240Hz Monitor For Gaming: Is It Really Worth It? [Simple Answer] 

Quick Answer

Who could believe that only a few years back, the display that ran the show came with just 60Hz? Soon, these were ousted by the 144Hz monitors that easily became the choice for the mainstream gamers. Now, the 144Hz displays seem not to be enough and we are being strapped with monitors that have 240Hz refresh rates.

While this sounds enticing, it comes more expensive than the former display, just as you would expect. However, the main question left to be answered is whether the 240Hz monitor is worth it for gaming. This question is not only valid because of the extra cash that you will spend to get it, but also because of things like the hardware needed to run it as well as whether the difference will be any good for you to notice.

Refresh Rates and Gaming

As far as gaming is concerned, there are some things that are very important with your display and one of such, apart from the response time is the refresh rate. Measured in Hertz (Hz), it indicates the number of frames that can be displayed by your monitor in each second.

The work of your graphics card is to render images which will then be displayed on the monitor. However, no matter the number of frames your graphics card renders, the monitor can only display the number of frames based on its refresh rate. This means that if you have a monitor with 60Hz, only 60 frames per second would be displayed while if you have a monitor of 144Hz, as much as 144 frames would be displayed every second, and 240 images would be displayed in each second for a 240Hz monitor.

Is the 240Hz Monitor for Gaming Worth it?

As pointed out, it is only some years ago that we transitioned from 60Hz monitors to the 144Hz monitors. At the time, the monitors were the standard for gaming. In fact, there are monitors that still come with 60Hz refresh rate. That said, is moving higher than the 140Hz which is significantly higher than the 60Hz really worth it? To answer this, we need to know the benefits it brings, the hardware needed to run it, and the cost among other things.

Benefits of the 240Hz monitor

There are some benefits that a gamer will get with the 240Hz monitor for gaming more than if one were to be using a lower monitor. The first of such is the quick responsiveness and elimination of blur. Also, there is more fluid gameplay and clarity. When you are moving very fast on a monitor that has less refresh rate, there is the blur that you will see, but as you go higher with the refresh rate, the blur disappears as the images get refreshed very fast.

See Also: 144hz Monitor For Gaming: Is It Really Worth It? [Simple Answer] 

However, there is a more serious question on whether you will be able to notice the difference with the normal eyes. In theory, a leap from 144Hz to 240Hz is very significant. However, in the practical world where your eye is the judge, the difference may not be too much. When you move from a monitor of 60Hz to a monitor of 144Hz, the difference will be very clear, however, with a jump from a 144Hz monitor to one of 240Hz, it is negligible.

That, however, is mostly for casual gamers because as a hardcore or competitive gamer, almost every slight change is noticeable if one knows what to look out for.

Hardware needed to deliver 240Hz

Beyond just getting the monitor, the next big thing to consider is if you have the graphics card that is good enough to allow you to get the full benefits of the monitor. You may need to turn down your graphics settings to be able to achieve the 240Hz refresh rate that the monitor comes with.

Cost

Although the 240Hz monitors are more expensive than the 144Hz, the price difference is not too significant for a competitive or hardcore gamer who really wants it to go with the monitor.

Downside

Looking at the other side of the coin, the most popular downside of the 240Hz monitor for gaming is in the panel used for the monitor, TN panels. These panels are used for gaming displays because they are both fast and cheap. The only problem they have is that of the quality of images that you get.

The TN panels are not the best if you are interested in having good viewing angles, although that is not something that a gamer should seriously be worried about. Also, the color production by the TN panel is not as good as it could have been.

Is it worth it? 

Coming back to where it all began, it is not easy to say that the monitor is worth it or not. Nevertheless, It may not be worth it for a casual gamer who may not notice the difference it brings or even be in a position to benefit from the benefits. More so, it is not worth it if you do not have a good graphics card.

On the other hand, the choice between 144Hz and 240Hz for a competitive gamer will have to be the latter because it gives better performance, even though at the cost of the best visuals because of the panel used. A higher monitor with a higher refresh rate is always worth it for a gamer because of the slight advantage needed which may end up making the difference.

Best 240Hz Monitor For Gaming

Conclusion

At the end of the day, the 240Hz monitor for gaming may be something great but it is not for everyone since a hardcore gamer will get more benefits from it than someone who only games casually.

More importantly, you may not immediately figure out the difference between the display and the 144Hz display when you begin using it, but after using it for some time, the difference will become clear when you try going back to use a 144Hz monitor or something lower.