This guide walks through the exact setup for each refresh rate tier — from 144Hz all the way to 360Hz — so your monitor is actually doing what it was built to do.
Refresh rate is how many times per second your monitor updates the image. At 60Hz, you see 60 frames per second. At 144Hz, you see 144. At 360Hz, you see 360. The difference is not just cosmetic — it directly affects your ability to track moving targets and react to peeks.
In VALORANT, where enemies swing corners in under 200ms and headshots are decided by single-pixel differences, seeing information faster is a real competitive advantage. A 360Hz monitor shows you a new frame every 2.8ms. A 60Hz monitor shows you one every 16.7ms. That is a 14ms head start on every visual update.
The jump from 60Hz to 144Hz is enormous and universally noticeable. The jump from 144Hz to 240Hz is smaller but still clear during fast flicks. The jump from 240Hz to 360Hz is marginal — but at the highest level of play, marginal matters.
Here's the minimum GPU you need to actually hit each tier:
| Refresh Rate | Target FPS | Minimum GPU (NVIDIA) | Minimum GPU (AMD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 144Hz | 144+ FPS | GTX 1060 / RTX 2060 | RX 580 / RX 5600 XT |
| 240Hz | 240+ FPS | RTX 3060 Ti / RTX 4060 | RX 6700 XT / RX 7600 |
| 360Hz | 360+ FPS | RTX 3080 / RTX 4070 Ti | RX 6800 XT / RX 7800 XT |
144Hz is the sweet spot for competitive gaming. It's where the biggest perceptual jump happens and almost any modern GPU can hit 144+ FPS in VALORANT. Here's the complete setup:
Step 1 — Set Windows to 144Hz:
- Right-click your desktop → Display settings
- Scroll down to Advanced display
- Under "Choose a refresh rate," select 144 Hz
- If 144Hz is not listed, check your cable — you may need DisplayPort or a higher-spec HDMI cable
Step 2 — VALORANT settings for 144Hz:
| Setting | Value | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Limit FPS on Battery | Off | Desktop — not applicable, but disable to be safe |
| Max FPS Always | Off (uncapped) | Let the engine produce as many frames as possible |
| Limit FPS in Menus | 60 | Saves GPU power in menus — no competitive impact |
| Limit FPS in Background | 30 | Saves power when alt-tabbed |
| V-Sync | Off | V-Sync adds 1-3 frames of input lag — never use in competitive |
| Anti-Aliasing | MSAA 2x or None | Keep it light or off for max FPS headroom |
| Material / Texture / Detail Quality | Medium | Looks fine, minimal FPS impact |
| Multithreaded Rendering | On | Uses more CPU cores — always on |
240Hz is where serious ranked players land. The motion clarity improvement over 144Hz is most noticeable during fast crosshair swipes and tracking strafing targets. The setup is similar but the FPS demand is higher, so we tighten the settings.
Step 1 — Confirm Windows is at 240Hz:
- Right-click desktop → Display settings → Advanced display
- Select 240 Hz
- You must use DisplayPort — HDMI 2.0 caps at 144Hz for most 240Hz monitors. Only HDMI 2.1 supports 240Hz, and many 240Hz monitors don't include an HDMI 2.1 port
Step 2 — VALORANT settings for 240Hz:
| Setting | Value | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Max FPS Always | Off (uncapped) or 480 | Uncapped or 2x refresh rate — both work |
| V-Sync | Off | Absolutely critical at 240Hz — V-Sync adds unacceptable lag |
| Material Quality | Low | Shave off every unnecessary frame of GPU work |
| Texture Quality | Medium or Low | Almost no visual difference below Medium in-game |
| Detail Quality | Low | Reduces background clutter — actually helps visibility |
| UI Quality | Low | Minor savings but every frame counts at 240 |
| Distortion / Cast Shadows | Off | Pure visual flair with no competitive benefit |
| Multithreaded Rendering | On | Essential for hitting 240+ consistently |
The goal at 240Hz is consistency. It's better to hold 260 FPS steady than to spike between 200 and 400. Inconsistent frame times cause micro-stutter that erases the smoothness advantage of 240Hz entirely.
🎯 Halfway Through
Get our GPU optimisation deep-dive and display latency guide sent to you when published.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime.
360Hz monitors are the current ceiling for competitive gaming. This is what you'll find at VCT LAN events and in the setups of players like TenZ, Aspas, and Demon1. The improvement over 240Hz is subtle — but at the highest level, subtle is the difference between a won duel and a traded round.
Step 1 — Confirm Windows is at 360Hz:
- Right-click desktop → Display settings → Advanced display
- Select 360 Hz
- DisplayPort 1.4 required — no HDMI cable supports 360Hz at 1080p
- Make sure you're connected to the right port on your GPU — some GPUs have different bandwidth per port
Step 2 — VALORANT settings for 360Hz:
| Setting | Value | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Max FPS Always | Off (uncapped) | Let the engine fly — you need every frame |
| V-Sync | Off | Non-negotiable |
| All Quality Settings | Low | Material, Texture, Detail, UI — all Low |
| Anti-Aliasing | None | At 360Hz, aliasing is less visible due to frame overlap |
| Anisotropic Filtering | 1x | Minor savings, add up at 360+ target |
| Improve Clarity | Off | Post-processing filter — costs frames |
| Bloom / Distortion / Shadows | All Off | Competitive players turn all effects off |
| Multithreaded Rendering | On | Absolutely essential at 360Hz target |
Your GPU driver has its own layer of settings that override or interact with in-game options. Getting these wrong can silently add input lag or cap your performance. Here are the correct settings for both NVIDIA and AMD.
NVIDIA Control Panel (right-click desktop → NVIDIA Control Panel → Manage 3D Settings → Program Settings → VALORANT):
| Setting | Value | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Power Management Mode | Prefer Maximum Performance | Prevents GPU from clocking down during gameplay |
| Low Latency Mode | Ultra | Reduces render queue — frames reach your monitor faster |
| Vertical Sync | Off | Driver-level V-Sync must also be off |
| Max Frame Rate | Off | Let VALORANT's built-in limiter handle this if needed |
| Texture Filtering Quality | High Performance | Slight FPS gain, no visible difference in VALORANT |
| Threaded Optimisation | On | Allows the driver to use multiple CPU threads |
| NVIDIA Reflex Low Latency | On + Boost (in-game) | Enable this inside VALORANT's settings, not the control panel |
AMD Adrenalin Software (right-click desktop → AMD Software → Gaming → VALORANT profile):
| Setting | Value | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Radeon Anti-Lag | Enabled | AMD's equivalent to NVIDIA Low Latency Mode |
| FreeSync | Enabled | Eliminates tearing without V-Sync's input lag penalty |
| Radeon Chill | Off | Chill dynamically lowers FPS to save power — kills performance |
| Radeon Boost | Off | Lowers resolution during movement — bad for aim precision |
| Wait for Vertical Refresh | Off, unless application specifies | Driver-level V-Sync must be off |
| Surface Format Optimisation | Enabled | Minor performance gain |
You can have a 360Hz monitor and still be playing at effectively 60Hz if any of these are wrong. Check every single one — at least one probably applies to you.
| Mistake | What Happens | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Windows still set to 60Hz | Monitor runs at 60Hz regardless of its capability | Display settings → Advanced display → select correct Hz |
| V-Sync enabled (in-game or GPU driver) | Adds 1-3 frames of input lag (7-50ms depending on Hz) | Disable in VALORANT settings AND GPU control panel |
| FPS capped below refresh rate | Monitor cannot display frames it never receives | Set Max FPS to Off or 2x your refresh rate |
| Using HDMI instead of DisplayPort | HDMI 2.0 caps at 144Hz. Many monitors only do 240Hz+ over DP | Switch to DisplayPort cable — they're cheaper than HDMI anyway |
| Wrong cable version | Old DisplayPort 1.2 cables may not support 360Hz | Use a VESA-certified DisplayPort 1.4 cable |
| G-Sync/FreeSync + competitive settings conflict | G-Sync caps FPS to refresh rate by default | Disable V-Sync in control panel, enable G-Sync only for fullscreen, cap FPS 3 below refresh rate OR uncap entirely |
| Running in Windowed/Borderless mode | Adds compositor latency — extra frame of lag vs Fullscreen | Use Fullscreen display mode in VALORANT |
| Monitor's own OSD set to wrong mode | Some monitors have an "overclock" refresh rate that must be enabled in the monitor's own menu | Check your monitor's on-screen display for a refresh rate or "overclocking" option |
How to verify your actual refresh rate right now:
- Open VALORANT → Settings → Video → Stats → enable Client FPS
- The FPS counter should consistently match or exceed your refresh rate
- Open testufo.com in your browser — it shows your actual display refresh rate at the top of the page. If it says 60Hz, Windows is misconfigured
- Check the NVIDIA/AMD overlay — press Alt+R (NVIDIA) to see current refresh rate and latency in real time
Stop Leaving Performance on the Table.
Your monitor can only show what your system delivers. Valo Optimise configures Windows, your GPU driver, and VALORANT's settings to match your exact hardware — automatically.
Download Free — Windows 11/10No account required · Vanguard-safe · 7-day free Pro trial included