For flight simulation, 120–165 Hz is the sweet spot. See when 60, 120, 144, 165 or 240 Hz makes sense and how adaptive sync improves motion.
For general PC flight simulation, a 120–165 Hz monitor with adaptive refresh is the best choice. It makes cockpit panning and head tracking smoother, yet avoids paying for 240 Hz that most flight simulators cannot exploit. A 60–75 Hz display remains perfectly usable when the simulator normally runs at 30–60 fps.
What monitor refresh rate should you choose?
For a new general-purpose flight-sim display, 120, 144 or 165 Hz with variable refresh rate (VRR) is the sensible target.
| Refresh rate | Best suited to | Our verdict |
|---|---|---|
| 60–75 Hz | Existing displays, budget systems and simulators locked near 30 or 60 fps | Usable, but not a compelling new purchase unless price is the priority |
| 100 Hz | Ultrawide monitors and systems typically producing 40–90 fps | A worthwhile improvement over 60 Hz when VRR is included |
| 120 Hz | PCs, televisions and consoles | Excellent for flight simulation; 30, 40 and 60 fps divide evenly into 120 Hz |
| 144–165 Hz | Modern gaming PCs, head tracking and frequent external-camera movement | The best all-round range for most PC simmers |
| 240 Hz or higher | Powerful systems also used for high-frame-rate competitive games | Little extra value for flight simulation by itself |
The difference between 144 and 165 Hz is minor in a flight simulator. Choose between them using panel quality, VRR behaviour, resolution, response time and price rather than the refresh-rate number alone. Our guide to flight-sim display layouts and specifications covers those wider buying decisions.
For Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5 or PS5 Pro, a 120 Hz display with VRR is the practical choice. The console and simulator must support the relevant output mode; connecting a 120 Hz screen does not make a 30 or 60 fps simulator run at 120 fps. Check that the chosen HDMI port and cable support the required resolution and refresh rate.
Does 144 or 165 Hz help when the simulator runs at 30–60 fps?
A 144 or 165 Hz monitor can still improve presentation at lower frame rates, but VRR and consistent frame times matter more than its maximum refresh rate.
Refresh rate is how often the display can update; frame rate is how often the simulator supplies a new image. A simulator producing 45 fps does not become 144 fps on a 144 Hz monitor. The screen either repeats frames or, with VRR, adjusts its refresh timing to follow the simulator.
On a fixed-refresh display, 120 Hz has useful exact multiples: each 30 fps frame can remain for four refreshes, each 40 fps frame for three and each 60 fps frame for two. That produces an even cadence. At other combinations, traditional V-Sync can introduce uneven motion or sudden frame-rate steps, while disabling it can reveal tearing.
VRR technologies such as Adaptive-Sync, FreeSync and G-SYNC reduce that problem by matching the display to the delivered frames. If the rate falls below the monitor's VRR range, low-framerate compensation may repeat frames at a multiple of the original rate, provided the display supports it.
Frame generation can make camera movement look more fluid on a high-refresh monitor, but it does not fix poor base frame times, main-thread limitations or control latency. Generated frames can also produce artefacts around glass-cockpit symbology, menus and rapidly changing labels.
How do you configure refresh rate for smooth flight simulation?
Set the display to its full refresh rate, enable VRR and use a frame cap the computer can maintain consistently.
- Measure the real frame rate. Test a demanding airport, complex aircraft and poor-weather scenario rather than an empty runway. Microsoft Flight Simulator users can follow our explanation of how to measure FPS and interpret frame time.
- Identify the limiting component. A faster monitor cannot remove CPU-bound stutters or GPU overload. If performance changes little after reducing resolution, use our guide to work out whether the CPU or GPU is holding the simulator back.
- Select the maximum refresh rate. Use the operating system's advanced display settings and confirm that the native resolution is still selected. A common mistake is buying a 144 or 165 Hz monitor but leaving it configured at 60 Hz. If the higher option is missing, check the monitor input, cable, graphics port and display mode.
- Enable variable refresh rate. It may need activating in both the monitor's on-screen menu and the graphics-driver settings. On a multi-monitor cockpit, verify every display separately; mixed refresh rates can cause poor frame pacing in some windowed configurations.
- Choose a sustainable cap. If performance fluctuates between 45 and 80 fps, a stable cap near the lower end can feel better than constant swings. When output approaches the top of the VRR range, cap it a few frames below the ceiling to avoid repeatedly crossing in and out of VRR.
- Avoid conflicting synchronisation settings. Do not stack several driver, simulator and third-party frame limiters without a reason. NVIDIA users running Microsoft Flight Simulator can use our practical guidance for refresh rate, G-SYNC, V-Sync and frame caps.
If panning still catches or pauses, examine frame-time spikes rather than chasing a higher average FPS number. Scenery loading, an overloaded main thread, background recording and complex avionics can all cause stutters that a 240 Hz panel cannot hide.
Is a 240 Hz monitor worth it for flight simulation?
A 240 Hz monitor is rarely worth buying for flight simulation alone.
It makes sense when the same computer is used for games that can sustain very high frame rates, or when the 240 Hz model also happens to offer the best panel, latency and VRR performance at an acceptable price. Flight simulators are commonly limited by aircraft systems, scenery, traffic and main-thread processing long before they reach 240 fps.
For a flight-sim-focused purchase, we would normally favour a good 120–165 Hz VRR display with higher resolution, clear cockpit text, controlled ghosting and suitable contrast over a lower-quality 240 Hz panel. Head tracking benefits from extra frames, but it remains only as smooth as the simulator's delivered frame rate and frame pacing.