question about monitor refresh rates

[hungrygoose]

what's the deal with refresh rates?....mine is at the default 60hz.....should i raise it higher?....wat benefits/problems occur from raising your default refresh rate???...i have a kds 17" el' cheapo monitor, and a gainward ti 4200 video card....i play games like tribes 2, unreal tourn., morrowind, and alot of sports games

 

[sohcrates]

Anything around 60Hz or less can be really annoying because you can percieve a flickering in your vision.

Raise that sucker up to at least 70, you're eyes will thank you.

As far as games, many default to 60hz, so you might have to deal with that. But for regular non-gaming use, it should be higher and there is no detriment to your monitor assuming it can handle the refresh rate (and any 17 incher should be able to do at least 70 hz)

 

[AnAndAustin]

Yeah its all about stability, clarity and preventing eye-strain. For Windows use you really want a refresh of 75-85hz. What the maximum refresh rate is depends upon your monitor and the selected resolution. As the res increases the maximum refresh rate will decrease. As said many games, esp in WinXP, default to 60Hz, but for games this isn't that unpleasant. So for Windows make sure you select your monitor rather than using 'default monitor' in the device manager, and try raising the Hz and see where your limit is. You should see a hugely better, more stable and sharper image when using 75Hz+ over 60Hz. For a 17" monitor you generaly want to run a res of 1024x768x32bit with a refresh of at least 75Hz for Windows use at least.

 

[hungrygoose]

thanks everybody.........i'll give it a try