What Frequency (Hz) should I set my monitor at?

[TrailblazingScot]

I can set it up (safely according to Window XP) to 85 Hz.


I used to have it on 60 Hz but moved it up to 75 Hz, should I go the whole hog and move my monitor frequency thing to 85 Hz.


And why?

 

[spycatcher34]

What was that old saying about not messing with things you dont know anything about...??

 

[IceBlaZe]

The higher the frequency is, the less it hurts your eyes.

 

[Zelig]

If you have the official drivers for your moniter, you can safely put it as high as it will go, however if you are using the default Windows drivers it might be possible to put the refresh rate higher than is safe for your moniter.

Also, certain moniters can support high refresh rates but will start displying things blurry on lower resolutions/higher refresh rate.
However his shouldn't be an issue with yours, I only notice it on mine if I put the resolution to 640*480 and the refresh rate to 120 Hz.

If you have Windows XP without service pack 1, whenever you go into any OpenGL or DirectX games refresh rate will fall back to 60 Hz.
If you have service pack 1 refresh rate will stay the same provided you run your game at the same resolution as your desktop.

Edit:
@IceBlaZe, your post says "Last edited by IceBlaZe on Nov 16, 2010 at 07:45 PM"

 

[damunzy]

Wow, that is a weird date. I say go for higher unless it doesn't look as good. I used to like 72 but since moving up to 85 I don't like going below that anymore.

 

[damunzy]

The weird date:

Here is my own faking of it:
Last edited by YoMama, so suck it down! in the year XXXLMDVI 13:69

And IceBlaZe's

 

[TrailblazingScot]

Originally posted by IceBlaZe
The higher the frequency is, the less it hurts your eyes.

Turning up the frequency right now

 

[bengood22]

Put it as low as you can without seeing flicker is what I've always heard. Eye strain could be as much of a problem with the whitepoint and contrast/brightness settings as refresh rate. Look through your monitor settings until you see something that looks like 9000K 7500K 6300K and try the lower values of those and you might like that.

With some monitors you might be able to check horizontal and vertical sync and try different settings for that. On my monitor with a positive horizontal sync the picture shakes a lot especially when the hard drive is read so I have to pick certain resolutions that don't have it set on by default. Not sure if you'll be able to have control over that or not.

 

[IceBlaZe]

The Higher the better!

 

[Pillager]

Yup, set it as high as possible, it's better for the eyes. Don't forget that some programmes can automatically lower the resolution, so you may want to consider finding a programme that locks the refresh rate. I can assure you that after using the screen for a while at 85hz you'll notice any switch to 60hz.

 

[GenghisK]

He he he, I have a LCD monitor so it doesn't matter
Then the frequency doesn't mean anything anymore.

 

[IceBlaZe]

It still means, just less...
Everything exists for a reason.

 

[GenghisK]

It means only for CRT, since originally there was not LCD screen in the 80s..

 

[cgannon64]

I've really never seen any flicker, and I think mine is pretty low. I'v only seen on on videos of computers, because the camera records slower than the eye, etc.

 

[gonzo_for_civ]

If you don't notice flicker, you probably don't need to change it

Putting your frequency too high can lead to your monitor not being able to display higher resolutions.

Plus, if you don't need it, don't put it up to 80, because you probably won't notice anything above 60Hz......if you are below 60Hz, you may want a new monitor

 

[Pillager]

You reckon? I can't use 60hz, it gives me a blinding headache. 72+ is comfortable, but I can notice the difference between 75 and 85. I've just switched to 60 on this screen and . Ouch.

 

[Lucky]

Set it as high as possible, but at least one level below the maximum for the resolution you use.

This will both help you eyes and the monitor lifespan. The highest supported refresh rate also tends to be more blurry, thus hurting your eyes again, just in another way. The highest setting will drastically decrease the lifespan of your monitor and it tends to create faults much earlier.

Btw, I use 100Hz at 800x600, 85Hz and 1024x768 and 75Hz at 1280x1024.

 

[anarres]

Lucky, I was a sys admin for a few years, and I never heard of a high refresh rate drastically shortening the lifespan of a monitor. Do you have any data on this?

FWIW, monitors rarely break, they are one of the most reliable bits of hardware.

Also, even if you can't consiously notice a flicker, it doesn't mean your eyes aren't straining to see it. IMO you should always crank it up full. I run at 85Hz normally, but only so I can run 1600x1200 in 32bit colour, otherwise it is at 100+ Hz

 

[Lucky]

I´ve been setting up many comp systems here and there myself. And especially with older CRTs and cheaper ones, you´ll have problems after a year or two letting it run on the highest refresh rate.

It does not break the monitor in any way, but it creates those monitor errors like asymmetrical image alignment which can not be corrected by monitor settings anymore, heavy color distortion near the border of the screen and even eventually those horizontal bars that won´t go away.
Don´t ask me to use the specific English terms for that, I don´t know them, but it surely happens.

And the problem about blurry text on the highest refresh rate usually happens with certain models and manufacturers, too.

Of course from hearing about 85Hz at 1600x1200, you definitely have a higher priced model, so you will probably not experience it in that price range.

 

[nixon]

Gee...I've been running 60Hz all the time! Just found out. But I can't change the frequency, AT ALL! Not even 65Hz, what the hell's wrong??

Proper drivers are installed, both monitor and 3D accelerator.

EDIT: The monitor just blackens. You wait, and it gets back on.