Microsoft is introducing support for monitors with refresh rates exceeding 1,000 Hz, up to 5,000 Hz, in Windows 11 Insider builds. This update, currently in the Release Preview channel, is a future-proofing measure for upcoming high-refresh-rate displays, with manufacturers targeting 1,000 Hz monitors this year and 2,000 Hz by 2030.
The change was highlighted by Blur Busters, who note the software update precedes the hardware, as achieving such high frame rates in games remains a separate technical challenge. Concurrently, Nvidia has released an update for its G-Sync Pulsar technology to improve motion clarity at lower frame rates on certified monitors.
These software developments from Microsoft and Nvidia indicate a coordinated industry push toward significantly higher motion clarity in gaming displays. The updates address both the operating system's capability to handle extreme refresh rates and the accompanying display technologies needed for a smooth experience.
Main topics: Windows 11 high refresh rate support, future monitor technology (1,000 Hz+), Nvidia G-Sync Pulsar update, and industry progress toward motion clarity.
Windows 11 is getting support for 1,000 Hz+ monitors soon as part of Insider builds — Microsoft has reportedly increased the refresh rate limit to 5,000 Hz
Limited to early testers for now, but coming to the public soon.
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As monitor tech advances, the software side of things needs to keep up with the hardware. One of the most exciting recent developments in this space is the advent of 1,000 Hz gaming monitors, and now Microsoft is taking the step to future-proof Windows for them. As such, new Insider builds for Windows 11 not only support refresh rates higher than 1,000 Hz, but they can reportedly go up to 5,000 Hz.
Builds 26100.8106 and 26200.8106 pushed to the Release Preview Channel include a patch note saying, "monitors can now report refresh rates higher than 1000 Hz." Release Preview is Microsoft's closest-to-retail Insider channel, shipping OS builds that are almost ready to debut to the public. So, this change is apparently permanent and not in an experimental phase, but it's still a gradual rollout.
The new refresh rate limits were first spotted by Blur Busters, who also happened to play a part in the feature's implementation. One of their previous articles mentioned how the human eye can technically see up to 20,000 Hz and that might've convinced Microsoft to raise the ceiling. A contact from the company reached out to Blur Busters and even said the maximum limit is now up to 5,000 Hz in newer Windows builds.
Article continues belowWe don't have monitors that can test that yet — Blur Busters says manufacturers are working on 2,000 Hz displays for 2030 — but big companies like Samsung are launching their 1,000 Hz-capable displays this year.
Moreover, achieving 1,000 frames per second in any game is a completely different challenge, one that AMD seems to have solved with its X3D chips. With time, we'll only see higher frame rates thanks to neural rendering improvements and AI becoming an aide in multiplying FPS. q
At the same as this development, Nvidia has also released its first update for G-Sync Pulsar — the company's advanced backlight strobing tech that syncs with a monitor's variable refresh rate (VRR). This update eliminates sharp double images when a game is running under 90 FPS and adds a fixed 60 Hz strobing mode for games capped at that frame rate.
The in-monitor FPS indicator has also been fixed for when games are below 90 FPS. That level of software-hardware integration is only possible on monitors that are vetted by Nvidia. The update is available on just four displays that all launched at CES 2026 earlier this year. This, along with Microsoft's broader refresh rate update, signals that a future with absolute motion clarity is not far off.
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Hassam Nasir is a die-hard hardware enthusiast with years of experience as a tech editor and writer, focusing on detailed CPU comparisons and general hardware news. When he’s not working, you’ll find him bending tubes for his ever-evolving custom water-loop gaming rig or benchmarking the latest CPUs and GPUs just for fun.
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