if a game is hard capped at 60fps, what refresh rate is best

[.kernel 0x000]

Such as with 144Hz monitors, you can make it go 120 or 60. But with G Sync which is variable refresh rate, doesn't it just make the monitor 60Hz since the game is reporting this? Or am I mistaken?

[Black Octagon]

I believe you are correct. I would think that for such games, 120Hz with vSync off is the best

[RealNC]

With vsync on, 120Hz is best, since the 60FPS cap will give you next to no input lag. This is generally a good way to reduce input lag; if a game can be capped to 60FPS, then running 120Hz with vsync on gives low input lag. (The same is true for 72FPS/144Hz.)

With gsync, just choose the maximum. If you choose 60Hz with gsync, you can get input lag due to gsync behaving like vsync when the frame rate reaches refresh rate.

[Black Octagon]

Why would vSync ON give lower lag???

[RealNC]

Why would vSync ON give lower lag???

It doesn't. *If* you want vsync, *then* you can reduce input lag by playing at 60FPS on 120Hz or 72FPS on 144Hz. The same thing happens when you play at 58FPS on 60Hz, but that introduces micro-stutter. 60FPS on 120Hz and 72FPS on 144Hz doesn't have that micro-stutter, since each frame is displayed for the same amount of time (since frame rate is exactly half the refresh rate.) Vsync-related input lag is lower when your frame rate is lower than your refresh rate due to frame output buffers not getting filled.

So, 60FPS on 120Hz with vsync enabled is going to look the same as 60FPS on 120Hz with vsync enabled, except you get less input lag.

[Chief Blur Buster]

I believe you are correct. I would think that for such games, 120Hz with vSync off is the best

120Hz for 60fps material can work well, but occasionally you can run into 60fps games that stutter like madness during 120Hz, with a frame-repeat sequence of 3:1:3:1:3:1 instead of 2:2:2:2:2:2 If you have GSYNC, then that's better. You would avoid the frame-repeat irregularity, unless the 60fps framepacing in the game engine was extremely poor. Frame pacing in the game/driver side has a big effect of whether or not it will stutter during 60fps@120Hz -- since if a frame is way too early or too late, it could skip a 1/120sec cycle and cause a stutter.

For 60fps material, 144Hz is not ideal.

These modes are better for 60fps locked games:
- GSYNC
- 120Hz
- 60Hz

Also, if the game runs extremely consistent frametimes, test VSYNC ON versus VSYNC OFF, sometimes certain 60fps-locked games behave better with one or the other. Some locked games will stutter more with VSYNC OFF, and others will stutter more with VSYNC ON -- it all boils down how consistent or erratic the frametimes are.

[Chief Blur Buster]

Why would vSync ON give lower lag???

He meant relative 60Hz versus 120Hz.
He meant VSYNC ON 60fps@120Hz is lower lag than VSYNC ON 60fps@60Hz.

If you are person who hates tearing, but wants better input lag, then you want to run VSYNC ON during 120Hz instead of 60Hz, to reduce input lag of your 60fps locked games, if you need specific benefits of VSYNC ON (e.g. avoiding tearing or if the 60fps-locked game stutters less during VSYNC ON).

Yes, it won't be as low lag as VSYNC OFF. But you can still reduce lag of VSYNC ON by using techniques such as raising the refresh rate, even while keeping the framerate same.

[Black Octagon]

I see. Thanks. That's interesting. Don't believe I've encountered stutter yet at 60fps@120Hz, except for Skyrim which I immediately blamed on the game engine

[Sparky]

Why would vSync ON give lower lag???

He meant relative 60Hz versus 120Hz.
He meant VSYNC ON 60fps@120Hz is lower lag than VSYNC ON 60fps@60Hz.

If you are person who hates tearing, but wants better input lag, then you want to run VSYNC ON during 120Hz instead of 60Hz, to reduce input lag of your 60fps locked games, if you need specific benefits of VSYNC ON (e.g. avoiding tearing or if the 60fps-locked game stutters less during VSYNC ON).

Yes, it won't be as low lag as VSYNC OFF. But you can still reduce lag of VSYNC ON by using techniques such as raising the refresh rate, even while keeping the framerate same.

Wouldn't g-sync have lower input lag than 120hz v-sync?

[Oubadah]

Wouldn't g-sync have lower input lag than 120hz v-sync?

It does.