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5 Reasons For 144hz Monitor Only Showing 120hz And Their Solutions

5 Reasons For 144hz Monitor Only Showing 120hz And Their Solutions

If you see your 144hz monitor only showing 120hz, it can be frustrating. It can be more frustrating if you are a PC gamer. The 144Hz monitors refresh their displays 144 times for each second to exhibit brand new pictures on high-resolution screens.

But sometimes, these monitors might not indeed run at their advertised refresh rates. This problem can happen for many reasons, including gaming monitor settings, refresh rates problem in Nvidia Control Panel, cables issue, outdated monitor and graphics drivers, and in-game setting problem.

In this article, we will elaborately discuss these reasons and their solutions. After reading this article, we can declare that you can solve this problem quickly. Therefore, let’s jump into it.

5 Reasons For 144hz Monitor Only Showing 120hz And Their Solutions

Anyone who has experienced that their monitor is not showing its advertised refresh rate knows how frustrating it is. You cannot enjoy smooth gameplay when your 144hz monitor is not showing 144hz instead of showing a 120Hz refresh rate. Check the below guide to know the 5 reasons and solutions to this problem.

Also read: 5 Best Tools to Check Laptop Battery Health

Monitor Settings Issue

If your screen, like a 49-inch monitor, doesn’t support a 144Hz refresh rate, then your monitor will not display it. It is a monitor setting issue that you need to check. You will also have to make sure that the Windows is genuinely set at the advertised refresh rate and not a lesser refresh rate such as 120Hz.

Solution

The simplest method to check if your monitor supports a 1440p 144Hz refresh rate is to turn on your on-screen display and discover it. If it does support, choose 144Hz and then do the configuration. To ensure that the Windows is genuinely set at the advertised refresh rate and if you are running Windows 10, firstly, go to “Setting.” Then, go to “System” and then “Display.”

Now, head to “Advanced Display Settings” and “Display Adapter Properties.” After that, you need to tap on the “Monitor” tab. Next, you are required to select the monitor’s advertised refresh rate from the “Screen Refresh Rate” list. Finally, click “OK.” Firstly, if you are running Windows 7 or Windows 8, right-click the desktop and choose “Screen Resolution.”

Then, choose your monitor if you have several monitors. Now, tap on the “Advanced Settings” link. After that, tap on the “Monitor” tab. Finally, you are required to select the monitor’s advertised refresh rate from the “Screen Refresh Rate” box.

Refresh Rates Problem In Nvidia Control Panel

If your Monitor uses Nvidia GPU, you will notice 2 different lists of refresh rates in the Nvidia Control Panel. The first list is Ultra HD, HD, and SD. It will be utilized by default with the “1080p, 1920 x 1080 (native)” option. 120Hz will be the maximum refresh rate listed in the first list. So, you will see your 144hz monitor showing a 120hz refresh rate as 120Hz is set as default.

Solution

To solve it, firstly, you need to scroll down in the Nvidia Control Panel, and you will notice another list named “PC.” Then, you have to choose ‘1920 x 1080’ in that list, where you will have access to different refresh rates with a higher frame rate containing 144Hz or 240Hz refresh rate without any screen tearing.

Cables issue

If you want to anticipate a higher refresh rate, it is essential to seek concentration on the cable ports your monitor came with. A few monitors might simultaneously use HDMI and Display Port but will be restricted to a 120Hz refresh rate when attached via HDMI.

If you use DisplayPort and don’t have a correctly certified cable for it, your monitor will not show its advertised refresh rate. Also, if you use HDMI and have an older standard HDMI cable, this problem will occur. Furthermore, if you have low-priced and low-quality cable, then it can cause issues like flickering and higher refresh rate monitor lessening.

Solution

In the case of the HDMI cable port issue, you are required to use a DisplayPort cable. You can check your monitor’s specifications or setup instructions for further info. In the matter of DisplayPort cable, make sure you use a correctly certified cable made to the DisplayPort specification.

In addition, some RBR DisplayPort cables on the market will support 1080p on a 60hz monitor, which you need to avoid. When using HDMI, make sure that you are using a high-speed HDMI cable. And if you have a low-priced and low-quality cable, replace it with a high-quality cable.

Outdated Monitor And Graphics Drivers

An outdated monitor and graphics driver can cause several monitor problems. Monitor and graphics drivers are small pieces of computer software that make sure that devices work correctly. Monitor and graphics drivers can become outdated for various reasons.

Manufacturers release monitors with higher resolution and graphics driver updates to repair bugs or link hardware with operating system updates. Outdated monitor and graphics drivers can be accused of several PC and tools failures, comprising monitors with less refresh rate with the better graphics card.

Solution

You need to update monitor and graphics drivers to solve this issue. Check and install the newest available version from your monitor’s brand’s website. The suggested alternative to keep the best monitor and graphics drivers and 144-Hz or 240 Hz monitor with 60 fps operating is to utilize automatic driver updates.

Also read: Why You Should Consider a VPS For Hosting Your Game Server

 In-game Setting Problem

Sometimes, your game might use a lower refresh rate than your monitor’s actual refresh rate. These types of games have their own integrated graphics settings.

Solution

In this case, you are required to choose your monitor’s native resolution and the monitor’s refresh rate of 144Hz in every game’s graphics settings option. It will solve this issue.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Can you set 144hz displays to 120hz?

Yes, if the monitor supports a 144 Hz display, you can use lower refresh rate settings such as 120Hz, 100Hz, and 60 Hz. Maximum 144Hz monitors can be more down to 120Hz, 100Hz, and 60Hz with a few issues, but a few have problems with specific settings. Some people want to lower the refresh rate because their games appear to have a frame rate cap at a 120 Hz monitor with 4k resolution best gaming monitor.

Do I need DisplayPort for 144Hz?

Yes, it would help if you had DisplayPort for a 144Hz monitor. For 1080p at 144Hz, you will require either a DisplayPort, Dual-Link DVI, or HDMI 1.3 or better cable. In the case of 1440p content at 144Hz, you will need a minimum of an HDMI 2.0 or a DisplayPort 1.2. For 4K content at 144Hz or 240hz monitor, you will require an HDMI 2.1 or, otherwise, a mini DisplayPort 1.4 cable that can carry a 120Hz signal without constriction.

Why is my FPS capped?

FPS caps easily throttle several frames your video card can create. They don’t push the video card to wait until the monitor starts a brand new refresh cycle on performance mode. FPS can be capped due to GSync detecting frame rates close to your monitor’s high refresh rate. In addition, FPS can also be limited due to VSync enabled in your in-game settings.

Conclusion

It can be a worrisome problem when you see your 144hz monitor only showing 120hz. It can be more disturbing for you if you don’t know the reasons and the solutions behind this problem. To solve your worries, we have come up with the 5 senses and answers for your 144hz monitor displaying less frame rate in this article.

After going through these reasons and solutions, we are hopeful that you can quickly solve this problem and relish smooth gameplay at 144Hz. Still, if the problem isn’t solved, do let us know in the comment box. We will try our best to solve it as soon as possible.

Written by
Isla Genesis

Isla Genesis is social media manager of The Tech Trend. She did MBA in marketing and leveraging social media. Isla is also a passionate, writing a upcoming book on marketing stats, travel lover and photographer.

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