Overclocking your 144Hz monitor is a great way to increase its refresh rate. Surprisingly, gamers love overclocking their monitors to get a smoother gaming experience.
So, how can you overclock a 144Hz monitor? Well, this write-up will give you a step-by-step process on how to overclock your monitor.
Besides, we’ll answer some of your questions on overclocking your monitor.
Can I Overclock My 144Hz Monitor?
Yes, you can overclock your 144Hz monitor to give you a higher refresh rate. However, you should not overclock your monitor to higher levels as it may skip frames.
What Can A 144Hz Monitor Overclock To?
Amazingly, a 144HZ monitor can overclock to 240Hz depending on the GPU. However, experts recommend that you limit the overclock to 160 to 170Hz.
This way, your monitor won’t have unstable behaviour.
Is It Worth Overclocking A 144Hz Monitor?
An overclocked monitor will always have a higher refresh rate, meaning it can display graphics faster.
But there is a catch! Just don’t overdo it, as your overall PC system might not handle the change.
On the other hand, overclocking isn’t recommended as it can lead to frame tears. To avoid this, just have G-sync on, and you’ll be fine.
How To Overclock A 144Hz Monitor Explained
Below are a couple of methods you can use to overclock your 144Hz monitor to your preferred refresh rate:
Overclocking Your Monitor Using NVidia
- Right-click on the desktop window of your computer and click on the “NVIDIA Control Panel.”
- Click on the “Change Resolution” and click on the “Customize” button.
- Ensure the box saying “Enable resolution not exposed by the display” is ticked. Now click the “Create Custom Resolution” option.
- Once you do so, a WARNING will pop up. Click the “Accept” button, and a Create Custom Resolution window will pop up!
- Start increasing the refresh rate by 1 or 2Hz at a time. Don’t be tempted to increase the refresh rate by a lot of Hz at once.
- Once you adjust the refresh rate, click on the “Test” button. If your 144Hz monitor supports the overclock, it will prompt you to save the custom resolution. As such, you should click on “Yes” to save the setting.
- Now you’ll have a new profile with the new setting appearing under the “Resolutions” menu. Select the new profile and click the “OK” button in the bottom right corner.
- Select the newly set refresh rate from the “Refresh rate” dropdown menu and click on the “Apply” button.
- Another popup window should appear asking you whether you’d like to save the changes. Click on the “Yes” button, and you’ll be good to go.
Now you’ve successfully overclocked your 144Hz monitor using the NVIDIA Control Panel.
Overclocking Your Monitor Using AMD
- Right-click on the desktop window and click the “AMD Radeon Settings” option
- Click the “Display” tab from the top menu.
- Click the “Create” button located next to the option “ Custom Resolutions.”
- A new page will appear. Click the “Refresh Rate (Hz)” tab and increase the refresh rate by 2 Hz higher at a time. Don’t increase by a lot of Hz.
- Next, click on the “Save” Option located on the top right corner of your screen.
- Now your new custom profile is set up. All that is left is selecting the new refresh rate from the “Display settings” of Windows.
- Right-click on the desktop window and select the “Display settings” option.
- Click the “Advanced display settings” and select the “Display adapter properties.”
- A new pop window should appear. Now select the “Monitor” tab and select the new refresh rate you created. Click “Apply” and wait for the monitor to execute the changes.
Remember, your monitor may or may not accept the new overclock settings. In case it doesn’t, it will flicker and blackout.
Your monitor will then reboot to its original settings after 20 to 30 seconds. You need to find a refresh rate that is compatible with the monitor so that it remains stable.
Overclocking Using Intel Graphics
Apart from NVIDIA and AMD, you can overclock your 144Hz monitor via the intel graphics control panel. Here is how to do it.
- Right-click on your desktop window and select the “Intel Graphics Control Panel” option
- On the Intel UHD Graphics Control Panel screen, click on the “Display” tab.
- On the display screen, click on the “Custom resolutions.”
- On the new screen, key in your custom refresh rate, then click “Add” to save the changes.
- Now proceed to reboot your PC for the changes to take place.
- Finally, ensure that you change the refresh rate on windows as well. Go to the Display Settings> Advanced Display Settings> Display Adapter Properties> Monitor tab.
Overclocking Using A Third Party Software
If your PC does not have either an NVIDIA or AMD GPU, you’ll have to use a 3rd party software to overclock your 144Hz monitor. Below is a step-by-step process on how to do it.
Download Custom Resolution Utility Software and install it on your PC. After you’ve done that, proceed as follows:
- Launch the CRU software
- Select the monitor you want to overclock if you are using a multi-monitor setup.
- Under the “Detailed Resolutions” tab, click on the add button.
- A new window will pop up to allow you to increase the refresh rate. Now use the “Refresh rate” box to increase the refresh rate. Click “OK” to save settings.
- After you’ve set your preferred refresh rate, reboot your PC so that the changes can take effect. You might also want to tweak the refresh rate on the windows display settings so that it can match what’s on CRU.
How To Verify Your Overclock
Once you’ve successfully overclocked your 144Hz monitor, you may want to verify whether it worked by conducting the UFO Test.
You can also confirm that your overclocked monitor doesn’t skip frames with a DSLR.
Final Thoughts!
Now you’ve got a clue on how to overclock your 144Hz monitor to 165Hz or more.
While overclocking can provide you with an immersive gaming experience and better picture quality, it can ruin or interfere with the stability of your monitor.
Besides, overclocking can void your warranty. So, do it at your own risk.
