Does staring at your CRT monitor give you headaches or eyestrain? Your computer's refresh rate may be too low. The refresh rate is the number of times per second that your computer redraws the image on your monitor's screen. Some people are more sensitive than others to screen flicker, but for most people a refresh rate of at least 72 screens per second, or 72Hz, is enough to eliminate the discomfort and annoyance of screen flicker. Here's how to adjust the refresh rate:
Setting a higher refresh rate applies only to conventional CRT monitors. If you have a flat–panel LCD monitor, keep the refresh rate at 60Hz unless your manufacturer instructs otherwise.
- Open Display Properties by going to Start | Control Panel | Appearance And Themes | Display. Select the Settings tab.
On the Settings tab, click the Advanced button and select the Monitor tab (see Figure 1).
Figure 1: Open the Monitor tab.
Select a refresh rate from the Screen Refresh Rate pulldown menu and click Apply.
If your computer doesn't offer a refresh rate setting of 72Hz or higher, try lowering the resolution and color depth settings.
Do not remove the check from the High Modes That This Monitor Cannot Display box. Running your computer in an unsupported mode can damage your hardware.
