A new, free version of Outlook isn’t the only thing being shown off in the latest Windows Insider build. Build 25915 also includes a fairly big adjustment for anyone who uses multiple monitors, at least one of which is a high-refresh gaming display. According to the Windows Insider Blog, this latest build will better handle high-refresh tasks on multiple monitors, allowing different refresh rates to be set independently.
While Windows can currently handle different refresh rates on multiple screens, it’s in a fairly basic way. With the “improved refresh rate logic,” it should be able to handle, say, a 240fps game of Counter-Strike on one display and a 120fps YouTube video on the other (as noted by NeoWin). Assuming that your GPU doesn’t melt through your machine trying to do both of those tasks at the same time, of course. That’ll be especially handy for users who have gaming laptops and gaming monitors, which might have different refresh rates on each screen.
The update notes also say that this mode will be disabled when operating in battery-saver mode on a dynamic refresh rate display, which only makes sense. DRR is a feature enabled on a tiny number of laptops, primarily Surface devices. To get it working on an external high-refresh monitor, you’ll need both the monitor and a fairly recent PC that can handle WDDM 3.1 — though of course, desktop monitors don’t benefit as much from the power-saving capabilities. Both changes should be coming to the release version in a few months. If you’re in the market for a monitor in the meantime, be sure to check out our roundup of the best gaming monitors for 2023.
Author: Michael Crider, Staff Writer, PCWorld
Michael is a 10-year veteran of technology journalism, covering everything from Apple to ZTE. On PCWorld he's the resident keyboard nut, always using a new one for a review and building a new mechanical board or expanding his desktop "battlestation" in his off hours. Michael's previous bylines include Android Police, Digital Trends, Wired, Lifehacker, and How-To Geek, and he's covered events like CES and Mobile World Congress live. Michael lives in Pennsylvania where he's always looking forward to his next kayaking trip.