480Hz vs 500Hz monitors

480Hz vs 500Hz is a close call: at those refresh rates, one refresh interval lasts 2.083 ms and 2 ms respectively. The 500Hz display is 0.083 ms quicker per interval, a 4% difference. The Gigabyte AORUS FO27Q5P was £738.98 and the Samsung Odyssey G6 500Hz was £632.47 on Amazon UK at the time of writing (October 2026). The LG UltraGear OLED GX7 is rated at 480Hz and was £589.97 on Amazon UK on 27 October 2026; the Gigabyte AORUS FO27Q5P and Samsung Odyssey G6 are rated at 500Hz. For almost every buyer, the choice should turn on the exact price, warranty and connections rather than 20Hz. For broader OLED options, see our OLED monitor guide.

Manufacturer sources: LG lists the GX7 as a 480Hz QHD OLED; Samsung lists the G6 at 500Hz; Gigabyte lists the FO27Q5P at 500Hz.

What does the extra 20Hz change?

Refresh rate is how often the display can present a new image each second. At 480Hz, the interval is 1,000 / 480 = 2.083 milliseconds. At 500Hz, it is 1,000 / 500 = 2 milliseconds. The absolute difference is 0.083 milliseconds, or 83 microseconds. Relative to the 480Hz interval, that is a 4% reduction. The full second contains 20 more refresh opportunities at 500Hz, but a frame opportunity is not automatically a new frame rendered by the PC.

For a buyer moving from 144Hz or 165Hz, either 480Hz or 500Hz OLED represents a major step in refresh capability. ASUS ROG Strix OLED XG27AQDNG adds a lower-cost 360Hz option at £509.00. For a buyer already on 360Hz, the next upgrade is much harder to justify. The interval falls from 2.778 ms at 360Hz to 2.083 ms at 480Hz, a 0.695 ms gain. Going from 480Hz to 500Hz saves only another 0.083 ms. In practical terms, the jump to 480Hz is over eight times larger in interval reduction than the jump from 480Hz to 500Hz.

How do the 480Hz and 500Hz monitors compare?

The LG UltraGear OLED GX7 pairs 27-inch QHD WOLED with a 480Hz maximum and was £589.97 on Amazon UK on 27 October 2026. The Samsung Odyssey G6 500Hz and Gigabyte AORUS FO27Q5P are QHD OLED screens at 500Hz, with the Gigabyte using QD-OLED. LG's UltraGear buying guide lists DisplayPort 2.1 for the GX7 and identifies its 2560 by 1440 resolution, while Gigabyte's specification sheet lists DisplayPort 2.1 UHBR20, Mini DisplayPort 2.1 and 18W USB-C power delivery for the FO27Q5P.

QD-OLED and WOLED differ in how they generate colour and light, but the labels do not rank image quality by themselves. The Gigabyte's QD-OLED spec lists 99% DCI-P3 coverage and DisplayHDR True Black 500 certification. LG's OLED line uses WOLED and rates the GX7 at up to 1,300 nits peak in the stored catalogue; peak values are measured in specific HDR windows and do not describe sustained full-screen brightness. Independent measurements should decide questions about real-world luminance, text clarity and colour volume.

Look beyond the headline refresh number at the features the desk will use daily: stand adjustment, USB hub, KVM, warranty duration and OLED burn-in terms. The Gigabyte sheet lists a three-year burn-in warranty, but buyers should confirm that the UK warranty applies to their exact region and seller. A monitor used for long office sessions has a different risk profile from one used chiefly for varied games. Our guide to OLED monitor burn-in explains static image risk and warranty wording.

Do you need to render 500 frames per second?

No, but the practical gain from refresh rates this high depends on the PC delivering a similarly high frame rate. A 500Hz panel still refreshes on schedule at 300 fps, but it will not show 500 different game frames each second. With adaptive sync, refresh timing can follow the output rate, within the monitor's variable refresh range. Without synchronisation, a mismatch can create tearing or uneven presentation depending on settings.

Frame pacing is as important as the average. A hypothetical system averaging 450 fps but repeatedly dropping to 220 fps will have less consistent motion than a steady 360 fps system, even though its average sounds nearer to 500. The 1% low is a useful approximation of the slower moments in a benchmark, though it is not a complete latency measurement. For competitive play, reduce background tasks, choose stable settings and check the game engine's frame-time graph before buying a monitor above 360Hz.

Resolution affects that target. QHD contains 3,686,400 pixels per frame; 1080p contains 2,073,600. That means QHD requires about 78% more pixels per frame than 1080p, before accounting for effects such as shadows and anti-aliasing. The difference can reduce GPU frame rate in graphics-limited games. A 27-inch 1440p monitor balances workspace and detail, but players who need 500 fps may lower render resolution or use competitive presets. Decide whether the visual trade is acceptable before making 500Hz the priority.

CPU limits are common in esports because the processor must prepare each frame even when graphical settings are low. A faster graphics card may not improve frame rate if one or two CPU threads are already saturated. Benchmark the exact game, resolution and settings. If your system is consistently below 300 fps, a 240Hz or 360Hz screen is a more rational match and leaves budget for the PC itself, a good mouse or ergonomics. Our refresh-rate explainer maps those tiers to common use.

Which should you buy, 480Hz or 500Hz?

Choose LG's 480Hz GX7 if its WOLED character, ports and warranty fit your setup; choose Gigabyte's FO27Q5P if you specifically need its DisplayPort 2.1 UHBR20 connection or USB-C hub features. The Samsung Odyssey G6 is another 500Hz QHD OLED option. In every case, compare the exact retailer price at the time of writing and check the UK warranty terms before purchase. Do not pay a large premium solely to gain 20Hz.

Also see best gaming monitors for PC and the gaming monitor buying guide for size, resolution and panel trade-offs.