Screen Tearing - GoKawiil

Explainer: How V-Sync caps frame rate to match monitor refresh rate

V-Sync is a graphics setting that forces a GPU to hold back frames until a monitor's refresh cycle is ready, rather than sending frames as fast as it can render them. This prevents screen tearing, a visual glitch where a frame appears split horizontally because the display updates mid-render. With V-Sync on, frame output is generally capped to match the monitor's refresh rate, such as 60 FPS on a 60Hz screen or 144 FPS on a 144Hz screen.

engadget.com · 2026-10-04

Explainer: Why screen tearing happens and how to stop it

Screen tearing occurs when a GPU sends a new frame to the frame buffer before the monitor finishes scanning the previous one, causing two frames to appear on screen simultaneously. This happens because GPUs render frames at variable rates while most monitors refresh on a fixed schedule measured in hertz, such as 60Hz, 144Hz or higher.

engadget.com · 2026-10-04