Screen Response & Ghosting Estimator

The 1ms monitor that ghosted anyway

"My monitor says 1ms but I see trailing in fast games." The 1ms number on the box is best-case GtG — a specific gray-to-gray transition under ideal overdrive. Real-world GtG varies by transition (dark-to-light is slower than gray-to-gray), and too much overdrive causes inverse ghosting (bright coronas around moving objects). The spec sheet does not tell you any of this.

The Screen Response & Ghosting Estimator grades your monitor's GtG response time against its refresh rate, predicts ghosting and overshoot at each overdrive level, and recommends the lowest overdrive that clears smearing. Runs locally, no signup.

How the tool works

The estimator computes three things:

• Frame time at your refresh rate — 1000 ÷ refresh. 144Hz = 6.9ms, 240Hz = 4.2ms. Pixels need to finish transitioning within one frame to avoid trailing.
• GtG vs frame time match — if GtG is longer than frame time, you see trailing. Ideal GtG is under half the frame time.
• Overdrive tier recommendation — Off, Low, Medium, High, Max. Higher overdrive speeds transitions but risks overshoot (inverse ghosting). The tool recommends the lowest tier that clears smearing.

The tool also flags panel-type tendencies: VA panels ghost more than IPS, especially dark-to-light; OLED is essentially instant and never ghosts.

Step-by-step usage

1. Enter your monitor's refresh rate — 60, 144, 165, 240, 360Hz.
2. Enter your monitor's rated GtG response time — from the spec sheet.
3. Pick your panel type — TN, IPS, VA, OLED. The tool adjusts for panel behavior.
4. Read the ghosting verdict. If GtG exceeds frame time, expect trailing.
5. Try each overdrive tier in your monitor's OSD. Use the lowest that clears smearing without introducing coronas.

Common hardware problems this tool solves

• "I see trailing in fast games on my VA panel" — VA pixels transition slowly, especially dark-to-light. The estimator confirms the mismatch; lower your refresh or accept the smearing.
• "Max overdrive makes it worse, not better" — too much overdrive causes inverse ghosting (bright coronas). Drop to Medium or Low.
• "My 1ms IPS panel still ghosts" — 1ms is best-case GtG. Real-world transitions are slower, especially at high refresh. Match GtG to frame time.
• "Should I upgrade to OLED?" — OLED pixels are essentially instant (sub-0.1ms). If ghosting bothers you and you can afford it, OLED is the cleanest fix.

For deeper monitor context, browse the monitor fix hub.

Pro tips for monitor tuning

• Match GtG to refresh. For 144Hz, target under 5ms GtG. For 240Hz, under 3ms. Slower response causes trailing.
• Use the lowest overdrive that clears smearing. Higher overdrive risks inverse ghosting (bright coronas). Medium is usually the sweet spot.
• VA panels ghost in dark scenes. Dark-to-light transitions are slow on VA. If you play dark games, consider IPS or OLED.
• OLED is the cleanest motion. Sub-0.1ms pixel response means no ghosting at any refresh. Pay the premium if motion clarity is your priority.
• MPRT is not GtG. GtG measures pixel color transitions; MPRT measures how long a pixel is visible (motion blur). MPRT modes strobe the backlight to reduce blur but can darken the image.

Response time is a real-world measurement, not a spec-sheet number. The estimator exists so you tune overdrive to your actual panel, not the marketing.