Refresh Rate Test
Record visible-tab browser animation cadence and frame pacing under controlled conditions.
Go to test controlsThis check runs directly on this page without requiring fullscreen. Review what this browser test can and cannot measure.
Before you start
- Close heavy apps and extra browser tabs.
- Move this window to the target display, record its configured OS rate and browser setup, and keep the tab visible during the five-second sample.
Step-by-step instructions
How to run this check
- Close heavy apps and browser tabs for a cleaner result
- Open the Refresh Rate Test and record the target display, configured OS rate, and browser setup
- Click Start Measurement and keep the tab visible
- Wait for the measurement to complete
- Keep the saved cadence and setup together; if OS rate and browser cadence differ, use the controlled browser comparison example
Three values that answer different questions
| Value | Question it answers | Where to verify it |
|---|---|---|
| Configured signal rate | What timing the operating system and GPU are currently sending toward the display. | Confirm it in the operating-system display panel, GPU control panel, or the display's input-information screen. A web page cannot reliably read it. |
| Browser animation cadence | How often this visible tab received animation callbacks during the five-second sample. | Measured above with requestAnimationFrame. Tab visibility, browser scheduling, compositing, and system load can change the result. |
| Repeated missing camera position | Whether a long-exposure photo repeatedly omits the same numbered position in a timed sequence. | Use the Frame Skipping Test with a suitable camera. It is a different observation from callback cadence. |
Example: the OS says 144 Hz, this page observes about 60 FPS
Keep the window on the same display and confirm that display's current OS setting. Repeat with the tab visible and background work stopped. If it still observes about 60 FPS, compare another browser under the same display settings, then return to the first browser. A difference that follows the browser helps isolate browser scheduling or rendering behavior; it does not prove the panel is running at 60 Hz.
If both the configured rate and observed cadence are about 60, first check whether the intended higher rate is available for this resolution, connection, and display mode. A steady result near a configured rate is useful context, not proof that every frame reached the panel. Keep the setup and each run together in History.
The displayed stability is 100 minus the frame-interval standard deviation as a percentage of its mean, clamped to 0–100. A delayed interval is one longer than 1.5 times this run's mean. These describe this sample of browser callbacks; neither is a display quality score or hardware skipped-frame count.
What this browser test can tell you
Can help you check
- requestAnimationFrame cadence while the tab is visible.
Cannot measure
- This test cannot provide panel timing certification or guarantee the configured refresh rate in hertz.
Interpret this observation
- Keep the configured OS rate, browser, display, and power-mode notes with the five-second cadence sample. A mismatch between the OS rate and this result does not identify the panel refresh rate.
- Stability is 100 minus interval standard deviation divided by the mean, expressed as a percentage and clamped to 0–100. Delayed intervals exceed 1.5 times this run's mean; neither figure counts hardware frame skips.
- Exact signal timing requires a hardware timing analyzer or oscilloscope.
Setup and sources
Recommended setup
- Keep this tab visible and stop heavy downloads or background work.
- Run the check for several seconds after moving the window to the display you want to inspect.
Sources
Methodology reviewed: