Guide
Screen cable in the wrong port, and a 144 Hz screen stuck at 60 Hz
Both of these happen a lot on freshly built PCs or a new Windows. Each takes a few minutes to fix and needs no extra software.
The cable belongs in the graphics card
The back of the PC has screen ports in two places: on the motherboard's panel (next to the USB and audio ports) and on the graphics card (the horizontal row lower down). If the PC has a graphics card, plug into the card. On the motherboard the picture goes through the CPU's graphics: games lose FPS and lag more, and some PCs show no picture at all.
Is the screen at its full refresh rate?
- Windows often leaves a new 144, 165 or 240 Hz screen at 60 Hz.
- Go to Settings, System, Display, Advanced display.
- Under Choose a refresh rate, pick the highest value.
- No high values to pick? Check that you use DisplayPort or an HDMI cable that supports it, plugged into the graphics card.
Let Savenz Optimizer check it
The Home page of Savenz Optimizer warns you when the screen is plugged into the motherboard although the PC has a graphics card, and names the card to move it to. The Fixes page has Highest refresh rate: it sets every screen to the highest rate it offers at its current resolution. No admin rights needed, the old mode is saved and Undo puts it back.