Question Should I match the monitor refresh rate?

[kaczan3]

I know that if I have a 1080p monitor, I should use exactly that resolution -- 720 will look blurry on it because it's not a 1;1 ratio of signal pixels to display pixels.

Is it the same with refresh rates? Like if I have hardware to only pull off 75hz in games, should I get a 75hz monitor? Or will a game outputting 75hz look exactly the same on a 135hz monitor (with v-sync obviously turned off)? Does it make a difference if I set the 135hz monitor to run at 75hz in Windows settings?

 

[TerryLaze]

Without vsync you will get tearing on the display since the GPU will have to abandon the current frame half way through the refresh to output the next one.
If you set the 135hz monitor to 75hz then why bother, it would stop the tearing but you would have wasted your money on the monitor.

 

[punkncat]

Your monitor refresh rate as well as its sync type should be considered both for the hardware you have as well as with a thought towards the hardware you may get next (or two). Most folks don't purchase a new monitor as often as they might a graphics card and such.

Free Sync variants are typically also the least expensive and work well with AMD cards. G Sync Compatible is a bit more expensive and are often Free Sync sets as well. G Sync Certified is quite expensive but works really well with Nvidia cards. (I am forgetting the newest sync type)

 

[SkyNetRising]

Is it the same with refresh rates? Like if I have hardware to only pull off 75hz in games, should I get a 75hz monitor? Or will a game outputting 75hz look exactly the same on a 135hz monitor (with v-sync obviously turned off)? Does it make a difference if I set the 135hz monitor to run at 75hz in Windows settings?

No. You use max refresh rate, your hardware supports.
Unless you're using G-sync/Free-Sync. Then refresh be limited automatically to match fps.

 

[kaczan3]

I'm still using my first 1080p monitor from 20 years back so buying a monitor with future in mind might be a good idea. But the real "issue" is that it's even hard to buy 60Hz or 75Hz monitor. A couple of years back I got an 75Hz AOC monitor, and now a 135Hz one is cheaper now then the 75hz was back then.

So my bottom question is this: is there a downside to getting a 145hz monitor? Or will my 75hz GPU output look the same on both a 75Hz and a135Hz monitor?

And the second question is: if I set the 135Hz monitor to 75Hz, will it be able to use a normal v-sync no problem?

 

[Zizo007]

Freesync has a range like 48-144hz so if fps is in this range there will be no tearing

 

[punkncat]

You can choose to set your desktop resolution and also can set the refresh rate in the advanced settings just down from resolution. It is a click to enter menu. You could have a 1 million refresh rate and still set it at 60 if you want.

60hz monitors are still quite common, they are just sold as "office" type or not even categorized where pretty much anything faster than that now is tagged with "gaming".