How Good Does Your Monitor ACTUALLY Have to Be?

Sponsored by ‪@AMD‬ - Get a Boost in Frames for Your Game www.amd.com/en/technologies/r...
Chances are some of you have at least considered using a high refresh rate monitor.
Almost every esports title benefits from screens that go above and beyond the basic 60 hertz that many displays have and, until you try one, you might not know what you’re missing.
But how much better is a 144, 240, or even 360 hertz monitor? Can they actually help you rank up in your favourite games? And, if so, then what do you need to make sure you’re using it properly?
Written by: Niall McCrossan (@niallmccrossan)
Hosted by: Dimitri Pascaluta (@DPascaluta) & Colten Gowan (@TheOnlyZoltan)
Edited by: Colten Gowan (@TheOnlyZoltan)
Produced by: Keith Capstick (@KeithCapstick) and Niall McCrossan (@niallmccrossan)
Thumbnail by: William O'Keefe (@MagooMagoof)
All footage courtesy: pastebin.com/MWiv0yTv
Music used under license from Associated Production Music LLC (”APM”).
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[@codibanks2315]

you really need a high refresh rate monitor for league really need to spot the exact milisecond your teammate starts to take the wrong jungle route or when they try to swap lanes so you can shout at them for the rest of the game

[@codibanks2315]

You should be proud.

[@TPixelAdventures]

gotta spam that ?????

[@Prince.Claveria]

When I first jump to 144hz from 60hz my brain just blew up of how the gameplay felt like smooth as butter, I can land more headshots than before. But when I switch back to 60hz it felt like my brain got stuck and hurts my eyes. Once you go 144hz there's no turning back 😂

[@misikaro]

Same for 144 to 360 lol

[@krrisin]

dude scrollinng is also so much smoother

[@nottiramisu]

@@misikaro funny enough buying a 390 screen is cheaper than buying a 360 one

[@dec1085]

@@nottiramisu I'm pretty sure the 360 have other benefits which the 390 doesnt

[@mrinvincible6849]

Lol same even I went from 60hz to 144hz last year it was completely different

[@naya3149]

It's not just refresh rate. You need to make sure that the display's pixel response time can keep up.

[@tertozer3543]

That's extremely important.

[@rQuilln]

Agreed, high pixel response causes ghosting and it is very annoying and ruins my vision

[@tanphan1848]

I've been using a dell u2414h OCd to 75hz for years to play cs go, and just upgraded to 144hz in 2019. The motion clarity and latency of the dell is actually very good, it almost keep up with my LG 144hz TN monitor at the same refresh rate.

[@dinokamikaze9343]

What's a display pixel response time, and how do I check for it if I'm buying a gaming pc/laptop? Also how much would be enough to work with 144 hz or 240hz?

[@ninthfriend3347]

Not just monitors, even phones hell ipad pros 2020s. Scrolling just feels a lot smoother there. But high refresh monitors is definitely a game changer especially when you play fps games.

[@blueastral6326]

144hz or higher is like a drug, you can never go back once you buy one

[@ProNinjaHax]

even when I did have a 60hz monitor back in the day, I used to overclock it to 75hz lol. I'm on 240hz now, had 144hz before that and even that small jump is noticeable to me. Can't go back!

[@luccienv]

I want to know how strong the difference from 144 to 390-400+

[@bounce2100]

@@luccienv its a minor jump in raw performance, but to get to 390hz the panel quality is rather good and it will have other premium features to improve motion clarity

[@luccienv]

@@bounce2100 ah thanks

[@OmarDaily]

Definitely, I’m on 160hz now because I’m at 4K now, but going back to 1440p 240hz is noticeably smoother.

[@ProNinjaHax]

@@luccienv never tried it

[@theconstipated]

There was a good opportunity to talk about DyAc on the BenQ monitors and how the xl2546 has become one of the most used monitors in the professional scene of esports.

[@TheOnlyZoltan]

I think BenQ monitors might need their own episode to be honest.

[@xxrex3925]

@@TheOnlyZoltan theyre mediocre tbh. Out of the three 240Hz+ monitors Ive owned they were by far the worst. DyAC was the only redeeming feature, and its really overhyped.

[@CrazyKnows]

@@xxrex3925 which monitor would you recommend? I was looking into the BenQ till this comment

[@crisnmaryfam7344]

@@CrazyKnows are you sensitive to flashing or strobing? or motion sickness? Research DyAC. Or go check out Rocket Jump Ninja's video about it.

[@nomnom...]

Absolutely. I’d rather have a 240hz with great pixel response and DyAc (or other equivalents) over an average 360hz. Backlight strobing isn’t for everyone, but for me the visual clarity is just too good to pass on. Once better 360hz panels start to roll out I think pros will finally make the swap.

[@tanphan1848]

I jumped from 75hz to 144hz and it was a pleasant change. I personally have no troubles playing at 75hz, but as i get older and have to work more and more on the computer, i appreciate the quality of life upgrade 144hz brings. I think most people kinda forget one of the most important aspect of a monitor is the latency. My 144hz monitor and 75hz ips has almost identical latency so even after the change, my skill ceiling in games stays almost exactly the same as before yet my skill floor and consistency improved a lot.

[@avoidthevo1d]

I actually REALLY notice difference even just between 75 and 60hz, which i did not expect myself

[@ZoruaCote]

As someone who recently went to 144hz from 75hz, I makes alot of difference so much that I jumped from bronze 2 to plat 1 in 3 months and I was hardstuck bronze 2 for months

[@adibrahman3321]

I reached platinum playing on 640x480 res and avg 90-110 fps with 75hz monitor

[@jimnguyen.]

@@adibrahman3321 reached diamond with that same fps and setup

[@jerypilapil6560]

Finally i have a reason why im hardstuck

[@suryaprakash24]

@@adibrahman3321 I reached immortal 2 on my 60hz laptop

[@Feel_Good76]

60 hz immortal Gang wya

[@GammaMochi]

Jumping from 60hz to 144hz is a feeling you can no longer see 60hz in a normal way again. IMO.

[@Prince.Claveria]

Bruh... Same😂

[@nicelec]

40 Hz gang storytime: I have a friend at boarding school who bought a 165 Hz monitor, but windows settings only showed up 144 Hz maxing, which is great, not gonna lie, but he really wanted to have these sweet 21 more images per second. Showed him Nvidia config panel that he could kinda whatever refresh rate he wanted, and he was so thankful to me this whole week ^^ and Yes I play @40 Hz

[@gamefreak9306]

Are you a fan of ball torture?

[@darkigor20]

Wait, what panel do you have?

[@nicelec]

@@darkigor20 HP Laptop, Thought I'd be fun to use 40 Hz, don't wanna switch until I get a 240 Hz screen

[@darkigor20]

@@nicelec takes courage and resilience, good luck

[@satore]

I have friends who went from 60hz to 144hz while I'm still suffering at 60 hz. Their gameplay improved as expected but I didn't expect the sheer jump in their ability What was most annoying however is them being annoyed I couldn't react to things they could. Like no shit I couldn't see that jiggle peak it literally showed up on my computer for only a few frames.

[@horyy8100]

At this Point im just excited to see which Vtuber Colten is showing us next on his background. Love the dude!

[@owNze]

my fps rarely go through 60 fps, so i'm still sticking up with my 60hz

[@ryanbruce3670]

getting your first 144hz 1ms monitor on something like cs is amazing, and yes it will definitely improve your gameplay idc what anyone says

[@KillDeathRatioDJ]

Love the cracked series, keep it up.

[@itssevii3622]

60 to 144/165hz absolutely massive. night and day difference. 144 to 240hz miniscule barely noticeable. Outside of pro players your eyes wont see it.

[@sofknupbeat]

60hz to 144hz is an insane change. 144hz to 240hz isn’t nearly as noticeable.

[@faranocks]

60hz isn't actually as big of a disadvantage as you would think, but moving to 144+ offers a reasonable advantage. If you can get used to the tearing and etc. there isn't that big of a difference. The big thing is not running at 60fps, 60hz. 200+ fps makes the game significantly more playable, regardless of refresh rate.

[@TRD.Thumbs]

Am I the only one who hangs out for the end blooper cuts? "Game PLAY"

[@judaslink3588]

i love the Colten and Dimitri bits lol

[@himesh6023]

I used to play on a very low end 60 hz laptop and struggle with low fps and just when I switched to a 300 hz screen, I couldn't process how a game can run so smoothly. The jump from 60 hz to 300 hz was more than a night and day difference. Instantly climbed from silver to diamond in valorant.

[@rpb4865]

They absolutely do help! I went from Gold Nova 1 to Master Guardian 2 after switching..! It's night and day difference!

[@legendsnub4316]

I don't know if 144hz helps you to skill up but it definitely helped me from motion sickness. Before I couldn't play any fps games longer than 30mins but after switching to a 165hz panel my motion sickness went away

[@iiballisticpanda]

I can literally see only 20 pixels for most ranges on my enemies on my laptop in Val... it would help but my parents would hate it even more

[@emd1kay628]

The bloopers are my fav part

[@CubensisEnjoyer]

I played CSGO on a 60hz monitor for a long time and started feeling like it was limiting my success, so I finally gave in and bought a 165hz monitor and I was right, I pretty much instantly got better especially with enemies popping out of corners. But I can confidently say that another jump up to 240hz or 360hz probably would not change much. Unless you're playing at a high level on Apex Legends or something, then only maybe that would be worth it (and that's if your PC is strong enough to render the frames to match).

[@SealedKiller]

Same story for me, went from 60 to 240 and it made such a difference. You could tell by just dragging windows around how smoother it is.

[@sirshinra]

60 to 144hz whilst playing apex legends for me and it made such a big difference. I could actually flick around and hit those shots quickly.

[@LoneWolf-qn4eb]

Let me tell you one thing it's been just 1 week since I am using 144hz and it's impossible to go back to 60hz 144hz screen is essential and it's addictive.

[@datboyandrei]

gotta respect the kizuna ai stream on colton's monitor especially after she just recently went on hiatus

[@TheOnlyZoltan]

Truly a pioneer :')

[@xander0901]

Just got a set of 144hz monitors for my personal setup and yeah, it’s a huge jump from 60. I don’t play super competitive games that necessarily need the increased refresh rate, but everything just feels better. I’m reminded of this every day since my work laptop only supports 60hz.

[@cheekyzuu]

Lol, I didn't realize we needed yet another video on KZbin talking about the importance in decent monitors in a competitive setting.

[@wisdumb1814]

Nothings better than that buttery smooth feeling when u jump up from 60

[@Alecsdotwav]

I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS

[@mateiberatco500]

In 2019 I experienced 3 months of unwanted 60Hz CS:GO due to AMD GPU SW under Win7 (radeon overlay, 5700XT). During spring, my benchmark was 600-650 score in expert bot mirage deathmatch (very few peaks to 700; @144Hz). For a few months I played another FPS (don't remember, 100% on it, so no CS:GO). In fall I returned to CS:GO and noticed scores around 500-550. Ok...need practice. For 3 months, almost no improvement (30mins/day....just got more consistent towards 550). For some reason, only after so many months, I noticed my mouse movements in Steam overlay: too few mouse "arrows" during move. Inconsistent with desktop. After many restarts (incl. Win10 that did not show this issue), I noticed Radeon overlay was doing something to switch to 60Hz (again, under Win7, not Win10). Disabling it restored 144Hz to CS:GO. Hindsight: when opening CS:GO, monitor stayed black a few seconds more, just like when switching resolutions. After a few rounds (~3 bot deathmatches), I got back to my 600+ benchmark. So yeah....144Hz is important. Now I have 240Hz and I don't notice improvements. Still there, sometimes close to 700.

[@KudaKae]

i went from 144 to 360 and holy cow. It gives good amount of nostalgia from 60 to 144

[@sganicocchi5337]

hi guys, just a PSA - 75 hz is pretty good if you cant go to a 144 hz display, as long as you are okay with going above your recommended refresh rate. 60 to 75 is very a noticeable difference, even i cant go back to 60. but if your monitor dosent allow that, i think its just best to save up for a new or second hand 120-144 hz monitor.

[@YzEd0501]

5:23 sorry, I got distracted by Ina and forgot why I was here.... need to rewatch this again

[@ochotm9361]

Started on console playing Cod games on 60 FPS, eventually moved to PC. Ever since can’t go back to anything under 144hz

[@otak_]

Next: Explain Black Frame Insertion (BFI aka DyAc, instant 1ms modes etc)! But that's absolutely true. Jumping from a very good 60Hz to a very good 144Hz was night and day. Jumping from 144Hz to 240Hz was disappointing...until I turned on BFI on my Benq XL2546K. It's pretty much the same gap in motion clarity between 60Hz to 144Hz, but between 144Hz no BFI and 240Hz with good BFI. And that's also probably why TenZ is thinking of going back to 240Hz - probably a XL2546K - because BFI just isn't there yet on IPS panels. The inherent technology of IPS has a very hard time with good motion clarity, even with BFI on a 390Hz panel.

[@SampatMishra]

Pretty disappointed that u guys didn't mention BenQ's DyAC+ XL2546K is the absolute gold standard for FPS games at this point. I switched from a samsung 144hz to 240hz BenQ XL2546K and it was actually mindblowing to notice and react faster to those info from the extra frames in CSGO LE and above ranked matches

[@nkgrimn8509]

YAll really had to upload this minutes before my new zowie monitor arrived, and making me quistion my decision, you really had to.

[@qid7577]

Make me remember my first LAN on CSGO, the guy peeked and killed me from the pit in Inferno (I was short) while I couldnt even see him. I saw him peeked after my death xD

[@aimest2963]

10:48 i play ranked on an all in one imac from 2014 so i should probably change it for an actual thing

[@a1pha249]

I was iron 2 in valorant in 60Hz, now I am bronze 2 in 144Hz.

[@awexander1966]

Just commenting to say i love ina. You pfp is same with vaan ch pfp. Coincident?

[@orekihoutarou768]

i am agree with ethos, it's like seeing color for the first time

[@AcE-tl7xw]

I played on 60hz monitor for 2 years and hard stuck on faceit lvl 6 when I finally got my 144hz monitor I reached 2500+ elo easily

[@deklassified]

I hve a 165 and the one question that didn’t get answered is if my game is pushing out 200-240 consistently should I cap fps in the game to 165? Will that give me the smoothest frames with free sync premium on? Or does capping it at a higher fps make a difference even though my monitor is set to 165?

[@brianvaneyll9852]

I was about to get a 144hz monitor and now I'm definitely going to

[@RSkrub]

Worth it man worth every penny

[@nathanielpillay1646]

question: im using msi gf63 thin which ghz 144 so can i set my gameplay more than it or wat cuz currently set my games on steam to 190fps

[@gaber_]

I went from and 800€ PC to a 800€ graphics card, meaning I went from a 100fps and 60hz, to 240hz and easily 500+ fps, and my biggest problem at first was I was shooting too much in front of people because I put over 3000hrs into CS on the old shitbox so I learned to compensate for the tiny lack of visual and input performance. But after a week when I adjusted it just felt like having an aimbot. I just saw everything and hit everything. The whole game felt so much slower because I was getting so much more information. I felt I was able to get the shot of on the enemy before they saw me. I played with my friend and I was literally saying in discord "haha cant do shit i can see you faster".

[@k0ish258]

I have not seen any monitor higher than 75hz before in my life and I wish to buy one soon so I could experience one

[@misterio10gre]

something to keep in mind if you are using a freesync/gsync monitor, you absolutely do not want to go above the fps your monitor is rated for, otherwise it activates v sync to still do away with the tearing effect

[@pownder]

I see Dimitri, I like.

[@SkyTeCxGaming]

Recently upgraded from 144 to 240 Its still noticeable and feels great :)

[@boomkruncher325zzshred5]

I got a 360 Hz monitor, and I have a 60 Hz monitor right next to it. I can literally see the difference!

[@earlbraxton4065]

Quick question tho, my laptop has a 120hz display, will getting a 144hz monitor as the main display be a better gaming experience or will there be not much difference?

[@earlbraxton4065]

@@Legitti ohh thanks bro for the input. much appreciated

[@SpinningSandwich]

The biggest difference between 240hz & 360hz is that you're more likely to experience more framerate drops within the monitor's range, which might make 240hz feel smoother because it's more consistent. Either will look even smoother than 144hz if you have hardware capable of putting out the higher framerate. (Note the difference between "most of the time," which is enough to experience smoother visuals, and "all of the time," which is impossible in most games. It's the occasional drops below the monitor's refresh rate that can throw you off, and 360hz is most susceptible to this.)

[@DogsofWar999]

went from 60 to 180 super happy

[@vwtdi1579]

I'm a smasher. Melee and Project+ don't benefit from 144hz. However, the Wii-U and Switch do give you that benefit. Response/latency is more important in fighting games, or any game where the entire gameplay is visible on set.

[@raidthegoose7241]

Nice Ina poster right there

[@Desmo4]

Imagine the sensation of a friend after a year of using the Benq 240hz @ 60hz :D

[@HiDiegoGabriel]

Bro I just bought a 165 hz monitor and its not that big of a deal for me. Idk if Im just used to it though now. And yes i changed my settings and I play valorant at like 400 fps

[@TF2Mann.]

is a box montior good enough?

[@ProExposed]

I played on a benq xl2740 for over a year and half 1080p 240hz but in the past 6 months I actually switch to omen 27i 1440p 165hz monitor I don’t really notice a difference all I really play is fps games.

[@Kanteike]

I play with a 60hz monitor because i couldnt get one better at that moment, now i can, but i am waiting to save to buy the whole set (pc+monitor). Anyways, when i tryed my friends 144 monitor i did not want to go back, but i had to... in 1 year or so ill have one myself tho

[@ibrahimmujahed8000]

I play valorant, and pushed to diamond 1 with 75hz monitor, planning to buy a 165hz monitor, i wonder what it will make me, and more importantly how it feels

[@chexmixshi]

in valorant my fps goes from 290-240 but for a split second drops under 240 so should i get a 240hz?

[@JustCervus]

I play with 14-30fps, 80-900 ping and 60hz, is this good?

[@Zynopsy]

immortal 3 apac server here playing on 60hz my entire life. definitely saving up for a 144hz to see whats this all about

[@stiffthestiff7373]

From 60hz to 240hz went from bronze3 to plat 1 in one season

[@austinizzle]

2:15 Ina

[@pescegerman]

I don't care if it makes you play better, going from 60 to 144 was an incredible upgrade on overall gaming experience

[@rafaelapari]

I reached diamond 3 in valorant yesterday with 60hz

[@gary8269]

good job

[@remiie6789]

damn I really need to save up money for a 144hz, I've been using 60hz for almost 5 years I wanna feel the difference

[@TheNightsquirell]

Let's get a story of beaulo now please

[@AtlasHSR]

You think I can push immortal (I peak diamond 1 stayed on the rank for quite a while) in valorant because I have 75 hertz monitor

[@natisasleep]

i was a 60hz laptop gamer and when i got high end pc (with 144 hz monitor ofcourse) valorant just feels diff

[@mrpacmanplays]

im on a high end pc 300+ frames most games and im still on 60 Hz...... feels bad

[@itihasadhikari240]

My gaming laptop has a 60 hz refresh rate. Can I plug a 144 hz monitor and run the games in it? genuinely asking

[@ibrahimmujahed8000]

Yes, if your PC can handle/ support 144fps or more

[@TheLeapluv]

I’ve been using my potato 60Hz monitor for so long that when switching to a 144hz monitor, I barely can tell the difference.

[@bjholland8322]

I went from 60 to 240hz. It was life changing

[@bluebone8662]

My pc is having enough trouble getting any new game at 80 fps,so having a 75hz is already more than i can chew.

[@Digicrest]

Everybody in here talking about refresh rates... Me: was that Gura's "A" at the end?😶

[@mys31f70]

the first thing i saw is like, Kizuna Ai's ending concert

[@Digicrest]

@@mys31f70 Or that, yeah🤣

[@NPJuve16]

What about resolutions? Does it matter if its 1080 or 1440?

[@MrGameWithFame]

Yes it effects fps. Also pixel density

[@sh3rbert]

as a gold 3 peak plat 2 with 84 hz Im a little proud

[@BusterFreak111]

I have the AW2721D. Was it $700? Yes. But does it crank out 240hz @ 1440p. Yes

[@ayylmao2410]

or just have a crt monitor to have a even better screen smoothness and input lag

[@nomnom...]

I have wanted to try a crt at high refresh rates for a while, even though I have a 240hz. It’d just be too cool to have 100hz+ on a crt. And it shouldn’t even be that hard to find a crt that can do it, since for crts refresh rate scales inversely with resolution.

[@VK_vivin]

For me jumping from 720 p to 1080 p is great different 🤣

[@FRANANGELICOONA]

I cannot play on a 60hz panel. It gives me headaches

[@JosephSampson]

Dimitri: Don't play ranked on a 60hz monitor unless you ABSOLUTELY have to Me, who has 3.5k hours on csgo with a 10 year old 60hz monitor: 👀

[@RSkrub]

Yeah I have 144hz because that's all my computer can really do without over clocking g and all that jazz. It works for me but I would love to experience 360 hz

[@escoriach2485]

Colten my hero ❤

[@TheOnlyZoltan]

I'm not sure I really qualify for hero status... But thank you.

[@escoriach2485]

You are in my heart

[@papabeer4567]

colten you here ?

[@TheOnlyZoltan]

;D

[@yeetpathak639]

Me listening intensely with 30 hertz

[@danatmonst3594]

oh dear

[@ashutoshbahuguna2581]

ayo wheres the intro?

[@EeYahe]

My monitor is my phone being used as a display, ez Radiant

[@CS2SkinInspect]

Just upgraded from 144 to 280hz, I cant go back.

[@aynamehd7455]

I played on 30 60 and 144hz never play a game if u get less than 60 fps on the settings u want to use