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Finding the best refresh rate for gaming: 60fps vs 30fps

Choosing the Right Refresh Rate | Gaming at 60fps or 30fps

By

Kylie Moon

May 1, 2025, 07:16 PM

Edited By

Omar Ali

Snappy read

A gamer comparing different refresh rates on a monitor while playing games at 60fps and 30fps.

Gamers are facing confusion over optimal refresh rates on PC, particularly with monitors like the Gigabyte M27Q, which supports a maximum of 165hz. With many games capped at 60fps, the results have some users asking: Should I stick with 60hz for the best performance?

Context and Significance

Recently, one user noticed discrepancies while playing Yakuza Like a Dragon at 165hz. Despite G-Sync being enabled, their monitor fluctuated around 60hz instead of holding steady. This discrepancy has sparked debate: what refresh rate should players choose when gaming at 60fps or lower?

The Refresh Rate Debate

Three key themes emerged from the discussion among gamers:

  1. Importance of G-Sync: "If youโ€™re using sync, why should it matter?" One user pointed out that as long as G-Sync is enabled, variations in refresh rate shouldn't be noticeable.

  2. Frame Pacing Issues: A commenter noted that "165 does not evenly divide by 60," suggesting potential frame pacing problems at higher refresh rates without effective syncing.

  3. Performance Specs Matter: Participants requested the PC specs (like GPU and CPU) to analyze if hardware might affect performance more than the monitor.

Notable Quotes

"Keep G-Sync on and cap the frame rate to 60 using the Nvidia control panel."

"Worst case, set it to 120 since itโ€™s still an even multiple."

"Does VRR also work for 30fps?"

The sentiment in the comments varies widely, but there appears to be consensus that using G-Sync is crucial in mitigating refresh rate discrepancies.

Key Insights

  • ๐Ÿ–ฅ๏ธ Monitor refresh rates can fluctuate under certain conditions, even with syncing enabled.

  • โšก For non-60fps games, a 120hz refresh rate might offer a suitable compromise.

  • โ“ Some gamers wonder if VRR effectively supports 30fps games.

Ultimately, while a 165hz refresh rate seems ideal, the switch to 60hz or 120hz might prove beneficial under specific conditions, making this a hot topic among PC gamers.