Windows 11 is getting a number of monitor refresh fee enhancements

Microsoft is making it much more handy to make use of a number of excessive refresh fee screens with Windows 11. The software program large has began testing a Windows 11 replace that robotically adjusts refresh charges on a number of screens relying on what content material is being displayed, which ought to enhance energy utilization and will even end in some GPUs spinning up their followers much less typically.

“We have improved refresh fee logic to permit completely different refresh charges on completely different screens, relying on the refresh fee for every monitor and content material proven on the display,” explains Microsoft in a Windows Insider weblog from final week, noticed by Neowin. “This will assist most with refresh rate-dependent multitasking, like enjoying a recreation and watching a video on the similar time.”

If you may have a number of screens that assist excessive refresh charges then operating them at their full potential typically will increase the facility draw of your GPU. Nvidia RTX 30- and 40-series Founders Edition playing cards even have a zero RPM mode, which can hold the followers at zero even while you’re watching video content material on a single monitor. If you add a second excessive refresh fee show, this typically disables the zero RPM mode and means the GPU retains its followers spinning you probably have each screens at excessive refresh charges.

Microsoft’s addition ought to imply that these explicit GPUs will keep zero RPM mode, solely switching to greater refresh charges on completely different screens relying on what content material is getting used or proven. The workaround proper now to maintain zero RPM mode on a number of screens is to manually decrease the secondary monitor’s refresh fee.

The newest Canary Channel builds of Windows 11 additionally embrace Dynamic Refresh Rate (DRR) enhancements for laptops. If battery saver is enabled then Windows 11 will now decrease the refresh fee of a laptop computer’s display till the battery saver mode is disabled.

Microsoft is at present testing these refresh fee enhancements in Windows 11 take a look at builds, and they need to be accessible to all Windows 11 customers within the coming months.