TCL demonstrates 4K gaming monitor with a 1,000 Hz refresh rate

Jowi Morales
·3 min read
Gamer sits in front of a monitor playing a game.
Gamer sits in front of a monitor playing a game.

Manufacturers have been pushing the limits of monitor refresh rates, with Asus currently leading the pack with its ROG Swift PG248QP 540Hz gaming display. However, TCL CSOT, a subsidiary of appliance manufacturer TCL, recently signaled that the monitor Hertz wars still have a long way to go, after demonstrating a 4K@1000 display panel at Display Week 2024.

What's more impressive is that TCL first deployed the high refresh rate technology at 4K resolution. In contrast, the 540 Hz Asus ROG Swift monitor only has a 1080p display. LG also introduced a dual refresh rate monitor for those who want 4K quality for watching movies and productivity, and 480 Hz for gaming. However, the LG UltraGear monitor only gives you a maximum of 240 Hz when you're at 4K resolution. You need to lower your quality (via a dedicated button) to Full HD if you want to use it at its maximum refresh rate.

Most industry insiders expected 1,000 Hz to first debut at lower resolutions. Blur Busters, the creator of the popular TestUFO motion test, shared the news of TCL CSOT's 4K@1000 display and said, "We had expected 1,000 Hz to arrive, but we didn't expect it to debut at the 4K resolution before 1080p and 1440p…"

Aside from the display's resolution and maximum refresh rate, we don't know much about the display, although Blur Busters says that it's apparent that the TCL CSOT monitor uses LED technology. Nevertheless, OLED displays are poised to catch up with this development, especially as Samsung and LG have released 4K OLED screens with 480 Hz and 360 Hz refresh rates.

These high refresh rate screens showcased at Display Week 2024 show a potential direction for future monitors. While a 60 Hz refresh rate seems sufficient for day-to-day uses, Nvidia begs to differ, especially if you're into competitive gaming. But more than that, TechSpot discovered that faster refresh rates can have a positive impact on productivity.

TechSpot staff Tim Schiesser unintentionally discovered this during their OLED burn-in testing. According to Schiesser, "The 240 Hz refresh rate at 4K is much better than I was expecting for productivity work. Relative to the 144 Hz LCD I was using, the combination of a higher refresh rate and faster response times makes this QD-OLED much nicer to use for everyday tasks. Especially when browsing the web and scrolling through text, the speed and refresh rate combination is noticeable and provides a smoother, clearer experience – so it's not just gaming where you'll benefit from a 240 Hz refresh rate."

You will definitely need a more powerful GPU, the latest HDMI 2.1 or DisplayPort 2.1a standard connectivity, and the correct cables with no issues to push so many pixels to that monitor — even the powerful RTX 4090 can't hit the Samsung Odyssey Neo G9's 240 Hz limit. So, if the TCL CSOT 4K@1000 display was available today, you likely would not have a device powerful enough to utilize its capabilities.

However, this display isn't built for today's technology. Instead, it's a concept screen designed to showcase TCL CSOT's capabilities, especially as Nvidia is rumored to launch the next-generation RTX 5000 series graphics cards this year. And with some users claiming that high refresh rate displays improve both gaming and productivity, this might be the excuse you need to go ahead and buy that high-end GPU and monitor for your gaming PC and workstation.