So I've finally tried gaming on a 120fps display running at 120fps.

Bomblord · Dec 30, 2019

And I'll be honest....

At first the mouse movement felt smoother however after a few more minutes I couldn't tell anymore. I booted up a simple game I knew I could push well over 120fps (minecraft) and I struggled to tell the difference from 60 in responsiveness or smoothness. After adjusting either way the noticeable difference is small and eventually goes away after a few minutes.

I did try the blur buster thing and I could tell a difference between the 60 and the 120 there however the 60hz doesn't look that bad on a 60hz monitor. I'm sure some people are going to drill into "did you set it to 120hz, is your monitor actually rated for 120hz, what kind of monitor etc"

This is the monitor https://www.amazon.com/VIOTEK-SUW49C-49-Inch-Super-Ultrawide/dp/B07L44N45F
I've verified that it's set at 120fps and blurbusters test agrees.
The hardware driving it is an i9-9900k and a GTX 2080 (this is not my personal PC this is work equipment) so it's not an issue with that.

I'm thinking something is legitimately wrong with me seeing as I'm struggling to notice the difference here. I know some people are less sensitive to framerate (I've always known I am with how easily I handle 30fps) but that drastic of a difference I feel like should have been much much larger given the talk of it online.

TeenageFBI · Dec 30, 2019

Most people I know can barely tell when motion interpolation is enabled/disabled on their TV even though IT"S ALL I CAN SEE. Honestly, I'd probably save a lot of money if I was less sensitive to framerate stuff.

I can definitely tell the difference between 60 and 120 FPS, especially in certain games like Trails in the Sky, but many people can't and that's fine. Whatever makes you happy.

Taco_Human · Dec 30, 2019

Minecraft? That's the game you tested?

Play Team Fortess 2, Counterstrike GO, DOTA 2....multiplayer stuff. There are some other modern single player games that unlock frame rate that benefit from this as well. (spec ops, vanquish, binary domain)

Bomblord · Dec 30, 2019

Taco_Human said:
Minecraft? That's the game you tested?

Play Team Fortess 2, Counterstrike GO, DOTA 2....multiplayer stuff. There are some other modern single player games that unlock frame rate that benefit from this as well. (spec ops, vanquish, binary domain)

I don't play any multiplayer games except Halo and I don't personally own that on PC. So even if there was a difference I'de never know.

Taco_Human · Dec 30, 2019

That's a bummer. The whole appear of the high frame rate is to see the extra animation frames, and to get the benefit of that slightly faster reaction time to see what's going on.

I understand.

I KILL PXLS · Dec 30, 2019

Yeah, I have a monitor that goes up to 100hz and honestly I don't notice the difference visually above 60 at all.

ss_lemonade · Dec 30, 2019

This is actually me with a lot of other tech like HDR. I appreciate the difference and can tell if I go looking for it, but over time, I just get used to it and forget about it. Immediately switching between the 2 (eg. 120 hz to 60 hz) shows an obvious difference but again, I eventually get used to it after only a few minutes.

Tagyhag · Dec 30, 2019

I don't think Minecraft is a good benchmark for that lol.

Deleted member 2172 · Dec 30, 2019

This is insane to me. Switching from 1440p 60hz to 1440p 144hz was a complete game-changer. 2500 hours of CSGO and you bet I would uninstall that game if I had to permanently switch back to a 60hz display. Id argue the increase in hz was a bigger difference than 1080p to 1440p personally.

Dark1x · Dec 30, 2019

Try a CRT. You'll see. ;-)

Zombie · Dec 30, 2019

I was the same after I initially went from 60 to 100hz, but then after using it for a while the difference is much more noticeable to me than it was at first.

SixelAlexiS · Dec 30, 2019

Just scroll a website, if you can't tell the difference then... I'm sad for you :'(

Muppet of a Man · Dec 30, 2019

You need to play a game that is twitchy but also has complex animation. That's where it's most apparent.

Bomblord · Dec 30, 2019

Dark1x said:
Try a CRT. You'll see. ;-)

Would love a nice CRT. Not just for the high FPS potential but for all the game emulation I do.

SixelAlexiS said:
Just scroll a website, if you can't tell the difference then... I'm sad for you :'(

Scrolling on it right now :o

TinTuba47 · Dec 30, 2019

Different people are sensitive to different things

I love a fast frame rate, and spend tons of cash to make sure I can do so.

At the same time, I can't really tell much of a difference between 1440p and 4K

Deleted member 4970 · Dec 30, 2019

it at least helps with non-gaming pc stuff :)

i remember when my screen got set to 60hz after a long time of using 144hz and i legit thought my hardware was seizing up it was such a noticeable thing

nded · Dec 30, 2019

It's one of those things you forget about until you're forced to go back to 60hz.

bmdubya · Dec 30, 2019

After playing Overwatch at high frame rates, like 100+, it's definitely noticeable when you drop it back down to 60 fps.

Pai Pai Master · Dec 30, 2019

The difference is astounding. Especially in a twitchy game like Dota.

It's super noticeable to me just wiggling my mouse cursor around.

Tahnit · Dec 30, 2019

its a massive difference. turn it off and back on again. you will see a difference. Its much smoother. Even more so at 144.

Mr_Blue_Sky · Dec 30, 2019

I played Overwatch pc at a locked 75hz for like a year and a half before buying a new monitor and the jump to 144hz was legitimately insane to see. Counterstrike as well.

Tahnit · Dec 30, 2019

Destiny 2 at 60fps vs 100fps is a game changer.

Pargon · Dec 30, 2019

There are a number of different factors here, but one of them is that Minecraft is a really bad game to test this with.
Due to the nature of the game, it's constantly generating the world as you move around, which can cause it to stutter.
And it doesn't handle inputs well, so unless you're using a 1000Hz mouse, camera movement is not going to be smooth either.
So there's a good chance that even if it's running at "120 FPS" it won't feel like it.

You're also using a VA monitor, which means slow response times that can blend frames together.
You should still be able to tell the difference, but it won't be as obvious as an IPS/TN display, or an OLED.

808s & Villainy · Dec 30, 2019

Taco_Human said:
Minecraft? That's the game you tested?

Play Team Fortess 2, Counterstrike GO, DOTA 2....multiplayer stuff. There are some other modern single player games that unlock frame rate that benefit from this as well. (spec ops, vanquish, binary domain)

Aren't you still effectively capped by the tick rate though? On your side it'll look smoother, but the game isn't updating any faster, state wise

Xx 720 · Dec 30, 2019

I can tell a difference but I think it really depends on the game type, it isn't always a huge difference esp. in slower paced games

Trace · Dec 30, 2019

Going between Rocket League at 144fps and Rocket League at 60fps feels so damn laggy and I'm even using a controller. Not sure how people can't immediately feel it.

Wajna · Dec 30, 2019

Playing all FPS games is awesome at 144 hz. Still nice for your eyes for anything.

Sanctuary · Dec 30, 2019

TeenageFBI said:
Most people I know can barely tell when motion interpolation is enabled/disabled on their TV even though IT"S ALL I CAN SEE.

What? Just about everyone I know thinks it looks bad, and just in the past year, two people who don't care about frame rates at all asked me to turn interpolation off of their new TVs for them.

Mbolibombo · Dec 30, 2019

I'm in the same boat..

I bought a 144hz screen to play Apex Legends on earlier this year.. and I'm not sure I feel the difference :P

Alvis · Dec 30, 2019

808s & Villainy said:
Aren't you still effectively capped by the tick rate though? On your side it'll look smoother, but the game isn't updating any faster, state wise

It still gives you extra reaction time by showing you the frames earlier, and makes it easier to track your targets by showing more frames of animation and being more responsive to your inputs. I was trash playing Apex Legends on a 60 Hz monitor, and as soon as I moved to 144 Hz I inmediately became a much better player. Now I've moved to a 240 Hz laptop and tbh there's barely any difference from 144 Hz to 240 Hz. But from 60 Hz to 144 Hz? Night and day.

Mr_Blue_Sky · Dec 30, 2019

808s & Villainy said:
Aren't you still effectively capped by the tick rate though? On your side it'll look smoother, but the game isn't updating any faster, state wise

A really rough way to explain the benefit of higher frame rates is that the more frames you have, the more of the game is being shown to you at any one moment so you have more time to react to something happening as well as lower input lag. 60fps and 144fps are both showing you the exact same thing, but 144fps shows you that same stretch of time longer without having to "skip" anything if that makes sense.

Alvis · Dec 30, 2019

Mbolibombo said:
I'm in the same boat..

I bought a 144hz screen to play Apex Legends on earlier this year.. and I'm not sure I feel the difference :P

Did you actually go to the advanced display settings in Windows and set the display to 144 Hz? Some (many) monitors present the 60 Hz mode as the default one for some stupid reason.

softtack · Dec 30, 2019

Tagyhag said:
I don't think Minecraft is a good benchmark for that lol.

This.

Jesus christ, play something like Nex Machina.

Anastasis · Dec 30, 2019

Tahnit said:
Destiny 2 at 60fps vs 100fps is a game changer.

I tried running Destiny 2 in 1080p 120hz on my B8 OLED. I don't know what I was doing wrong, maybe it was my Ryzen 1600 paired with GTX 1070, but couldn't get it to work.

Yogi · Dec 30, 2019

But how did minesweeper look?

Surely after getting used to 120, you tried out 60 and saw the difference... It's half the information. Even at the desktop you see a mousetrail. Hell I can see it at 240fps. At 60 it's a slideshow, like you've got that cursor tail animation enabled. It's so slow and sluggish... Feels like you have to push through mud. Switching to 120 and it's so much lighter...go to 240 and it's like ... pure. 480 must be heavenly - like you're one with the computer lol.

Alvis · Dec 30, 2019

Bomblord said:
I don't play any multiplayer games except Halo and I don't personally own that on PC. So even if there was a difference I'de never know.

CSGO is F2P and a rather small download. Try it out with mouse and keyboard on both 60 Hz and 144 Hz and come back

_bemusedchunk · Dec 30, 2019

Taco_Human said:
Minecraft? That's the game you tested?

Play Team Fortess 2, Counterstrike GO, DOTA 2....multiplayer stuff. There are some other modern single player games that unlock frame rate that benefit from this as well. (spec ops, vanquish, binary domain)

minecraft is a multiplayer game

hurlex · Dec 30, 2019

It definitely depends on the game.

Fezan · Dec 30, 2019

I play Dota 2 regularly and I went from 60 fps to 144 fps recently. It looks better definitely but it's not a huge difference. Better mouse and sensitivity made a bigger difference to me.

I regularly game on 30 fps, 60 fps and 144 fps and to be honest besides small time to adjust it doesnt matter that much. I think 60 fps is perfect sweet spot

Mbolibombo · Dec 30, 2019

Xharos said:
Did you actually go to the advanced display settings in Windows and set the display to 144 Hz? Some (many) monitors present the 60 Hz mode as the default one for some stupid reason.

Yep!

I have two monitors, one set at 144hz and one at 60hz.
I flipped the game between the screens to see if I could notice the difference. And I just couldnt.. I guess my eyes are playing me tricks but I can not see the difference.. I do see the difference between 30 and 60 so my eyes do function at least a bit ;P

RedOnePunch · Dec 30, 2019

I think LCD technology just isn't good enough for high frame rates. My plasma looks a lot smoother at 60fps compared to my monitor. I do notice higher frame rates visually up until 90fps. After that it's all the same

Observable · Dec 30, 2019

This year I went from a widescreen 60hz monitor to a 1440p 165hz screen. As I play fps/tps the difference was amazing. Then I decided to test a 240hz 1440p screen and switching from one to the other I could still clearly notice the difference so much that I sold my 165hz and kept the 240hz.

I'm 31 and haven't actually used any monitor >60hz before since I only played on console. I regret that :)

jandg · Dec 30, 2019

I agree with OP.

I think most of you that are noticing huge differences are multiplayer PC gamers. I switch from my 144hz screen to my 60fps set all the time. And I really need to learn to appreciate the difference as the difference just feels so fleeting. And I'm sure a lot has to do withe not being a multiplayer gamer. Or being a controller gamer almost exclusively.

It's different from 30fps to 60fps.

JustinH · Dec 30, 2019

Minecraft is a strange game to break-in ~~your~~ er, a high framerate monitor.

The first game I played at a higher framerate and thought 'Okay, this is awesome" was the original Bulletstorm. I had to download an ini editor for that game though, since they encrypted it or something.

I think higher framerate is awesome to game at but I don't have such a hard on for it that much. I'd honestly be fine if I just got 60 (or on PC, 45ish+ with GSYNC).

copelandmaster · Dec 30, 2019

A 4ms VA panel with no motion blur reduction technologies enabled isn't the best demonstration of the overwhelmingly improved experience that 120fps+120hz brings to the table. If it wasn't a 32:9 display (you probably need 32:9 for a good reason), I'd tell you to take it back. I did so after I found the PG279Q's ULMB motion reduction implementation, overall brightness levels, and panel response times at 120hz were all terrible.

SapientWolf · Dec 30, 2019

You should try playing a fast paced FPS. I can usually tell when I'm above 60 without a frame rate counter.

sleepnaught · Dec 30, 2019

jandg said:
I agree with OP.

I think most of you that are noticing huge differences are multiplayer PC gamers. I switch from my 144hz screen to my 60fps set all the time. And I really need to learn to appreciate the difference as the difference just feels so fleeting. And I'm sure a lot has to do withe not being a multiplayer gamer. Or being a controller gamer almost exclusively.

It's different from 30fps to 60fps.

No its very much the same. I immediately notice if my monitor is not 144hz. Even browsing on chrome feels sluggish at 60hz, smooth as butter at 144hz. All games benefit from 144hz, twitch shooters just benefit the most.

I'm getting flashbacks from all the people claiming they couldn't tell the difference between 30 and 60 fps.

Ploid 6.0 · Dec 30, 2019

It's good for games that has some speed to it, things in those games that require focus to track or measure. A diablo like game I play, Path of Exile, benefit greatly from high framerates. It allow me to read the drops while I'm moving easy. Chaotic games with a lot of effects going off, like Warframe, allow me to keep up with what's important among all the confetti of effects going on so I can better track my targets.

jandg · Dec 30, 2019

sleepnaught said:
No its very much the same. I immediately notice if my monitor is not 144hz. Even browsing on chrome feels sluggish at 60hz, smooth as butter at 144hz. All games benefit from 144hz, twitch shooters just benefit the most.

I'm getting flashbacks from all the people claiming they couldn't tell the difference between 30 and 60 fps.

You're not understanding me.

I absolutely notice the difference, but that feeling is fleeting. It's not something I'm aware of afterwards. 30fps is something that I consistently get annoyed of, no matter how many hours I play it.

RedlineRonin · Dec 30, 2019

120hz is absolutely visibly noticeable. To the point where I pick 1080/120hz instead of 4K60 when I play Overwatch on my pc. It's totally worth it for the right kinds of games. Can't speak to response as I play with controller and don't notice a huge diff between the two (but I am admittedly also not a pro Overwatch player)

So I've finally tried gaming on a 120fps display running at 120fps.

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