Screen tearing is a problem that significantly affects the gaming and video playback experience, but many users are not sure whether their monitor has tearing, or they are unclear about its severity. Relying solely on visual observation can easily lead to missed or false judgments, because tearing may only occur in specific frame rate ranges or fast-moving scenes. This article summarizes the most practical screen tearing detection methods currently available, from online test tools to in-game benchmarks, and then to professional frame-by-frame analysis, helping you accurately determine whether your monitor has screen tearing and its severity.

1. TestUFO Online Tearing Test: The Most Intuitive Detection Starting Point

TestUFO is currently one of the most commonly used online monitor testing websites, specifically providing visual tests for refresh rate, ghosting, tearing, and other display issues. Its tearing test page displays a high-speed horizontally moving vertical bar or pattern on the screen. If the monitor has screen tearing, the vertical bar will be split into multiple segments that are vertically misaligned, making it very intuitive.

  • Test method: Open the Frame Skipping or Tearing test page on TestUFO and let the test pattern run for at least 30 seconds, observing whether the edges of moving objects show horizontal breaks or misalignment.
  • Notes: It is recommended to use fullscreen mode and disable browser zoom to ensure the test runs at the native refresh rate. Different browsers have different levels of support for vertical sync; Chrome and Edge usually reflect the real situation well.
  • Advantages and limitations: The advantages are zero cost, no installation required, and immediate results; the limitation is that it can only simulate specific scenarios and cannot fully cover the complex visual changes in games.

2. In-Game Benchmark Tools: Reproducing Real-World Usage Scenarios

Many modern games come with built-in benchmark tools that automatically run in fixed scenes and output data such as average frame rate and frame time. By observing whether screen tearing occurs during the benchmark, you can determine the frequency and severity of tearing under actual game load.

  • Recommended games: Games such as Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Assassin's Creed Valhalla, and Cyberpunk 2077 have built-in benchmarks, and their scenes contain a large number of fast camera movements, making them very suitable for observing tearing.
  • Testing tips: While the benchmark is running, focus your attention on the edges of horizontally moving objects on the screen, such as building lines, railings, and text, as these areas are most likely to expose tearing lines.
  • How to record: Use slow-motion phone video recording or screen recording software to record the benchmark process for frame-by-frame playback later. You can also observe the live picture directly, but tearing often disappears in an instant, so recorded analysis is more reliable.

3. Frame-by-Frame Video Recording Analysis: The Most Rigorous Detection Method

If online tests and game benchmarks still do not let you confirm whether tearing exists, you can use frame-by-frame video recording analysis. Use software that supports high-frame-rate recording (such as OBS Studio or NVIDIA ShadowPlay) to record screen content at 60fps or higher, then play it back frame by frame in video editing software.

  • Steps: Record a video containing fast horizontal or vertical movement, import it into DaVinci Resolve, Premiere, or the free tool Shotcut, and advance frame by frame to observe whether the picture shows vertical misalignment.
  • Judgment criteria: If between two adjacent frames the picture appears to be horizontally cut into two different images, that is tearing. Record the frequency and duration of tearing occurrences to assess severity.
  • Advanced tips: Display a frame rate counter while recording to make it easier to correlate tearing with frame rate fluctuations and find the frame rate range that triggers tearing.

4. Auxiliary Detection Tools and Online Resources

In addition to TestUFO, there are several other tools and websites that can help detect screen tearing and related display issues.

  • Blur Busters Test Suite: Contains a variety of moving pattern tests that can simultaneously observe ghosting, afterimages, and tearing, and provides detailed documentation.
  • UFO Test variants: Multiple subpages of TestUFO are optimized for different refresh rates (60Hz, 120Hz, 144Hz, etc.). Choosing a test page that matches your monitor's refresh rate yields better results.
  • VRR detection tools: Some test pages can display whether G-Sync or FreeSync is working properly. If variable refresh rate is successfully enabled, tearing in moving patterns will noticeably decrease or disappear.
  • Frame time monitoring software: MSI Afterburner + RTSS can display real-time frame time and frame rate curves in-game. When frame time fluctuations are severe, the probability of tearing is higher.

5. How to Assess the Severity of Tearing

After detecting tearing, you need to assess its severity to decide whether intervention is necessary. You can judge from the following dimensions:

  • Frequency of occurrence: Does tearing occur occasionally or persist continuously? Does it only occur in specific frame rate ranges or across the entire range?
  • Location of the tearing line: Does the tearing line appear in the center or at the edges of the screen? Tearing in the central area affects the experience more.
  • Misalignment magnitude: How large is the vertical offset between the upper and lower segments? Slight misalignment may be hard to notice, while severe misalignment will visibly split the picture.
  • Impact on usage: Does tearing cause misjudgment during game operations? Does it affect viewing during video playback?

Taking the above factors into account, if tearing is frequent and the misalignment is obvious, it is recommended to enable vertical sync or variable refresh rate technology; if tearing is mild and does not affect usage, it can be temporarily ignored.

6. Summary

Detecting screen tearing is not complicated; the key is to choose the right method and observe patiently. The TestUFO online test is the first choice for quick screening, in-game benchmark tools are closer to real-world usage scenarios, and frame-by-frame video recording analysis provides the most rigorous evidence. By combining multiple methods, you can accurately determine whether your monitor has screen tearing and its severity, and then decide whether you need to enable features such as vertical sync, G-Sync, or FreeSync. We hope the recommendations in this article help you find the most suitable detection solution for your needs.