Why am I only getting 144Hz on a 165Hz monitor?

As a passionate gamer and hardware enthusiast, I was super excited when I upgraded to a 2560×1440 165Hz gaming monitor. But when I hooked it up, I was confused why I could only select up to 144Hz refresh rate in my Windows display settings. What gives?

It‘s usually just a software limitation

After digging into forums and contacting the monitor manufacturer, I realized that most modern GPUs and cables can technically handle 165Hz at 1440p resolution. The problem is often a software lock that prevents you from selecting the full refresh rate out of the box.

But with a few tweaks to the monitor‘s onboard settings and your graphics card‘s drivers, you can unlock that silky smooth 165 frames per second your display is capable of.

Check your monitor specs and port connection

First things first – ensure your monitor, GPU, and the cable connecting them actually support 165Hz at your monitor‘s native resolution.

For example, my 2560 x 1440 monitor came with a DisplayPort 1.2 cable. According to Dell, DisplayPort 1.2 supports 165Hz at 1440p.

If you‘re using an HDMI cable instead, you‘ll specifically need HDMI 2.0 to handle 165Hz at 1440p or 1080p. Older HDMI cables top out at 60Hz or 120Hz.

Here‘s a quick reference table:

So if your monitor, GPU, and cable all theoretically support 165Hz at your monitor‘s native resolution, you likely just need to change some settings to unlock higher refresh rates.

Select 165Hz refresh rate in Windows

Windows 10 will usually detect your monitor‘s max refresh rate automatically. But sometimes you‘ll need to manually select 165Hz yourself:

1. Go to Start > Settings > System > Display > Advanced display settings
2. Click "Display adapter properties for Display X"
3. Click the Monitor tab > Screen refresh rate > 165 Hz

If 165Hz doesn‘t show as an option here, you‘ll need to keep tweaking other settings.

Enable high refresh rates in your GPU settings

Hop into your Nvidia or AMD graphics card settings next:

• For Nvidia, open the Nvidia Control Panel > Change resolution > scroll down and enable 165 Hz
• For AMD, open Radeon Software > Display > try toggling Radeon FreeSync, GPU Scaling, or other settings

I spent over 20 minutes digging through every setting before 165Hz finally appeared for me in AMD‘s software. So don‘t give up if it doesn‘t show right away!

Still no luck? Reset your monitor

If your monitor came with an OSD (on screen display) menu, try manually activating 165Hz mode or resetting your monitor profile to default. Look for options like:

• Reset to factory defaults
• Gaming mode -> Enable
• Max refresh rate -> 165 Hz

You‘ll typically press buttons on your monitor rather than within Windows to access this OSD menu. Check your monitor documentation for the exact button sequence.

For example, my Dell monitor has an OSD button I press to access the menu, allowing me to reset the monitor, update firmware, and change gaming profiles.

Time to enjoy buttery smooth 165Hz!

Once you tweak all the necessary settings across Windows, your GPU control panel, and your monitor itself, your 165Hz gaming monitor should start performing as advertised.

Enabling that full refresh potential took some digging, but now multiplayer shooters and racing games feel almost unbelievably smooth at 165 frames per second. It was worth the effort!

Let me know in the comments if unlocking your monitor‘s max refresh rate was tricky for you too. Or if you have any other tips for readers!