. [9]

      A 2024 within-subjects study of 26 players in a commercial first-person shooter found refresh rate significantly affected performance only at 30Hz, among 30, 60, 120, 144 and 240Hz. confirmedas of 2024-06-18

    10. [10]

      The same 2019 NVIDIA study found that adding latency alone produced a smaller effect than changing the refresh rate, concluding that latency can matter less than refresh rate for some tasks. confirmedas of 2019-09-06

    11. [11]

      A 2015 Scientific Reports study found that people can perceive flicker artifacts at rates above 500Hz when a display shows high-frequency spatial edges. confirmedas of 2015-02-03

    12. [12]

      RTINGS describes dual-mode monitors as boosting the refresh rate at a lower resolution, most often by doubling the refresh rate and halving the resolution. confirmedas of 2026-10-10

    13. [13]

      The FPS Review notes that using 720Hz fully requires 720 rendered frames per second, achievable in games such as CS2 or Valorant with a top-end CPU and low settings but not in Unreal Engine 5 games. reportedas of 2026-09-23

    14. [14]

      ASUS's 27-inch 720Hz Tandem OLEDs reach 720Hz only by dropping below their native QHD resolution, while the 24.5-inch LG Display panel reaches 720Hz at its native resolution. confirmedas of 2026-09-23

    15. [15]

      Hardware Busters reports that Samsung's Odyssey G6 reaches 1,100Hz only at 720p and stops at 600Hz at QHD, an example of dual-mode panels quoting the higher number. reportedas of 2026-09-21

    16. [16]

      RTINGS found that the LG 27GX790B-B has very sharp motion at any refresh rate and low input lag in certain gaming picture modes, but distracting VRR flicker when the frame rate changes quickly. confirmedas of 2026-10-10

    17. [17]

      RTINGS found that the ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG27AQWP-W has low input lag at any refresh rate but noticeable VRR flicker, and includes burn-in mitigation such as a custom heatsink and a proximity sensor. confirmedas of 2026-10-10

    18. [18]

      LG Display says esports monitors are mainly in the 24-inch class because players can see the whole screen at a glance. confirmedas of 2026-09-21

    19. [19]

      ASUS announced on 25 August 2026 that the PG259QWS Ace is the official monitor of the PGL CS2 Major Singapore 2026, which runs from 24 November to 13 December 2026 and is the first Counter-Strike Major played on OLED. confirmedas of 2026-08-25

    Revision history (1)
    1. Page created.

    Created Oct 10, 2026. Last reviewed by an editor on Oct 10, 2026. Next scheduled review: Jan 10, 2027.

    Cite this page

    "Do 480Hz and 720Hz monitors matter? What the evidence says." ContentLora, updated Oct 10, 2026. https://contentlora.com/explain/do-high-refresh-rates-matter

    Spotted an error? Suggest a correction or emailcorrections@contentlora.com.

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