The first thing to remember about monitor refresh rate is that there’s no such thing as overkill. So no, 240Hz isn’t “too fast”. Remember, there are 360Hz and faster monitors out there, but we think 240Hz is becoming the new sweet spot for higher refresh rate. It’s not overkill and is a worthy upgrade from 144Hz and certainly from lower refresh rates like 120Hz and 60Hz. In general, refresh rates on monitors are “the more the merrier”. Having a 240Hz panel can’t hurt, it can only enhance your gaming and in this article we’ll look at why that is the case. 

That’s just the number of times a monitor can refresh the entire screen per second. The Hertz or Hz can also be described as frames per second, or FPS. The two are the same. So, a 240Hz monitor is four times faster than a 60Hz monitor and 70% faster than a 144Hz display. That’s quite a leap forward.

The biggest benefit of higher refresh rates comes in the form of more responsive and accurate gaming, with lower input lag. If you enjoy competitive multiplayer in reflex-based genres like first and third person shooters, fighting games, sports, and racing, then you should aim for the highest refresh rate possible and 240Hz will give you an immediate advantage over competitors that use 60Hz or even 144Hz monitors because your responses will be a few milliseconds faster. 

Compared to 60Hz and 120Hz, for sure, it’s very noticeable. Movement in games becomes much smoother, which also helps reduce eye fatigue in general. Basically everyone notices the difference between 60Hz/120Hz and 240Hz. When talking about 144Hz and 165Hz, the move to 240Hz may not be as immediately visible, but the lower lag and smoother response will still be there regardless of whether or not you can “see” them.

Importantly, our own tests and general industry evaluation reveal that people become used to 240Hz quickly, and then when asked to game in 144Hz or even 165Hz they do notice the slower update. So, it seems that going up in frame rates beyond a certain point may not be strongly noticeable, but once used to it, going back to lower frame rates is very noticeable. As people say, it’s easy to get used to good things. 

Just because you opt for a 240Hz monitor because your main focus is on high speed competitive shooters doesn’t mean you don’t enjoy other game styles. When the new Assassin’s Creed Mirage comes out you can still play it in 60Hz. A 240Hz monitor isn’t locked to that refresh rate, it can display any rate up to 240Hz, making it very versatile.

It’s also important to choose a quality IPS display. Traditionally, the fastest monitors indeed used TN panels which were fast, but lacked color fidelity. All of that has changed with new technology. Now IPS panels with superb colors that make every game look its best also arrive in 240Hz, so you get the best of both worlds. The color quality and the smooth speed. 

With BenQ MOBIUZ gaming monitors like the EX270M and EX270QM you don’t just get 240Hz on a gorgeous IPS panel, but a lot of custom features meant to further enhance gaming experiences. For example, in addition to regular HDR you also have smart HDRi, which optimizes HDR content plus adds simulated HDR to SDR content. HDRi takes into account screen contents plus ambient lighting conditions to deliver the best high dynamic range presentation possible. 

Light Tuner and Black eQualizer balance contrast, brightness, and color temperature to make sure dark and bright areas of the screen don’t crush or wash out details. This is very important to competitive players especially, because the last thing you want are surprises lurking in corners of the screen improperly displayed by a lesser monitor. Well, with MOBIUZ that’s not going to happen.

Audio is an area where many monitor manufacturers cut corners. Sometimes you don’t get speakers at all, or when you do, they’re very poor quality. BenQ MOBIUZ uses technology derived from exclusive treVolo sound design to add built-in 2.1 channel audio into 240Hz monitors. That’s dual speakers plus a subwoofer for powerful, room-filling audio. Sure, you can still use a headset but it’s good to have the option of built-in monitor sound that’s just as good and equally accurate for spotting opponents and effects while in-game.

The bottom line is that getting a 240Hz gaming monitor is a smart move. Particularly if you enjoy competitive multiplayer titles. Also, make sure to get a screen that has DisplayPort for your PC plus dual HDMI ports for consoles. If you want to save space or just prefer to have all of your gaming platforms on one display, then you can hook up your PC, PS5, and Xbox Series console to the same display. While consoles can’t run games at 240Hz, they have 60Hz and 120Hz titles and those will run great on a 240Hz display. So, is a 240Hz monitor good for gaming? Of course. That’s like asking if a plane that can fly fast is good for traveling.

If you need additional help with setting up 240Hz refresh on your PC or have any more questions, take a look at our helpful guide.