Gaming

How Variable Refresh Rate Keeps Games Looking Smoother

A game does not necessarily produce a new image at a perfectly steady pace. One scene may be easy for the graphics processor to draw, while the next contains more objects, lighting, or effects and takes longer. A traditional display, however, normally refreshes on a fixed schedule. That mismatch can produce visible problems such as a horizontal break in the image or uneven-looking motion. Variable refresh rate (VRR) is a display feature designed to reduce that mismatch. Instead of making every refresh happen at one fixed interval, a compatible display can adjust its timing to follow the rate at which the source is delivering frames.