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60Hz vs 165Hz: the budget high-refresh upgrade worth making

By TechCompare · Updated · How we check

60 Hz to 165 Hz is a big upgrade for the money. You get most of the perceptual leap past 60, the panel costs little more than 144 Hz, and mid-range GPUs can feed it. The only reason to look elsewhere is if you play competitive shooters seriously (step up to 240 Hz) or live at very high resolution or low budget (144 Hz still holds).

Both lanes move at the same speed. The jump from 60 to 165 looks a lot like 60 to 120, with a sliver of extra smoothness on top.

60 fps
165 fps

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2.75x the refresh rate, cutting each frame from 16.7 ms to 6.06 ms.

165 Hz refreshes 2.75× more often than 60 Hz, every 6.06 ms instead of 16.7 ms. That's a doubling to 120 Hz plus an extra 37.5% on top, and 165 Hz monitors usually cost little more than 144 Hz panels. For a 60 Hz owner on a budget, the difference is easy to feel, and it skips the GPU and panel premium that 240 Hz asks for.

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Visualize 60 vs 165 FPS motion
See exactly how much clearer fast motion gets at 165 Hz.
Compare 60 Hz vs 144 Hz as the rival upgrade
The 144 Hz step that 165 Hz is a mild overclock of.
See 165 Hz vs 240 Hz next
Whether the esports tier is worth the extra money.

Recommended monitors

Based on the specs on this page, here are the monitors TechCompare recommends.

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Option A
60 Hz
Wins 1 of 9 compared specs
Option B
165 Hz
Wins 6 of 9 compared specs

Side-by-side specs

Spec60 Hz165 Hz
Refresh rate
60 Hz
165 Hz
Frame timeHow long each frame stays on screen. A shorter time means smoother motion.
16.7 ms
6.06 ms (better on this spec)
Frames per second (cap)
60 fps
165 fps (better on this spec)
Relative motion clarityOn a typical LCD or OLED, blur on moving objects follows frame time. Shorter frames mean less blur.
Baseline
~64% less blur (better on this spec)
Input-to-display latencyThe delay between a click or key press and the change showing on screen.
~25-33 ms
~9-14 ms (better on this spec)
GPU load vs 60 HzHow hard your graphics card has to work to draw that many frames each second.
1.0×
~2.75×
Typical monitor price (27" 1440p)
$80-150 (better on this spec)
$200-360
Perceptual leap
Baseline
Past the steep part of the curve (better on this spec)
Ideal for competitive esports
Below minimum
Capable (better on this spec)

How they differ

Going from 60 Hz to 165 Hz drops per-frame hold time from 16.7 ms to 6.06 ms, roughly a 64% reduction in sample-and-hold motion blur, plus a meaningful 5-10 ms input-to-display latency improvement from the faster refresh alone. Because 165 Hz is a factory overclock of 144 Hz, panel response times are close to equal, and modern 165 Hz IPS monitors show the same 1 ms GtG figures as 144 Hz models.

The GPU cost is real but forgiving: sustaining 165 fps needs about 2.75× the throughput of 60 fps, which is achievable in esports titles on a mid-range GPU (RTX 4060 / RX 7600 class) at 1080p high settings, or in AAA titles at 1080p medium.

If your GPU can only do 90-120 fps, the monitor still works fine. You just cap your frame rate and get the benefit at the lower tier.

Verdict

Take 165 Hz as the budget upgrade from 60 Hz. Frame time drops from 16.7 ms to 6.06 ms, about 64% less blur, and input-to-display latency falls by roughly 16-19 ms. Sustaining 165 fps needs about 2.75x the throughput of 60 fps, achievable on an RTX 4060 / RX 7600 class card at 1080p in esports.

If your GPU only sustains 90-120 fps, cap the frame rate and keep most of the gain. The panel is a mild factory overclock of 144 Hz, with response times and pricing close to 144 Hz models.

Visualize 60 vs 165 FPS motion

Which should you pick?

Choose 60 Hz

Stick with 60 Hz if you play exclusively slow, cinematic single-player games, do mostly office work or content consumption where motion clarity doesn't matter, or your GPU is too old to sustain meaningfully more than 60 fps in the games you play.

See 60 Hz vs 144 Hz as the cheaper step

Choose 165 Hz

Pick 165 Hz if you're a 60 Hz owner upgrading on a budget to mixed gaming (single-player and casual multiplayer), want most of the perceptual leap past 60 without the 240 Hz price premium, and have a GPU that can hit roughly 100-165 fps in your main titles at your target resolution.

Compare 165 Hz vs 240 Hz next

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Frequently asked questions

Is 165 Hz a good value upgrade from 60 Hz?
Yes. 165 Hz is a 2.75x frame-rate jump (frame time drops from 16.7 ms to 6.06 ms), which captures most of the perceptual leap past 60 Hz. 165 Hz monitors usually cost little more than 144 Hz.
Can a mid-range GPU actually drive 165 fps?
Yes for esports titles at 1080p high settings on an RTX 4060 or RX 7600 class card. For AAA titles at 1080p medium, mid-range cards can hit 100-165 fps. If your GPU only sustains 90-120 fps, the monitor still works fine. Just cap your frame rate and benefit at the lower tier.
How does 165 Hz compare to 144 Hz practically?
165 Hz is just a mild factory overclock of 144 Hz. Panel response times are close to equal, so modern 165 Hz IPS monitors show the same 1 ms GTG as 144 Hz models. The two rates are practically interchangeable for normal use.

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