Is it necessary to use a high refresh rate screen on a thin and light laptop?

The high refresh rate screen that gamers love most usually only appears on gaming laptops, but have you ever thought about it, if the thin and light laptop is also equipped with a high refresh rate screen, will it make the experience better? Emm... This is an interesting question, and there are already 11th generation Core notebook products that have begun to make bold attempts on screen refresh rate. After all, the thin and light laptops based on the 11th generation Core can push some games to over 100 frame rates. Now, let me talk to you about whether it makes sense to pair a thin and light laptop with a high refresh rate screen.

The combination of a thin and light notebook with a high refresh rate screen does have a bit of a "subversive" flavor. Why do I say that? We must first talk about why "high refresh rate screens" are so popular among gamers.

"High refresh screen" usually only appears on gaming laptops

The refresh rate of a monitor is measured in Hz (Hertz), which refers to the number of frames a screen can display per second. Typically, an LCD monitor can refresh 60 times per second, displaying 60 frames. Why does it need to display so many frames per second? Remember when we were kids, quickly flipping through picture books would cause the images in them to move? The principle behind monitors displaying motion is similar.

The number of frames per second is proportional to the smoothness of the picture

Image source: ufotest

It's not enough for the monitor to refresh the screen; the content displayed on the computer must also be refreshed frame by frame, a process we call frame rate. For some content, we passively watch it, like movies, which appear smooth at 24 frames per second. But for other content, we actively control it, like the mouse cursor. If we move the cursor quickly at only 24 frames per second, it will appear choppy and unresponsive.

High frame rate + high refresh rate,

It can make the trajectory of moving objects clearer

Generally speaking, a 60Hz display is sufficient for everyday use. After all, most people aren't avid gamers and aren't sensitive to frame rates. However, when playing competitive games, due to the intense manipulation required, even a 60Hz display refresh rate corresponding to a 60FPS frame rate will feel choppy to expert gamers, and some delicate operations won't be smooth. Furthermore, gaming PCs are capable of achieving frame rates of over 100, so a 60Hz monitor refresh rate won't be enough for gaming.

In the game,

High refresh rate + high frame rate allows players to operate more precisely.

Effectively improve winning rate

To this end, high refresh rate screens of 90Hz, 120Hz and even 144Hz have appeared. With more frames displayed per second, the motion trajectory of the game screen will be more refined, and players will be able to experience "silky smooth" game performance.

So the question is, gaming laptops can push the FPS of games far beyond the screen refresh rate, but can the performance of thin and light laptops keep up with the higher refresh rate? As the saying goes, "practice is the only criterion for testing truth." Is it a waste to use a high refresh rate screen on a thin and light laptop? We have to wait and see.

Some players even go so far as to overclock their monitors.

To get a higher refresh rate

Some gamers have experimented with overclocking regular monitors using specialized software, gradually increasing the refresh rate from 60Hz until the screen can no longer handle it. As a result, they've successfully achieved a 90Hz refresh rate on some monitors, significantly improving smoothness and accuracy when playing first-person shooters like CS:GO.

11th generation Core + Iris Xe ^graphics card,

It is now possible to run games at a frame rate higher than 60FPS

Image source: Borderlands 3

Under reasonable settings, even blockbuster games can run stably at above 60Fps , and mainstream 3D games can be even higher. The increase in screen refresh rate can indeed bring a better experience.

You might say, I only play games occasionally, and most of the time I spend on daily work and entertainment, so is a high refresh rate screen useful? Moreover, I don’t feel any lag or unsmoothness with a normal 60Hz screen.

Except for movies like Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk

The original 120FPS drama, through the interpolation technology,

Many videos can also get a smoother viewing experience

Indeed, a normal screen is sufficient for daily use. Of course, there are also many players who are used to the high-refresh screens of desktop computers or gaming laptops. Even if they don’t play games, there are subtle differences after switching from a high-refresh screen to a normal screen. Even dragging a window or scrolling a web page does not feel as smooth as before.

Ultimately, however, higher refresh rates currently only offer a better experience in specific scenarios. Beyond gaming, higher refresh rates can also significantly improve the experience of watching films like "Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk," which natively support 120FPS. However, with continued technological innovation, especially the rapid advancement of video technology, supporting higher refresh rates will remain an important development direction.

Will thin and light laptops with high refresh rate screens be the future development trend?

Image source: Lenovo

At the same time, the design and configuration of thin and light notebooks should maximize the powerful performance and functions of the 11th generation Intel Core processors. This way, whether in games or daily applications, smooth performance can be ensured first, so that the high refresh rate screen can have a significant impact on user operation and sensory aspects.

Equipped with an 11th generation Intel Core processor,

Already has the strength of "light e-sports"

Currently, we've seen that most thin and light laptops now feature screens with high resolution, wide color gamut, and high brightness. The emergence of 11th-generation Core processors and Iris Xe- ^architecture core graphics cards has also brought even more powerful performance and excellent audio and video entertainment features, potentially bringing thin and light laptops to new heights in terms of a smooth visual experience . All of this is to better meet the real demands of laptop users and enhance the overall experience. The same applies to attempts to increase the refresh rate of thin and light laptops.

So, are you looking forward to the thin and light laptop equipped with a high refresh rate screen? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section.

Remark:

[1] Up to 24% overall CPU performance improvement, based on SYSmark 25 full score, comparing 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1185G7 to 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1065G7. Processor: 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1185G7, PL1=28W, with Intel® Dynamic Tuning Technology (Intel® DTT), 4 cores and 8 threads, Memory: LPDDR4-4267MHz, 16GB (2x8GB), Dual-Channel Dual-Rank, Storage: Intel® 660p M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD, Display Resolution: 1920x1080p, Operating System: Microsoft Windows* 10 20H1-19041.326. Power mode was set to AC/Balanced mode for all benchmarks except SYSmark 25, which was AC/BAPCo mode. The power mode was set to DC/Balanced, and the UX Slider was set to Best Battery. All benchmarks were run in administrator mode. Graphics: Intel Iris Xe Graphics, Graphics Driver: 27.20.100.8431, BIOS Version: TGLSFWI1.R00.3284.A00.2007091654, tested on an Intel reference design motherboard. Temperature: Tc=60°C for all performance tests. Tc=85°C for all graphics tests. Performance test results using Intel DTT technology are affected by various factors, including chassis design, design temperature, thermal solution, form factor (XYZ dimensions), airflow, and air temperature. Processor: 10th Generation Intel® Core™ i7-1065G7, PL1=25W, with Intel® Dynamic Tuning Technology (Intel® DTT), 4 cores and 8 threads, Memory: LPDDR4-3733, 2x8GB, Dual Rank, Storage: Intel® 660p M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD, Display Resolution: 1920x1080, Operating System: Microsoft Windows* 10 20H1-19041.308. Power mode set to AC/Balanced mode. All benchmarks except SYSmark 25 use AC/BAPCo mode. The power mode was set to DC/Balanced, and the UX Slider was set to Best Battery mode. All benchmarks were run in administrator mode. Graphics: Intel® Iris® Plus Graphics, Graphics Driver: 27.20.100.8280, BIOS Version: ICLSFWR1.R00.4253.A00.2006180044, tested on an Intel reference design motherboard. Temperature: Tc=60°C for all performance tests. Tc=85°C for all graphics tests. Performance test results using Intel DTT technology are affected by various factors, including chassis design, design temperature, thermal solution, form factor (XYZ dimensions), airflow, and air temperature.

[2] Up to 87% improvement in graphics performance, based on 3DMark Fire Strike graphics performance score, 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1185G7 vs. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1065G7.

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