- Windows says 144 Hz but the test shows 60. What now?
- Usually a second display is involved: some browsers time their frames to the slowest monitor attached, or to the one the window started on. Drag the window entirely onto the gaming monitor, reload, and test again. If it persists, check whether the GPU driver's own control panel agrees with Windows.
- I got 143 or 239 Hz. Is the monitor defective?
- No. A browser timer is not a frame-accurate oscilloscope, and a hertz or two of jitter is normal. Read 143 as 144 and 239 as 240. A value far below, such as 120 on a 144 panel, is the one worth investigating.
- Does G-Sync or FreeSync change the result?
- It can. With variable refresh active the panel follows the frame rate of whatever is in front of it, and a browser drawing a light animation may sit below the maximum. The number here is still real for that moment; for the hard ceiling, disable VRR temporarily or check the monitor's own OSD refresh counter.
- Why does my laptop show 60 on battery?
- Because the power plan told it to. Most gaming laptops drop the internal panel to 60 Hz when unplugged and some even switch to the integrated GPU. Plug in the charger, rerun the test, and look for a refresh rate option in the vendor's control centre if it stays low.
- Do I need 240 Hz if my PC only renders 150 FPS?
- Not for smoothness, since the panel cannot show frames you are not producing. You still gain a little: at 240 Hz each frame waits less time for the next scan-out, which reduces latency even at lower FPS. Competitive players value that; for everything else, spend the money on the GPU first.