Troubleshooting 144Hz Monitor Connection: Why Your Laptop Is Stuck at 60Hz

If you’re an avid gamer or simply someone who appreciates smooth visuals, connecting a high-refresh-rate monitor to your laptop can significantly enhance your experience. However, you may encounter a frustrating limitation: your laptop, despite its capabilities, only displays a maximum of 60Hz on your external monitor. This scenario is all too familiar, especially for users with laptops that have specific limitations.

Take, for instance, the HP Pavilion 15-cs1504sa. Users of this model often find themselves in a scenario where they experience decent frame rates—reaching upwards of 100 frames per second (fps) in games—yet are unable to match this performance when connected to a 144Hz monitor like the Asus VG248QE. If this describes your situation, you’re not alone. Let’s explore the steps you can take to unlock the full potential of your setup.

Understand Your Laptop’s Limitations

Firstly, it’s important to note that many laptops, including the HP Pavilion series, are designed with hardware specifications that may limit external display refresh rates. Most commonly, the HDMI port on laptops may only support a refresh rate of 60Hz, restricting the output to match that limit.

Check Your Connections

Connecting your laptop to your monitor using an HDMI cable is the standard route; however, not all HDMI cables are created equal. Ensure that you are using a high-speed HDMI cable that supports 144Hz refresh rates. If you have access to a DisplayPort connection, that could also offer a better solution since DisplayPort often provides higher refresh rate support.

Update Your Graphics Drivers

One critical step that many overlook is ensuring that your graphics drivers are up to date. Outdated drivers can limit performance and fail to recognize the capabilities of your monitor. Visit the manufacturer’s website for your graphics card and download the latest drivers to ensure optimal performance.

Adjust Display Settings

After confirming your hardware connections and updating your drivers, it’s time to delve into your display settings:

1. Right-click on your desktop and select “Display settings.”
2. Scroll down and click on “Advanced display settings.”
3. From there, select your Asus VG248QE monitor and check if the refresh rate option allows you to select anything above 60Hz.

If the option to choose a higher refresh rate still isn’t available, it could be due to your laptop’s hardware limitations or the capabilities of your HDMI output.