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<< Keep in mind that the higher you go, the more stress you put on your monitor and the shorter its lifespan. >>
False.
Higher refresh rates dont "wear out" your monitor faster.
As for the divided by 30 thing, I can definately say that 85 Hz is more flicker free than 75 Hz on my monitor, 75 is a tad too low for my tastes. >>
Oh, but higher refresh rates do lead to shorter monitor life. If you have evidence to the contrary, please present it. I can say for sure though that you will not find any. Lets not forget that higher refresh rates also stress your video card, which too will have a shorter lifespan, especialy at the rates and resolutions some of you guys are are setting them at. You guys must be the ones reporting spontaneous failures and don't undertand the cause. It is, after all, very much the same process that can destroy a CPU when overclocked too high that is at work on the Video and monitor.
As for you monitor's flicker, line frequency does vary from place to place, country to country. In the US, most is at 55-60hz but it is half the values one must consider when guaging flicker potential without actually trying the different settings. In your case, though, I am sure you are imagining things, since you feel that high refresh rates cannot shorten monitor life.