Differences between 120hz and 60hz

60 Hz vs. 120 Hz refresh rates

The refresh rate of a display refers to the number of times per second it updates the image on the screen. It is measured in hertz (Hz). A 60Hz display updates the screen 60 times per second, while a 120Hz display updates 120 times per second. This characteristic is separate from frame rate, which is the number of frames a source, like a graphics card, sends to the display per second. For optimal performance, the frame rate and refresh rate should be synchronized.

A higher refresh rate allows for the display of motion with more clarity and smoothness. Because a 120Hz monitor updates twice as often as a 60Hz monitor, the time between each frame is shorter—8.33 milliseconds for 120Hz compared to 16.67 milliseconds for 60Hz. This reduces perceptible motion blur and can make interactions like scrolling through text or moving a cursor feel more responsive.

=== Comparison table ===

Feature	60 Hz	120 Hz
Updates per second	| 120
Time between frames	16.67 ms	8.33 ms
Motion clarity	Standard	Higher, with less motion blur
Common use cases	| Competitive gaming, high-end smartphones and monitors
Power consumption	Lower	Higher
Hardware requirements	Less demanding on the graphics processing unit (GPU)	More demanding on the GPU to produce higher frame rates

Venn diagram comparing Differences between 120hz and 60hz

User experience and perception

The difference between 120Hz and 60Hz is most apparent in applications with fast motion. In video games, particularly fast-paced genres like first-person shooters, a 120Hz refresh rate can provide a competitive advantage by displaying information faster and making gameplay feel more fluid. For general computer use, many users report that actions like dragging windows and scrolling on web pages appear noticeably smoother on a 120Hz display compared to a 60Hz one.

While many people can perceive the difference in side-by-side comparisons, the importance of the upgrade is subjective. Standard film and television content is typically filmed at 24 frames per second, so the benefits of a high refresh rate display are less obvious for that media, unless motion interpolation features are used.

Hardware considerations

To take advantage of a 120Hz display, the system's graphics hardware must be capable of consistently producing frame rates approaching 120 frames per second. If the GPU can only render 60 frames per second, a 120Hz monitor will offer no additional smoothness, as it is only redrawing the same frame twice.

For mobile devices such as smartphones and laptops, using a 120Hz refresh rate consumes more battery power than 60Hz because the GPU and display components are more active. Tests have shown that enabling 120Hz can reduce battery life by 20% or more depending on the device and usage. To mitigate this, many modern devices feature adaptive refresh rate technology, which dynamically adjusts the refresh rate based on the content being displayed, lowering it for static images and increasing it for motion.