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Glossary/Display/VRR

VRR

VRR, variable refresh rate, lets a display wait for each new frame and draw it when it arrives, instead of refreshing on a fixed clock.

Also known as variable refresh rate, Adaptive-Sync, adaptive sync

Not measurable from a browser

A web page cannot read this directly. The paragraphs below say what a page can and cannot see, and which tool or reading covers the rest.

On a fixed refresh clock, a frame that arrives late either waits for the next refresh, which shows as judder, or is drawn part way through a refresh, which shows as a tear. With variable refresh the display holds the current image until the next frame is ready and then draws it, within a range the display supports. Frame rates that wander, which is most frame rates in real games, look much smoother as a result.

Several names describe the same idea. HDMI's VRR is part of HDMI 2.1, and the HDMI Licensing Administrator describes it as reducing or eliminating lag, judder and frame tearing. VESA's Adaptive-Sync is the DisplayPort standard, and VESA certifies displays under its AdaptiveSync Display and MediaSync Display logos. Vendor brands sit on top of these. On Windows 11, Microsoft's Dynamic Refresh Rate requires a display that supports VRR and at least 120 Hz; on a Mac, Apple lists which Macs and macOS versions support an Adaptive Sync external display.

A display's variable range can stop below its highest fixed rate, so the two figures on a spec sheet are not the same thing. A web page cannot read whether VRR is active. The refresh rate test reads the rate the browser delivers frames at, and the stutter and tearing test shows what an uneven frame rate looks like on your screen.

Covered in full

This page defines the term. The pages below explain it, diagnose it and measure it.

Sources

Related terms

Refresh rateRefresh rate is how many times a second a display draws a new image, in hertz; the interval between images is 1000 divided by the rate, in milliseconds.Read moreFrame pacingFrame pacing is how evenly frames are delivered over time, and poor pacing feels like stutter even when the average frame rate is high.Read moreMotion blurDisplay motion blur is the smear you see when your eye follows a moving object on a screen that holds each frame lit for the whole refresh interval.Read moreInput lagInput lag is the time from a physical input, such as a click or key press, to the screen showing its result; it adds up across every part of the chain.Read more
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