What is Refresh Rate?
Refresh rate is the number of times per second that a display can update its image, measured in hertz. It is distinct from frame rate, which counts images generated or stored each second.
How Refresh Rate works
A display refreshes by scanning or updating its panel on a repeating cadence, while a renderer or video source supplies frames on its own cadence. If those timings do not align, frames may be repeated, presented for uneven intervals, or switched during scanout; synchronization and variable-refresh mechanisms manage that relationship. Refresh rate belongs at the final presentation stage, after decode, and must be considered alongside frame pacing, pixel response, and display latency.
Key facts
- When frame cadence does not divide evenly into a fixed refresh cadence, repeated frames can follow an uneven pattern and produce judder even though no encoded frames are missing.
- Variable-refresh displays adjust refresh timing within a supported operating range to follow frame delivery, reducing tearing and pacing artifacts without inventing new source frames.
- Refresh rate and pixel response time are independent. A panel may accept frequent updates yet show smearing if its pixels cannot transition between levels quickly enough.
When Refresh Rate matters
Match animation or playback behavior to display timing when minimizing judder, tearing, or redundant rendering work. A high refresh rate cannot create motion detail absent from a lower-frame-rate source.