Refresh Rate Frame Time Table
| Hz | ms/frame | Latency budget |
|---|---|---|
| 60 | 16.67 | Casual |
| 75 | 13.33 | Casual |
| 120 | 8.33 | Competitive |
| 144 | 6.94 | Esports-ready |
| 165 | 6.06 | Esports-ready |
| 240 | 4.17 | Esports-ready |
| 360 | 2.78 | Esports-ready |
How it works
A reference table showing the exact frame time (milliseconds per frame) for every common monitor refresh rate — essential for setting up VRR (variable refresh rate), configuring frame limiters, and understanding the perceptual impact of different frame rates. The Refresh Rate Frame Time Table covers 24, 30, 48, 60, 72, 90, 120, 144, 165, 240, 360, and custom refresh rates.
**Frame time table (key values)** 24 Hz = 41.67 ms. 30 Hz = 33.33 ms. 48 Hz = 20.83 ms. 60 Hz = 16.67 ms. 75 Hz = 13.33 ms. 90 Hz = 11.11 ms. 120 Hz = 8.33 ms. 144 Hz = 6.94 ms. 165 Hz = 6.06 ms. 240 Hz = 4.17 ms. 360 Hz = 2.78 ms. 480 Hz = 2.08 ms.
**VRR range and frame limiters** VRR (G-Sync, FreeSync) operates within a range (e.g., 48–240 Hz on a 240 Hz monitor). If FPS drops below the minimum VRR range, the monitor typically re-locks at the maximum frame time interval (48 Hz = 20.83ms). Setting a frame limiter to just below the VRR maximum (e.g., 237 FPS on a 240 Hz monitor) keeps FPS consistently within VRR range, avoiding the VRR lower-bound lock.
**Motion blur and CRT equivalence** Film is shot at 24 fps (41.67ms frame time) with ~180° shutter angle (each frame exposes for ~1/48 second), producing motion blur. Game rendering without motion blur at 24 fps looks "choppy" because each frame is sharp (zero-time exposure), unlike film's motion blur. At 60 fps+, choppiness becomes imperceptible for most content; competitive gaming benefits from 120–360 fps primarily through reduced input latency (each frame is fresher).
**Input latency and FPS** Input latency floor ≈ 1 frame time. At 60 fps: minimum possible input latency = 16.7ms. At 360 fps: 2.8ms minimum. Additional system latency (render pipeline, display latency) adds on top — Nvidia Reflex and AMD Anti-Lag target reducing render pipeline latency to near the frame-time floor.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- As of 2024, 144 Hz (6.94ms frame time) is the mainstream competitive gaming standard, widely available at $150–$300. 240 Hz (4.17ms) is the pro-player standard — most major esports tournaments use 240 Hz monitors. 360 Hz (2.78ms) is available at premium prices and offers measurable but smaller advantages over 240 Hz. At 144 Hz vs. 60 Hz, the perceptual improvement is immediately obvious to almost everyone. At 240 Hz vs. 144 Hz, the improvement is noticeable to trained eyes. At 360 Hz vs. 240 Hz, advantages are measurable in response time studies but less obviously visible.
- Film shot at 24 fps uses a mechanical shutter with ~180° shutter angle: each frame exposes for 1/48 second (half the frame period), capturing motion blur. This blur makes movement look continuous and fluid — the human eye 'fills in' the motion between frames. Game rendering by default produces sharp, crisp frames with zero motion blur (exposure time = 0). The sharp transitions between positions at 24 fps look choppy because there's no motion blur to smooth the apparent trajectory. Adding cinematic motion blur (a post-process effect) to games at 24 fps makes them look much smoother — at the cost of visual clarity.
- This is a debated neuroscience question with no single answer. Research findings: (1) Flicker fusion threshold (where flashing light appears steady): 60–90 Hz for most people, up to 150+ Hz for some individuals. (2) Motion detection: humans can detect changes in moving objects at much higher than 60 Hz — studies show perceptual improvement in gaming tasks up to at least 240–360 Hz. (3) F-Zero researchers (2022): participants could detect single-frame differences (1/480th second) in a task. The practical answer: there is no hard perceptual cap — higher frame rates provide measurable improvements in motion clarity and input responsiveness even beyond 240 fps, though the incremental gains diminish.
- Screen tearing occurs when the GPU sends a new frame mid-scan: the monitor displays the top half of Frame N and the bottom half of Frame N+1 in the same refresh cycle, producing a visible horizontal 'tear' line. It happens when GPU frame delivery timing is out of sync with display scan timing. VSync (vertical synchronisation) prevents tearing by synchronising GPU frame delivery to the monitor's refresh cycle — but introduces up to 1 frame of render latency. VRR (G-Sync/FreeSync) solves both: the monitor scans at exactly the rate the GPU is delivering frames (within the VRR range), so there's never a mid-frame handoff → no tearing, and no added latency from artificial synchronisation.