Detailed analysis
You paid for a 144Hz, 165Hz, or 240Hz monitor and it's stuck at 60Hz. Everything feels sluggish and you can't figure out why — your FPS counter shows 120+ but it looks like
60. Check right now: right-click your desktop > Display settings > Advanced display settings. If the refresh rate says 60Hz, that's your entire problem. Change it. If the higher option isn't even listed, this guide covers every reason why.
What's actually happening
Your monitor's refresh rate is how many times per second it redraws the screen. At 60Hz, you see 60 frames per second no matter how many FPS your GPU is producing. If your GPU is pushing 200 FPS but your monitor is set to 60Hz, you're only seeing 60 of those frames — the rest are thrown away. The difference between 60Hz and 144Hz is massive and immediately obvious in any game, especially fast-paced shooters. If you've been playing on a "144Hz" monitor at 60Hz, you've been missing the entire benefit you bought the monitor for.
This is shockingly common. Windows defaults to 60Hz after driver installations, driver updates, cable changes, and sometimes after Windows updates. Neither Windows nor your GPU tells you it happened. You just have to know to check.
The most common causes (in order of likelihood)
Windows defaulting to 60Hz — This is the cause 90% of the time. Every time you install or update your GPU driver, Windows may reset the refresh rate to 60Hz. It doesn't warn you. It doesn't ask. It just does it. And since 60Hz is "fine" for desktop use, you might not notice until you wonder why games feel worse than they did last week.
Wrong cable or cable version — HDMI and DisplayPort are not all the same. HDMI 2.0 caps out at 4K@60Hz and 1440p@144Hz. If your monitor is 1440p@165Hz and you're using an HDMI 2.0 cable (the most commonly included cable with monitors), Windows literally cannot offer you the full refresh rate. DisplayPort 1.4 handles 1440p@240Hz and 4K@144Hz with DSC. If your cable is the bottleneck, Windows won't show the higher refresh rate as an option.
Monitor OSD defaulting to 60Hz — Some monitors have an internal refresh rate setting in their on-screen display (OSD) menu that defaults to 60Hz. Even if Windows is set to 144Hz, the monitor's firmware overrides it. This is especially common on budget gaming monitors from brands like AOC, MSI, and some Samsung models.
GPU control panel disagreeing with Windows — NVIDIA Control Panel and AMD Adrenalin have their own refresh rate settings that can override or conflict with Windows Display Settings. You might set 144Hz in Windows but the NVIDIA Control Panel is still set to 60Hz (or vice versa), and the lower value wins.
Game running in borderless windowed mode — Games in borderless windowed mode use whatever refresh rate your Windows desktop is set to. If you set 144Hz in the game but Windows desktop is 60Hz, the game runs at 60Hz in borderless mode. Only exclusive fullscreen lets the game override the desktop refresh rate.
How to fix it
Start by setting the refresh rate in Windows. Right-click your desktop and select Display settings. Scroll down and click Advanced display settings (on Windows
11) or Advanced display (on Windows 10). Look for "Choose a refresh rate" dropdown. Select the highest available option — 144Hz, 165Hz, 240Hz, whatever your monitor supports. Click Apply and confirm. If you only see 60Hz in the dropdown, keep reading.
Check your cable. If it's HDMI, check what version. HDMI 2.0 caps at 4K@60Hz, 1440p@144Hz, 1080p@240Hz. If your monitor exceeds these, HDMI 2.0 physically cannot carry the signal. Solution: buy a DisplayPort 1.4 cable ($10-15), plug it into the DisplayPort output on your GPU and DisplayPort input on your monitor, then reselect the higher refresh rate in Windows. HDMI 2.1 can handle higher rates but both GPU and monitor need HDMI 2.1 ports.
Check your monitor's OSD settings. Press the physical buttons on your monitor (usually on the bottom edge or back) to open the on-screen display menu. Navigate through the settings looking for anything labeled "Refresh Rate," "Overclock," "Max Refresh Rate," or "Response Time." Some monitors have a specific toggle that must be enabled for high refresh rates. Samsung Odyssey monitors, for example, have this buried under Game > Refresh Rate. ASUS monitors sometimes label it "Overclocking" even for the advertised rate. Set it to the maximum and save.
Set the refresh rate in your GPU control panel. For NVIDIA: right-click desktop > NVIDIA Control Panel > Display > Change Resolution. Select your monitor, then change the Refresh rate dropdown to the highest available. Click Apply. For AMD: open AMD Software > Display tab > find the Refresh Rate setting and set it to your monitor's maximum. The GPU control panel and Windows settings should match — if they disagree, the lower one usually wins.
Verify in-game refresh rate settings. Launch a game and check its video/display settings. Make sure the game's refresh rate or FPS limit matches your monitor. Some games default to 60Hz or 60 FPS even when your system supports more. Also check the display mode: if it's set to Borderless Windowed or Windowed, the game uses your desktop refresh rate. For the game to set its own refresh rate independently, use Exclusive Fullscreen.
After everything is set, verify it's working. Open testufo.com in a browser — it shows a clear visual difference between 60Hz and higher refresh rates, confirming your actual display output.
Is this a hardware or software problem?
This is a settings problem 99% of the time. Your monitor, GPU, and cable are all working — the refresh rate just isn't configured correctly. The only hardware-related scenario is a bad cable or the wrong cable version limiting bandwidth. A $10 DisplayPort cable fixes that. If you've set everything correctly in Windows, GPU control panel, and monitor OSD, and the higher refresh rate still isn't available, try a different cable. If a new DisplayPort 1.4 cable doesn't help, check that your GPU actually supports your monitor's resolution and refresh rate combination (very old GPUs may not). If you're not sure, Crashless can check your drivers, temps, VRAM, and 400+ known patterns automatically — just use the chat above.
Games commonly affected
Every game is affected when your monitor is running at the wrong refresh rate, but you'll notice it most in fast-paced games: Counter-Strike 2, Valorant, Apex Legends, Fortnite, Call of Duty: Warzone, Overwatch 2, Rocket League, and any competitive shooter or racing game. The difference between 60Hz and 144Hz in these games is dramatic — movement is smoother, input feels more responsive, and tracking targets is significantly easier. If you've been playing these at 60Hz on a 144Hz monitor, you're about to have a very good day.
Frequently asked questions
Q: I set Windows to 144Hz but games still feel like 60Hz. What's wrong?
A: Check if the game has its own frame rate cap or refresh rate setting that's overriding Windows. Also check if V-Sync is enabled — if V-Sync is on and your FPS drops below 144, it can lock to 72 or even 60 FPS on some configurations. Disable V-Sync and use a frame rate limiter (RTSS or in-game) set to 141 FPS instead for smooth 144Hz gameplay.
Q: My monitor says 165Hz on the box but Windows only shows 144Hz as the maximum option. Can I get 165Hz?
A: Many monitors advertise 165Hz as an "overclocked" refresh rate that must be enabled in the monitor's OSD first. Open your monitor's on-screen display settings, look for an "overclock" or "max refresh rate" option, and enable it. After enabling, restart your PC and 165Hz should appear in Windows Display settings.
Q: Does the refresh rate matter if my GPU can only push 80 FPS?
A: Yes, it still matters. Even at 80 FPS on a 144Hz monitor, the higher refresh rate reduces input latency and makes the 80 frames you do get appear smoother. This is especially true if you're using G-Sync or FreeSync, which adapts the monitor's refresh rate to match your actual FPS. You don't need to hit 144 FPS to benefit from a 144Hz monitor.