You buy a new 144 Hz monitor.

Connect it to your Windows 11 PC.

Everything works.

Resolution looks correct. Colours look good. Windows detects the display.

But there's a problem you may never notice:

Windows is running it at 60 Hz.

Your expensive high-refresh-rate monitor is effectively behaving like an ordinary 60 Hz display.

This happens more often than you might think, particularly after:

• installing a new monitor
• changing graphics cards
• connecting through a docking station
• replacing HDMI or DisplayPort cables
• reinstalling Windows
• changing display resolution

Fortunately, checking takes less than a minute.

What Is Refresh Rate?

Refresh rate describes how many times a display can update its image every second.

It is measured in Hertz:

60 Hz = 60 updates per second

75 Hz = 75 updates per second

120 Hz = 120 updates per second

144 Hz = 144 updates per second

165 Hz = 165 updates per second

240 Hz = 240 updates per second

Microsoft defines refresh rate in essentially the same way: a 60 Hz display refreshes the screen 60 times each second.

Higher isn't automatically necessary for everyone.

But the difference between 60 Hz and 120/144 Hz can be surprisingly noticeable.

Is 60 Hz Bad?

No.

That's an important distinction.

For ordinary business tasks such as:

• Word
• Outlook
• accounting software
• web browsing
• CRM systems
• spreadsheets

60 Hz is perfectly functional.

If your monitor only supports 60 Hz, there isn't a Windows setting that will magically turn it into a 144 Hz display.

The problem is when you own a display capable of:

120 Hz, 144 Hz or 165 Hz

but Windows is only sending:

60 Hz.

Then you're simply not getting the performance you paid for.

Why Higher Refresh Rates Feel Better

The biggest difference isn't necessarily image quality.

It's motion.

Move a window around at 60 Hz and then at 144 Hz.

Scroll rapidly through a long webpage.

Move the mouse pointer.

Switch between windows.

On a good high-refresh display, motion generally feels substantially smoother.

Microsoft specifically identifies smoother browsing and inking as benefits of higher refresh rates, as well as reduced motion blur and improved responsiveness in gaming.

You don't need to be a competitive gamer to notice it.

Check Your Current Refresh Rate

In Windows 11, open:

Settings > System > Display > Advanced display

If you have multiple monitors, select the correct display.

Look for:

Choose a refresh rate

You might discover:

60 Hz

despite owning a 144 Hz monitor.

Select the appropriate higher refresh rate supported by your display.

Microsoft confirms that the options shown here depend on what Windows believes the selected display and connection support.

Don't Sacrifice Resolution Accidentally

There's an important warning here.

Windows may offer some refresh rates that aren't available at your current resolution.

Microsoft now places an asterisk next to refresh-rate options that require a resolution change. Selecting one will cause Windows to alter the resolution to achieve that refresh rate.

So don't blindly select the biggest number.

For example, you generally don't want to change:

3840 × 2160 at 120 Hz

to:

1920 × 1080 at 144 Hz

just because 144 is higher than 120.

For normal desktop use, native resolution should usually take priority.

Aim for:

native resolution + highest appropriate stable refresh rate

supported by the complete display connection.

“My 144 Hz Monitor Only Shows 60 Hz”

Now you have a troubleshooting problem.

Don't immediately blame Windows.

The complete connection matters:

GPU → port → cable → adapter/dock → monitor

Every component needs to support the resolution and refresh rate you're trying to use.

Check the Cable

A cable or connection that successfully displays:

4K at 60 Hz

doesn't automatically guarantee:

4K at 144 Hz

Higher resolutions combined with higher refresh rates require more bandwidth.

Depending on your equipment, you may need an appropriate:

• DisplayPort connection
• HDMI connection
• USB-C DisplayPort Alt Mode connection
• Thunderbolt connection

Check the specifications of both:

computer/GPU output

and:

monitor input.

Don't rely solely on the connector's physical appearance.

Two HDMI ports can have very different capabilities.

Check Which Monitor Port You're Using

Some monitors support their maximum refresh rate only through particular inputs.

For example, a monitor might support:

144 Hz through DisplayPort

but a lower maximum through one of its HDMI inputs.

Or it may require a particular HDMI generation for the maximum resolution/refresh combination.

Check the monitor manufacturer's specification.

If DisplayPort offers the full capability and your computer supports it, that may be the cleaner connection.

Docking Stations Are a Common Bottleneck

This is particularly relevant to business laptops.

You may have:

Laptop capable of 120 Hz

and:

Monitor capable of 144 Hz

but:

Dock output limited to 60 Hz at your chosen resolution.

The result?

Windows only offers 60 Hz.

As a test, bypass the dock.

Connect the monitor directly to the laptop.

If Windows suddenly offers:

120 Hz or 144 Hz

you've found an important clue.

The limitation may be:

• docking station
• shared display bandwidth
• USB-C connection
• dock firmware
• particular dock output

Don't replace the monitor before testing the connection.

Multiple Monitors Can Change What's Available

Suppose your dock supports two 4K monitors.

That doesn't necessarily mean it supports:

two 4K monitors at 144 Hz.

Display bandwidth may be shared.

Disconnect the second display temporarily and check:

Settings > System > Display > Advanced display

again.

If higher refresh rates suddenly become available, investigate the capabilities of the dock and connection.

Check the Monitor's Own Settings

Some displays require their maximum refresh capability to be enabled through the monitor's on-screen menu.

Look for options such as:

• refresh-rate mode
• overclock
• gaming mode
• DisplayPort version
• HDMI mode
• adaptive sync

Don't randomly change everything.

Check the manufacturer's documentation for your specific model.

Refresh Rate vs Frame Rate

These are related but not identical.

Refresh rate describes how often the monitor can update.

Frame rate (FPS) describes how many frames the computer or game is producing.

A 144 Hz monitor doesn't guarantee:

144 FPS.

If your GPU produces only 45 FPS in a demanding game, changing the monitor from 60 Hz to 144 Hz doesn't suddenly create another 99 frames per second.

Likewise, a computer generating 200 FPS connected to a 60 Hz display still has a display capable of refreshing only 60 times per second.

The whole system matters.

What Is Variable Refresh Rate?

Variable Refresh Rate—VRR—allows compatible displays to adapt their refresh behaviour to the frames being produced rather than operating only at a rigid fixed rate.

Depending on the hardware, you may encounter technologies such as:

• Adaptive-Sync
• AMD FreeSync
• NVIDIA G-SYNC

Windows can also expose VRR support for compatible displays.

Microsoft notes that many games can automatically use VRR to dynamically adapt the refresh rate and improve the gaming experience.

This can help reduce problems such as:

• screen tearing
• judder
• inconsistent motion

But the display, GPU and connection all need to support the appropriate technology.

Windows 11 Dynamic Refresh Rate

Windows 11 has another feature worth understanding:

Dynamic Refresh Rate (DRR).

This isn't quite the same thing as gaming VRR.

DRR allows Windows to dynamically adjust the display refresh rate depending on what you're doing.

For example:

reading static content → lower refresh

scrolling or inking → higher refresh

The objective is to provide smoother motion when it matters without constantly paying the battery penalty of running the display at maximum refresh.

Microsoft says DRR requires compatible VRR hardware and a display capable of at least 120 Hz.

On supported systems:

Settings > System > Display > Advanced display

Look for:

Dynamic refresh rate

This can be particularly useful on laptops.

Higher Refresh Rate Uses More Power

There is a trade-off.

Running a laptop display at:

120 Hz

rather than:

60 Hz

can consume more power.

Microsoft specifically recommends reducing refresh rate as one method of extending Windows laptop battery life.

So the “correct” setting depends on the device.

Desktop workstation

I'd generally use the monitor's appropriate higher refresh capability.

Laptop plugged into mains

Higher refresh may make sense if you value smoothness.

Laptop travelling on battery

60 Hz or DRR may be preferable.

This is one reason Windows 11's Dynamic Refresh Rate is useful.

Is 120 Hz Enough?

For most non-gaming users, 120 Hz is an excellent upgrade from 60 Hz.

The jump:

60 → 120 Hz

is far more significant perceptually than endlessly chasing larger numbers.

For business and general productivity use, I would prioritise:

1. good panel quality
2. correct resolution
3. sensible screen size
4. good colour reproduction
5. 100/120 Hz or higher refresh

rather than buying a mediocre display solely because the box says:

360 Hz GAMING.

High Refresh Rates Aren't Just for Gaming

This is where the original article's argument is worth retaining.

A higher-refresh display can improve the subjective feel of everyday Windows use.

You can notice it while:

• scrolling webpages
• navigating large spreadsheets
• moving windows
• using touch
• using a stylus
• navigating graphical applications

Microsoft itself lists browsing and inking alongside gaming as scenarios that can benefit from higher refresh rates.

For someone spending eight hours a day in front of a computer, that can be worthwhile.

What If 144 Hz Makes the Screen Flicker?

Don't assume the monitor is faulty immediately.

If:

60 Hz = stable

but:

144 Hz = flickering/dropouts/black screens

investigate:

• cable
• monitor input
• graphics output
• dock
• adapter
• GPU driver
• monitor firmware

Try connecting directly using a known-good cable.

If 144 Hz works directly but fails through the dock, you've isolated the likely bottleneck.

HDR Can Affect Available Refresh Rates

HDR increases the amount of display data that may need to travel across the connection.

At combinations such as:

4K + HDR + high refresh rate

the available bandwidth becomes particularly important.

Microsoft's own HDR troubleshooting guidance recommends reducing refresh rate or resolution in some HDMI configurations when colour isn't being displayed correctly.

So if:

4K 144 Hz SDR works

but:

4K 144 Hz HDR doesn't

investigate the capabilities of the:

GPU → cable → dock/adapter → monitor

before blaming HDR itself.

Don't Use an Internet “Monitor Overclock” as Your First Fix

If your monitor supports 60 Hz and Windows shows 60 Hz, that may simply be what the display was designed to do.

Don't start creating unsupported custom refresh rates because a forum claims every monitor can be overclocked.

You can introduce:

• instability
• frame skipping
• display dropouts
• out-of-range errors

Use officially supported modes unless you understand exactly what you're changing.

A Useful Office Example

Suppose a business buys a premium 27-inch monitor capable of:

2560 × 1440 at 144 Hz

The employee connects it through an older USB-C dock.

Windows reports:

2560 × 1440 at 60 Hz

They assume that's normal.

You connect the monitor directly to the laptop using DisplayPort/USB-C.

Windows now offers:

144 Hz.

Nothing was wrong with:

• Windows
• laptop
• monitor

The dock was the bottleneck.

That's why you should check the entire display chain.

The 2-Minute Refresh Rate Check

For any Windows 11 PC with a modern monitor:

1. Open Settings > System > Display > Advanced display.
2. Select the correct monitor.
3. Check its native resolution.
4. Check the current refresh rate.
5. Select the highest appropriate supported rate at the native resolution.
6. If the expected rate isn't available, test a direct connection.
7. Check the cable and monitor input.
8. Check the dock's specification.
9. Check the GPU/display-output specification.
10. Consider DRR on compatible laptops.

And remember:

60 Hz isn't automatically wrong.

But 60 Hz on a monitor you bought specifically for 120/144/165 Hz is performance you've paid for and aren't using.

How Hamilton Group Can Help

Display problems aren't always caused by the monitor.

Hamilton Group can help businesses diagnose:

• incorrect refresh rates
• Windows 11 display configuration
• multi-monitor setups
• docking stations
• USB-C and Thunderbolt
• HDMI and DisplayPort
• graphics drivers
• HDR
• screen flickering
• workstation specifications

For businesses deploying new laptops, docks and monitors, getting the specification right beforehand can also avoid buying expensive high-resolution or high-refresh displays that the chosen docking solution cannot properly drive.

Visit or call 0330 043 0069.