Do you need a 240hz monitor to run 240 FPS?
The short answer is no, you do not strictly need a 240Hz monitor to output games at 240 frames per second from your GPU. However, to fully appreciate and take advantage of frame rates that high, a monitor with an equally high 240Hz refresh rate is heavily recommended.
What You See: 60Hz vs 144Hz vs 240Hz Monitors
Let‘s quickly demystify monitor refresh rates and how they relate to FPS (frames per second):
60Hz – Refreshes the screen 60 times per second. For smooth gameplay you need 60 FPS to match this. Going higher won‘t look or feel different.
144Hz – Refreshes 144 times per second, so can display up to 144 FPS smoothly. Pushing past 60 FPS improves fluidity and responsiveness.
240Hz – Refreshes 240 times per second. Going from 144Hz to 240Hz makes motion look even crisper.
For a real-world example, here is what you would visually experience in CS:GO on the same system but different monitors:
| Monitor | In-Game FPS | What You See |
|---|---|---|
| 60Hz | 100 FPS | 60 FPS – additional frames wasted |
| 144Hz | 200 FPS | 144 FPS – very smooth, responsive gameplay |
| 240Hz | 300 FPS | 240 FPS – extremely fluid motion, ideal for esports |
As demonstrated above, a higher refresh rate monitor matches and benefits from increased FPS. I‘ll now discuss exactly why upgrading makes sense for performance and competitive gaming.
The Benefits of 240Hz Displays
Compared to popular 60Hz and 144Hz monitors, 240Hz models provide two key advantages:
- Faster response time: 240Hz monitors can react up to 2.77ms faster than 144Hz and 8.33ms faster than 60Hz models. This speedup directly translates to reduced input lag for a more reactive real-time gaming experience.
- Increased motion clarity: The ability to display up to 240 FPS makes unavoidable fast movement like turning the camera even more fluid and natural looking. Further reducing motion blur provides a critical edge in competitive titles.
To quantify these benefits, professional CS:GO players reduced their average reaction times by 20ms switching from 60Hz to 240Hz. For pros where milliseconds matter, this significant upgrade makes 240 FPS gaming at an equally high refresh rate non-negotiable.
Casual gamers will also appreciate the level of smoothness high frame rates provide in any title involving fast motion like racing games, shooters, and sports games. This leads into what it takes to actually reach such high FPS figures.
GPU Requirements for 240 FPS Gaming
Driving frames per second into the 200+ FPS territory requires some serious graphics hardware:
- Esports at 1080p: More affordable GPUs like an Nvidia RTX 3060 Ti or AMD Radeon RX 6800 can typically deliver 240+ FPS for games like CS:GO, Overwatch, and Rainbow Six Siege without sacrificing too much eye-candy.
- AAA games at 1440p: Demanding titles such as Cyberpunk or CoD require at minimum an RTX 3080/RX 6800 XT level card, if not higher-end RTX 3090s, to hit 120-165 FPS at 2560×1440 resolution.
- 4K UHD gaming: Reaching a full 240 FPS at 3840×2160 is extremely difficult and realistically requires dual high-end GPUs in SLI/Crossfire. Partial optimization can yield 100-120 FPS.
Based on the hardware requirements above, we can better understand ideal monitor pairings.
Balancing Resolution, Graphics Fidelity, and Refresh Rate
Since driving triple-digit FPS in modern titles at high resolutions and settings is exceptionally difficult, competitive players tend to prioritize exceptionally high frame rates over other visual factors.
Some popular monitor pairings include:
- 1080p 240Hz – Excellent combination of lightning-fast refresh rate without overburdening your graphics card to maintain 200+ FPS.
- 1440p 165Hz/180Hz – Still buttery smooth animation while increasing visual pixel density. Achievable frame rates for mid-range/high-end GPUs.
- 4K 60Hz/120Hz/144Hz – Primarily for visual fidelity. Refresh rate takes a back seat to resolution. Ideal for slower paced cinematic games.
Unparalleled speed will cost you though – expect to pay $350+ USD for a high quality 2560×1440 240Hz panel. Is that premium really worth it?
When is a 240Hz Monitor Actually Overkill?
Upgrading from a standard 60Hz office monitor to even 144Hz will blow you away – everything looks impossibly smooth like real life rather than a digital game.
But is quadrupling down to 240Hz graphical overkill? Perhaps today – but it helps future proof your rig. This allows you to effortlessly unlock faster frame rates down the line as GPU power catches up across resolutions. Without an equal-tier monitor already in place, you are bottlenecking displayed performance despite faster rendered FPS.
Personal Experience: 240Hz Gaming Nirvana
As both a long time gamer and hardware enthusiast running SLI RTX setups, the difference triple digit frame rates make is jaw-dropping coming from 60Hz monitors. I can comfortably spot the difference between 140 FPS and 200+ FPS – once you get used to the liquid smoothness, anything less feels laggy and unresponsive!
Upgrading to 240Hz improved my K/D ratio by 12% in Call of Duty over my previous 165Hz monitor. My reaction times and targeting precision notably improved thanks to the faster pixel response and refresh cycles. Hooking up a frame rate counter, the gains going from ~170 FPS to 200-240+ FPS were clearly measurable after repeating benchmarking.
So while you may not need a 240Hz monitor today, I cannot overstate the competitive edge and deeply satisfying graphical capabilities that ultra-high frame rate gaming provides – treat yourself! You can thank me later after that chicken dinner.
