So, you’ve got a laptop with a high refresh rate screen—144Hz in this case, on an Acer Nitro—and you notice something strange: whenever your FPS goes really high, there’s a very annoying flickering on the screen. Although the camera smooths out the deviations in lighting, this flickering is very noticeable in person. It can cause eye strain and, in some cases, even headaches. Fortunately, there are some solutions to resolve this issue.
In the past, you could address this problem by adjusting settings in the Intel control panel for built-in graphics. One setting that comes to mind is Panel Self Refresh—disabling it would often fix the issue. Another setting that may help is Application Optimal Mode, which is particularly useful if you only experience flickering while using hardware acceleration in browsers. However, these settings are typically intended for 60Hz screens.
When dealing with higher refresh rate screens like a 144Hz display, the issue becomes more complex, especially if the display has FreeSync or G-Sync enabled. These technologies synchronize the screen’s refresh rate with the FPS of your game to prevent screen tearing. Essentially, FreeSync adjusts your refresh rate to match your FPS, so if you’re getting 91 FPS, the refresh rate will be 91Hz, and if your FPS rises to 100, the refresh rate will follow suit. As a result, your FPS and refresh rate are directly linked.
The problem arises when the FPS drops below the lower end of the FreeSync range. For example, many FreeSync monitors have a range of 72Hz to 144Hz. If your FPS drops below 72FPS, the screen refresh rate jumps up to 142Hz, creating a noticeable flicker due to the sudden change in brightness. This issue happens because LCD screens tend to become brighter with faster refresh rates. So, when your FPS dips below the FreeSync range, the refresh rate changes abruptly, leading to visible flickering.
The issue isn’t caused by having FPS above 144Hz (for instance, 200-250 FPS), but by not maintaining a consistent FPS above the lower limit of the FreeSync range. If your system can’t consistently hit 72 FPS, it’s best to disable the FreeSync feature. On desktops, both AMD and Nvidia control panels have an easy option to do this, and many online tutorials recommend this fix. However, these online tips often miss the mark when it comes to dual-GPU laptops.
Dual-GPU laptops, like those with Intel and Nvidia graphics, present a unique problem. Nvidia’s settings for these laptops often lack crucial features like G-Sync, which would allow you to disable FreeSync. Consequently, many online “fixes” involve completely removing drivers with tools like DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller) and reinstalling updated drivers from your laptop’s manufacturer. This advice is usually based on the mistaken belief that laptop manufacturers modify drivers specifically for their devices. In reality, this is typically not the case, and downloading the latest drivers directly from Nvidia or Intel will usually provide the most up-to-date software for your hardware.
On dual-GPU laptops, the internal screen is often connected to the Intel graphics card, not the discrete Nvidia GPU. This connection exists because laptops need to seamlessly switch between integrated and discrete GPUs. External displays, however, can be connected directly to the Nvidia GPU through the HDMI or DisplayPort.
While updating your Intel drivers may help, it won’t resolve the flickering problem caused by FreeSync. One of the common but misguided suggestions you may find online is to install specific drivers for the “PNP monitor,” which refers to the laptop’s internal screen. Unfortunately, even if you manage to find these drivers, they won’t fix the flickering issue.
For those who don’t want to downgrade their refresh rate to 60Hz (especially since you’ve invested in a 144Hz screen), here’s a better solution. In Windows 10 (and later transferred to Windows 11), Microsoft introduced an option to toggle variable refresh rates. This setting is available under Graphics Settings in Windows. Disabling this toggle will stop FreeSync from adjusting your refresh rate based on your FPS, thus eliminating the flickering issue.
This solution works across all graphics cards—Intel, AMD, and Nvidia. It’s a simple, built-in feature in Windows, so you won’t need to rely on third-party software or dive into the monitor’s on-screen menu. It’s also applicable to desktops, where you may have more control over your monitor settings.
By following these steps, you should be able to eliminate the annoying flickering and enjoy a smooth, consistent experience with your high-refresh-rate laptop screen.