Windows 11 is getting improvements to refresh rates and will soon be able to dynamically adjust based on how many screens each user has.
Microsoft is making it much more convenient to use multiple monitors, as the refresh rate with Windows 11will be high. Windows 11 is already being tested with an update that automatically adjusts refresh rates across multiple monitors, depending on the content being displayed, which will improve power consumption and may even result in some GPUs firing their fans less frequently.
“We’ve improved the refresh rate logic to allow for different refresh rates on different displays, depending on the refresh rate for each display and the content being displayed on that display,” Microsoft explained in a Windows Insider last week, spotted by Neowin. “This will help make multitasking that depends on refresh rate, like playing a game and watching a video at the same time, more enjoyable.”
See also: Windows 11: Update 23H2 will be released in the fall
Using multiple high-refresh rate displays can really push your GPU's power consumption to its limits. Nvidia's RTX 30- and 40-series Founders Edition cards feature an RPMthat keeps the fans at zero even when you're watching video on a single display. Adding a second high-refresh rate display often disables the zero RPM mode, meaning the GPU "commands" its fans to spin if you have both displays at high refresh rates.
Microsoft's update means that these specific GPUs will retain zero RPM mode, but will only switch to higher refresh rates on different displays, depending on the content being displayed. The workaround right now to maintain "zeroRPMmode" across multiple displays is to manually lower the refresh rate of the secondary display.
The latest builds of Windows 11 through the Canary Channel also include Dynamic Refresh Rate (DRR) improvements for laptops. If battery saver is enabled, then Windows 11 will reduce the refresh rate of a laptop's display until battery saver mode is disabled.
Microsoft is currently testing these refresh rate improvements in Windows 11 builds and they will be available to all Windows 11 users in the coming months.
Source: www.theverge.com
