Monitor response time is the amount of time a pixel needs to change from one color or shade to another, measured in milliseconds. Lower numbers mean pixels finish transitions faster, which can reduce trails, ghosting, and motion blur in fast scenes.
Does this affect you?
This spec matters most when shopping for gaming monitors, comparing 1ms and 5ms claims, or trying to reduce smearing on a display you already own. For office work, it is usually much less important.
What the ms number measures
Response time is separate from refresh rate. One describes pixel speed; the other describes how often the screen receives a new frame.
- Most ratings use gray-to-gray, or GtG, because it is a repeatable way to measure shade changes.
- Refresh rate is measured in Hz and tells you how many times per second the display updates. Response time tells you how quickly pixels complete each update.
- Slow response time causes ghosting, which looks like faint trails behind moving objects.
- Advertised 1ms numbers are often best-case results with aggressive overdrive, not an average across every color transition.
- Panel type matters. TN has traditionally been fastest, IPS is now very competitive with better color, and VA can show darker smearing on some models.
When response time matters
The importance depends on what you do with the monitor.
- Competitive and fast-paced gaming benefit most from low response time, especially at high refresh rates.
- Office work, browsing, and email rarely reveal response-time differences.
- Movies and streaming are usually limited by content frame rate, though very slow panels can smear dark motion.
- Photo and video editing usually care more about color accuracy, brightness, and panel quality than the lowest ms rating.
- Do not judge by the number alone. Independent reviews, overdrive behavior, refresh rate, and panel type all affect real motion clarity.
Reducing ghosting on your current monitor
Use the overdrive setting carefully
Most gaming monitors include an on-screen option named Overdrive, Response Time, or OD. Raising it can speed up transitions, but the highest level may create inverse ghosting, which appears as bright halos or overshoot around motion.
Find the best middle setting
Start with the normal or middle overdrive level. Scroll quickly or test a fast game scene. If you see dark trails, raise it one step. If you see bright halos, lower it.
It is a trade-off
Overdrive cannot transform a slow panel into a perfect one. The best setting is the one with the least visible ghosting and the fewest artifacts, not necessarily the most aggressive mode.
Sources
- ASUS – Understanding Monitor Response Time (2025)
- BenQ – GtG Response Time vs Refresh Rate (2024)
- ViewSonic – Response Time and Motion Blur Explained (2025)