What is Refresh Rate?
Refresh rate is the number of times the images in the screen refreshes in 1 second. It is measured in Hz. So, a refresh rate of 60 Hz, means the screen refreshes 60 times in a second. This is a very simplified definition.
What is Dynamic Refresh Rate?
Dynamic refresh rate is a new feature, which available only for Windows Insider Dev channels. DRR lets your device set the refresh rate dynamically. This means that Windows 11 will seamlessly switch between a lower refresh rate and a higher refresh rate based on what you’re doing on your PC. This helps to balance performance and power consumption. For example, with a Dynamic (60 Hz or 120 Hz) mode, your display will refresh at 60 Hz for everyday productivity tasks, such as email, writing a document, and so forth to conserve battery life. It will then seamlessly switch to 120 Hz for tasks such as inking and scrolling, to provide a smoother and more responsive experience.
According to Microsoft:
“We’ll be rolling out support for this feature in more apps over time. Currently, these are the apps that support it:
- Smoother inking: Microsoft Office, Microsoft Edge, Microsoft Whiteboard, Microsoft Photos, Snip & Sketch, Drawboard PDF, Microsoft Sticky Notes, Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Illustrator, Microsoft To Do, Inkodo
- Smoother scrolling: Microsoft Office
Note: All your existing games will continue to run and perform like they always have because DRR does not apply to games.”
How To Use DRR In Windows 11 As Of Now?
If you want to use DRR in Windows 11 now, then you have to perform two functions:
- Check if you have supported hardware on the PC.
- Sign up to the Windows Insider program (Dev Channel).
I. Supported Hardware
If you want to use Dynamic Refresh Rate on your device, then your device must have a display that supports Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) and a minimum refresh rate of 120 Hz. The more the refresh rate, the better the performance. Besides, DRR requires a compatible graphic driver (WDDM 3.0).
If you want to find the display adapter driver version and model, then
- Open the Start Menu. Type dxdiag and select dxdiag Run command from the search result.
- Go to the Display tab
- In the Drivers menu, check the version number given with Version and driver model with Driver Model.
II. Sign Up To Windows Insider Program (Dev Channel)
Visit Windows Insider and signup to the Dev channel. DRR is only available to Dev channel. Next, go to your PC settings> Update & Security > Windows Update > Windows Insider Program. Remember Dev channels are for users who have strong experience in software and OS development. If you are not adept in handling this, do not register to the Dev channel.
Choose A Dynamic Refresh Rate
- Go to Windows Settings application.
- Go to System > Display > Advanced display.
- Under Choose a refresh rate, choose the one that has Dynamic in the range.
That’s all!
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I need a fixed vertical refresh rate of 75hz or better to avoid headaches. My old Vista does do 75. All windows types 7- 10 have a fixed 60hz and are no good for me!! wthout me buying a more expensive new computer.
So it seems W11 will not have a selectable fixed refresh. Am I correct in this?