Is FreeSync 60hz better than 144hz? An In-Depth Look

Hey there! As a fellow gaming and tech enthusiast, I know how confusing monitor specs can be. You‘re probably wondering whether to get a FreeSync monitor with a 60Hz or 144Hz refresh rate. I‘ve tested them both, and want to help you understand the key differences to choose the best gaming monitor for your needs.

What is FreeSync and Refresh Rate? A Quick Refresher

First, let‘s recap what these terms mean…

FreeSync is AMD‘s adaptive sync technology that matches your monitor‘s refresh rate with your AMD graphics card‘s frame rate output. This eliminates screen tearing and stuttering for super smooth gaming.

Refresh rate refers to how many times per second your monitor updates the image. It‘s measured in hertz (Hz). Standard monitors are 60Hz, updating 60 times per second. Faster gaming monitors can be 144Hz, 240Hz or even 360Hz!

Higher refresh rates give you a more fluid, real-life viewing experience, especially for fast gaming action. It allows your display to show more of the frames from your graphics card.

Okay, now that we‘ve covered the basics, let‘s dive into whether 60Hz or 144Hz FreeSync monitors are better suited for your needs…

Why 144Hz FreeSync is Better for Competitive Gaming

For esports and competitive gaming, higher refresh rates make a big difference. Here‘s why 144Hz is preferred:

• Faster response time – 144Hz monitors have under 1ms response time. This low input lag means faster reactions to what‘s happening on-screen. Those few extra milliseconds you save really improve gameplay performance.

• Smoother motion – Higher FPS portrayed fluidly at 144Hz just feels incredibly smooth. It‘s easier to precisely track moving targets with minimal motion blur.

• No screen tearing – FreeSync at 144Hz range eliminates tearing and stuttering up to 144FPS. This keeps the visuals distraction-free so you can focus entirely on the game.

• Take advantage of high frame rates – Esports pros often get 200-300 FPS. A 144Hz display can actually show all those frames for an unbelievably lifelike experience. At 60Hz, those extra frames are wasted.

• Improved visibility – AMD says fast-paced motion is up to 50% more visible at 144Hz+ compared to 60Hz. You can better see and respond to enemies, projectiles, and other in-game stimuli.

Professional gamers absolutely need every last bit of advantage they can get. The evidence is clear that high refresh + FreeSync offers a competitive edge.

But for more cinematic single player gaming, a 60Hz FreeSync monitor will provide very enjoyable performance too, which brings us to…

When 60Hz FreeSync is a Great Choice

For non-competitive gaming, a 60Hz FreeSync monitor is totally fine and even preferred sometimes. Here are the benefits of 60Hz displays:

• Cost savings – You can get a high quality 1440p or 4K monitor at 60Hz for much cheaper than a 144Hz version. That extra money is better spent on resolution, panel quality, HDR, and other visual upgrades over simply refresh rate.

• Richer visuals – Higher resolution and panel tech like OLED brings out details, colors and contrast that can get lost on lower res TN gaming monitors aimed at maximizing frame rates.

• Smooth frame rates – FreeSync at 60Hz range still smooths out dips below 60 FPS by adjusting the refresh rate. This prevents stuttering during intense gaming moments.

• No tearing – FreeSync eliminates tearing below 60 FPS, so even if your game‘s frame rate fluctuates, the on-screen action remains tear-free.

For story-driven, visually stunning single player games, a 60Hz monitor lets you better appreciate the artistry and graphics at higher resolutions and quality settings. Smoother motion matters less than visual splendor.

Frame Rate Targets For Common Games

To help decide, here are the typical frame rate targets you‘ll reach for popular games on a mid-range gaming PC:

Game Genre	Example Games	Target FPS
Esports	CS:GO, Valorant, Overwatch	200+ FPS
Shooters	Call of Duty, Apex Legends, Battlefield	100-144 FPS
RPGs	The Witcher 3, Skyrim, Horizon Zero Dawn	60-100 FPS
Action-Adventure	God of War, Spiderman, Tomb Raider	60-100 FPS

• Frame rate targets are for 1080p gameplay on a GTX 2060 level PC

As you can see, esports shooters are where you‘ll consistently surpass 144 FPS. For other genres, 60-100 FPS is more common. This is why a 144Hz monitor benefits fast competitive games the most.

But say you want to play both competitive and story games. I suggest considering a 1440p 144Hz monitor with FreeSync. This gives you:

• Sharp 1440p resolution for immersive worlds
• 144Hz for esports advantages when you want it
• FreeSync to handle both high and low frame rates smoothly

It‘s the best of both worlds! You can enable 144Hz for multiplayer and limit to 60Hz for cinematic single player games.

Real World Gaming Results of 60Hz vs 144Hz

Don‘t just take my word for it! Hardware testing site Benchmarked did an interesting experiment: they had gamers of various skill levels play test matches on 60Hz and 144Hz monitors and compared their performance stats.

Here is how K/D ratio changed across different game genres:

Game	60Hz K/D	144Hz K/D	Improvement
CS:GO	1.15	1.42	23%
Overwatch	1.9	2.1	10%
Call of Duty	1.05	1.2	14%
Battlefield V	0.75	0.85	13%

As expected, fast-paced competitive titles saw the biggest boost at 144Hz. Interestingly, even in casual shooters the overall K/D ratio increased by double digit percentages with the higher refresh rate.

Their testing confirms that 144Hz gives a measurable competitive advantage over 60Hz. But keep in mind, we‘re talking about averages. Your own skill matters more than anything!

Do Professionals Really Use 240Hz or 360Hz Monitors?

If you follow esports, you may hear casters talk about pros using 360Hz monitors or other insanely high refresh rates. Is this actually true?

The reality is pro players are usually sponsored and provided these monitors by brands like ASUS and BenQ. Many pros still stick with tried and true 240Hz monitors.

A survey by Esports Insider asked pros what their actual setups:

• 240Hz – 60%
• 360Hz – 15%
• 165Hz – 12%
• 60-144Hz – 10%
• Other – 3%

As you can see, 240Hz is still by far the most popular among tournaments and pro teams. The visual difference above 240Hz is miniscule for humans.

Sure, a few select players may use 360Hz monitors provided by sponsors. But considering 240Hz is still the standard amongst most pros, it seems chasing ever higher refresh rates has diminishing returns.

I hope examining the habits of pros can help provide some realistic context around the most beneficial refresh rates.

The Refresh Rate Sweet Spot for Most Gamers

After taking all factors into account, here‘s my take on the ideal monitor refresh rate for most gamers:

1080p @ 144Hz – Best for esports and competitive gaming when you want to max out frame rates

1440p @ 144Hz – The gaming sweet spot – sharp detail + silky smooth animation

1440p/4K @ 60Hz – Cinematic gaming with stunning visuals

Of course personal preference is king. But for a versatile all-round gaming monitor I‘d go with a 1440p 144Hz display, then limit refresh rate for slower paced single player titles. This gives you the best of both worlds!

FreeSync Works Great at Both 60Hz and 144Hz

The key takeaway is that enabling FreeSync is beneficial regardless of your monitor‘s refresh rate.

At 60Hz, it smooths framerates below 60 FPS and eliminates tearing. This enhances even casual gaming.

At 144Hz, FreeSync really flexes its muscles to give flawlessly smooth, tear-free animation at up to 144FPS. It‘s a literal game changer for competitive play.

Either way, make sure to enable FreeSync to get the most out of your monitor! Both 60Hz and 144Hz panels see big improvements in responsiveness and image quality.

In Closing

I hope this guide has helped explain the real world differences between 60Hz vs 144Hz and Freesync. Let me know if you have any other questions! I‘m happy to chat more in the comments.

Whichever you choose, the most important thing is playing games you love. Have fun out there! See you online 😉