Northernlion’s 60Hz Monitor Reveal: How to Check Your Refresh Rate & Other PC Gaming Mistakes

Many PC gamers have experienced the frustration of upgrading hardware only to wonder if the changes actually made a difference. Popular streamer Northernlion recently encountered a similar situation, discovering his 165Hz monitor had been unknowingly set to operate at just 60Hz for an undetermined period, potentially even years.

A Refresh Rate Revelation

The issue came to light during a Counter-Strike stream when a notification informed Northernlion that his display was running at 60Hz despite being capable of 165Hz. “It looks like your display has a 165Hz mode, but is currently running at 60Hz. Using the highest refresh rate your display supports is generally recommended for an optimal gameplay experience,” the notification read. Northernlion questioned if the change would be significant.

His teammate responded with assurance: “It’s gonna change your life, in a good way.” After adjusting the settings both within Windows and the game itself, Northernlion was visibly impressed by the improved visual experience. He exclaimed, “This looks incredible! It looks like I just got a PlayStation 7.”

Did You Know? The clip of Northernlion discovering the error appears in his stream from February 6, 2026, starting around the 1:44:25 mark.

Why Refresh Rate Matters

This incident highlights a common oversight for PC gamers. While investing in high-end components like graphics cards and high-refresh-rate monitors is popular, ensuring those components are properly configured is crucial. A monitor’s refresh rate dictates how many times per second the display updates the image, directly impacting the smoothness of motion and responsiveness – particularly important in fast-paced games.

Expert Insight: Northernlion’s experience underscores the importance of verifying all settings after hardware upgrades. Even experienced PC users can overlook fundamental configurations, leading to suboptimal performance and a diminished gaming experience.

Beyond refresh rates, the source also points to other common configuration errors. Not enabling XMP (Extreme Memory Profile) can limit RAM performance, and connecting a display cable to the motherboard instead of the graphics card bypasses the dedicated GPU entirely.

What Could Happen Next

This discovery may prompt other gamers to double-check their own monitor settings. It’s possible that a wave of players will find similar misconfigurations, leading to a renewed focus on optimizing PC gaming setups. Hardware manufacturers could also see increased demand for clearer setup guides and more user-friendly software interfaces.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened to Northernlion?

Northernlion discovered his 165Hz monitor was running at 60Hz, significantly impacting his gaming experience.

What did Northernlion say after fixing the issue?

Northernlion said, “This looks incredible! It looks like I just got a PlayStation 7.”

What other common PC gaming mistakes were mentioned?

The source mentioned not enabling XMP for RAM and connecting the display cable to the motherboard instead of the graphics card.

Have you ever experienced a surprising performance boost after adjusting a seemingly minor setting on your gaming PC?