Does 500Hz Actually Improve Your Reaction Time? The Input-Lag Truth
Quick answer: A faster monitor genuinely lowers your measured reaction time, but mostly by cutting input lag, not by improving your biology. On a 500Hz display the cue reaches your eyes sooner than on a 60Hz one, shaving real milliseconds. Measure yours on the reaction time test and take several runs.
What your reaction score actually contains
When you click on a reaction test, the number you see is your biological reaction plus system input lag — the delay added by the monitor's refresh rate, the mouse and processing. A 60Hz screen can add meaningful milliseconds compared with a 144Hz or 500Hz one, simply because it shows the cue less often. So the same person can post a faster time purely by using better gear.
Why the top of the range is diminishing returns
Going from 60Hz to 144Hz removes a chunk of that lag and is very noticeable. Going from 240Hz to 500Hz removes far less, because the per-frame time is already tiny. For measured reaction time, the biggest wins come from escaping low refresh rates, not from chasing the very highest ones.
The part that is actually you
Your true reaction speed has a firm ceiling — the fastest genuine visual reactions sit just under 150ms, and anything much under 120ms usually means you anticipated rather than reacted. What you can train is consistency, alertness and anticipation, plus stripping out avoidable lag. Sleep and a warm-up move the needle more than any single setting.
Test on consistent gear
Because equipment affects the score, compare like with like: run the reaction time test on the same setup over time rather than comparing across machines. Our guide on how to improve reaction time covers both the training and the lag-reduction side.