response time vs refresh rate. What's the difference and which one is more important?

[NugieDX]

I know the textbook meaning of that, but what's the difference, really?
I mean, is there a monitor with fast response time but slow refresh rate (or vice versa)?

Which one is more important?
Is <=2ms response time a must for gaming, any kind of gaming? Except Bejeweled of course ;-)

Thanks for your answer.

 

[Traciatim]

Response rate is the time it takes the pixels to change from one colour to another, the refresh rate is the number of times the screen is updated every second.

The refresh rate will generally be 60, 120, or 144hz with only a few exceptions. You can't really trust the spec sheets on the response time because there are so many different ways of measuring it and gaming the system. It's kind of like dynamic contrast ratios that are up in the millions, it's just twisted marketing that's essentially lying to sell stuff.

Neither spec is more important, they both just exist. If you are really that interested you should check out some of the articles over at Blur Busters, they have some really good stuff on how monitors work and how they test them.

 

[NugieDX]

Response rate is the time it takes the pixels to change from one colour to another, the refresh rate is the number of times the screen is updated every second.

That's fairly simple answer for newb like me. Thanks.

it's just twisted marketing that's essentially lying to sell stuff.

I thought so.

If you are really that interested you should check out some of the articles over at Blur Busters, they have some really good stuff on how monitors work and how they test them.

I am interested but am still a newb. =D