Calculator
Reaction time calculator
In a game, the time that counts runs from the threat appearing to your input landing: your reaction plus everything your setup adds. Set yours below and see whether you’d make it out of a real engage.
The setup numbers follow our input lag breakdown: one rendered frame, about two frames of queue with V-sync, half a refresh of scanout and half a polling interval. Mouse and keyboard switch latency (roughly 1–20 ms) isn’t included, because it depends too much on the model. In-game reactions also run slower than click tests, since you first have to recognize the threat and pick a response.
What’s a good reaction time?
For a simple visual cue followed by a single click:
| Reaction time | What it means |
|---|---|
| 300 ms+ | Below average: tired, distracted or on a slow setup |
| 250–300 ms | Typical for a browser test |
| 200–250 ms | Good, and around what lab studies report for young adults |
| 170–200 ms | Fast, common among experienced competitive players |
| Under 170 ms (consistently) | Exceptional; check you aren't anticipating |
More in what is a good reaction time for gamers.
Input lag by refresh rate
Assuming the game renders at least as many frames per second as the monitor shows.
| Refresh rate | Frame time | Frame + scanout | With V-sync queue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60 Hz | 16.7 ms | 25.0 ms | 58.3 ms |
| 75 Hz | 13.3 ms | 20.0 ms | 46.7 ms |
| 120 Hz | 8.3 ms | 12.5 ms | 29.2 ms |
| 144 Hz | 6.9 ms | 10.4 ms | 24.3 ms |
| 165 Hz | 6.1 ms | 9.1 ms | 21.2 ms |
| 240 Hz | 4.2 ms | 6.3 ms | 14.6 ms |
| 360 Hz | 2.8 ms | 4.2 ms | 9.7 ms |
| 480 Hz | 2.1 ms | 3.1 ms | 7.3 ms |
Why the jump from 60 Hz matters most: does 144 Hz improve reaction time?
Input lag by polling rate
| Polling rate | Interval | Average wait |
|---|---|---|
| 125 Hz | 8.0 ms | 4.0 ms |
| 250 Hz | 4.0 ms | 2.0 ms |
| 500 Hz | 2.0 ms | 1.0 ms |
| 1000 Hz | 1.0 ms | 0.5 ms |
| 4000 Hz | 0.3 ms | 0.1 ms |
| 8000 Hz | 0.1 ms | 0.1 ms |
How fast is an engage?
Our Flash the Engage benchmark uses these windows, from the engage starting to it landing:
| Mode | Scenario | Time to react |
|---|---|---|
| Easy | Visible charge | 400–530 ms |
| Medium | Enemy Flash, then charge | 260–330 ms |
A 250 ms reaction is plenty for a visible charge, but against an enemy Flash into a charge it leaves almost nothing for your setup. The full analysis: how fast do you need to react to Flash an engage?
FAQ
- How many ms of input lag does 60 Hz add compared with 144 Hz?
- Rendering one frame plus scanout to the middle of the screen comes to about 25.0 ms at 60 Hz and 10.4 ms at 144 Hz, about 15 ms less. With V-sync queuing two frames, the gap grows to about 34 ms.
- Does a click-test result already include my setup?
- Yes. Browser tests like Human Benchmark measure your brain plus your mouse, display and browser. For the calculator, use a brain-only estimate: lab studies put most young adults at 200–250 ms for a simple visual cue.
- Is 1000 Hz polling worth it over 125 Hz?
- It saves about 3.5 ms on average (4 ms down to 0.5 ms). Going beyond 1000 Hz can only save under another 0.5 ms on average.