Refresh

1. Term commonly associated with computer CRT monitors, refresh refers to the renewal of the screen contents. As the refresh rate is increased, the the image will become more clear. It is recommended that users run their computers with at least a 75MHz refresh rate. Lower refresh rates commonly cause strain on the eyes.
2. When referring to computer memory, refresh refers to the recharging of dynamic RAM (DRAM) chips that allows those chips to keep the data they are storing available. Memory refresh-rate is commonly displayed as xK, where x is a number such as 2 or 4. If the memory has a refresh-rate of 2k, this indicates how many rows it takes to complete the refresh. In our example of 2k, this indicates there are 2 thousand rows. The refresh cycle indicates the time it requires to complete one row.
3. Refresh may also refer to a software utility developed to help improve the performance of how memory is handled on a computer.
4. When referring to a computer battery, refresh commonly refers to a hardware device capable of resetting the memory on Ni-Cad batteries.
5. The refresh button and refresh option is also a function in all Internet browsers. See our browser definition page for additional information about this term.

Also see: Display cycle, Interlacing, Memory definitions, Video definitions