What refresh rate means
Your screen does not show motion continuously. It draws a new still picture many times a second, and the refresh rate is how many: 60 Hz means 60 pictures a second. The time between two pictures — the frame time — is what matters for a speed test, because anything that changes on screen has to wait for the next picture before you can see it.
| Refresh rate | Time per frame |
|---|---|
| 60 Hz | 16.67 ms |
| 120 Hz | 8.33 ms |
| 144 Hz | 6.94 ms |
| 165 Hz | 6.06 ms |
| 240 Hz | 4.17 ms |
| 360 Hz | 2.78 ms |
How this page measures it
Browsers run animation code once for every frame they show, and MDN notes that this generally matches the display’s refresh rate. The page asks for about 150 frames in a row, measures the gap between each pair and takes the median. If the result is within a few percent of a standard rate such as 60, 120 or 144 Hz it is shown as that rate; otherwise you see the measured value. The steadiness figure is the share of frames that arrived on time — low steadiness means dropped frames, so the estimate is less certain.
Browsers pause animation in background tabs, which is why the measurement restarts if you switch away, and why every test on this site cancels a trial if the tab is hidden.
How much your setup adds to your scores
Between the moment something changes and the moment your press is recorded, several delays stack up. Only one of them is you.
| Step | Typical size | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Waiting for the next frame | 0 to 1 frame (up to 16.7 ms at 60 Hz) | frame time above |
| The monitor drawing the frame | “good” monitors under 15 ms; at least half a frame at the screen centre | RTINGS input lag tests |
| Your reaction | about 213–231 ms in a calibrated lab | Woods et al. 2015 |
| The mouse reporting the press | up to 8 ms at 125 Hz, up to 1 ms at 1000 Hz | Logitech |
In the Woods study, even a carefully chosen display and mouse added 17.8 ms on average, and the authors note that ordinary computer setups can add far more. Two quick examples using only the screen and the mouse: a 60 Hz screen with a 125 Hz mouse can add up to about 25 ms; a 240 Hz screen with a 1000 Hz mouse, up to about 5 ms. That is why results are only comparable on the same device.
What it means for each test
- Reaction time: directly affected. The waiting-for-frame and monitor delays land in your score. The test starts its clock with the frame that shows the change, which removes part of the frame wait, but not the monitor’s own lag.
- Clicks per second: not affected. Every press is counted from its own timestamp; the screen only updates the counter.
- Typing: hardly affected. Speed is measured over many seconds, so a few milliseconds per key disappear.
- Aim trainer: affected a little. Targets appear sooner and the pointer moves more smoothly on a faster screen.
- Number memory: not affected.
About the pointer report rate box
Move your mouse quickly inside the box and the page counts how many position updates arrive per second. Where the browser supports it, the page listens to raw pointer updates, which arrive as fast as the device sends them; otherwise it reads the extra updates the browser bundles into each move event. Some browsers hand over only one update per frame, so the page warns you when the result could be capped by the screen rather than the mouse.
Getting the most from your screen
- Open your display settings and pick the highest refresh rate listed for your monitor.
- Use a cable and port that support that rate; an old cable can quietly limit you to 60 Hz.
- On a TV, switch on game mode to skip extra picture processing.
- Plug in laptops and turn off battery saving while testing.
- Keep the test tab in front and close heavy tabs and apps.