It’s an acronym that rolls off the tongue and pleases the eyes. But it seems that every time someone brings up the OLED (organic light-emitting diode), some heckler is waiting in the wings ready to scream about the dreaded “burn-in.” So what actually happens when one of these high refresh rate OLED monitor left too long on a static image? The issue is more nuanced than any ragebait Reddit post like this.

We have more anecdotal testing than ever to finally put to bed users’ concerns about burnout. That’s not to say it’s not an issue. OLED monitors that display static images for hours on end without running through any recovery cycles can create issues. Many high-end 4K OLED monitors come with a three-year warranty for these exact reasons. All technology has its drawbacks. Sometimes having the best experience requires a less laissez-faire attitude from your devices.

Even real-world ‘burn-in’ is barely visible

In a recent video, YouTuber best set himself to test his monitor for a total of 3,000 hours on a 32-inch 4K WOLED monitor from LG. That WOLED means the monitor uses an extra layer of white pixels to improve brightness (albeit possibly at the expense of contrast). That $1,400 LG UltraGear monitor is a dual-mode device that supports a 240Hz refresh rate in 4K and 480Hz in 1080p. So this is not the type of display you want to damage.

Optimum used the UltraGear for approximately 3,000 hours in total with the brightness set at a blistering 80 to 100% and kept all other burn-in settings at default. Most of these types of features will attempt to refresh screen pixels when not in use. Some monitors try to force users to turn off their display for a few minutes while they recycle pixels. The YouTuber used the same few apps to time-lapse the floating windows and also clocked almost 400 hours of Overwatch. A noticeable blemish on the display comes from the Overwatch health bar at the bottom left of the screen and the shadow of the DaVinci Resolve scroll at the bottom right. This burn-in is usually noticeable when displaying bright images.

If you’re looking for a more intense test, Monitors Without Box tested their MSI 4K QD-OLED monitor for 5,000 hours. That number accounts for working with the same few productivity apps for 60 hours a week on average, according to the YouTuber. He also admitted that he tested the monitor at around 200 nits brightness with automatic pixel refresh settings. After months and months of tests, the last update in December showed that the products initial burning of a static image did not change much all the time. The monitor only started to deteriorate after 21 months of active use.

Take care of your monitors, for once

The OLED display type, with self-emitting technology, offers the best level of contrast and deepest blacks that we see on screens large and small. Essentially, the screens are glass panels with thousands of miniscule diodes that can produce their own red, green, or blue light. Traditional LCD or more modern micro RGB technology still rely on backlights to increase the brightness of the screen, which inevitably comes at the cost of some contrast. There are many modern types of OLED as well. There is a tandem OLED, which places two sets of diodes on top of each other to enhance the brightness. Meanwhile, there are high-end gaming monitors standardized around QD-OLED, which uses a layer of quantum dots in front of the OLED layer, resulting in better picture quality.

These organic compounds inevitably result in combustion over time. The limiting factor is when you use your monitor more than looking at the same productivity app all day and night. If you play different kinds of games or watch TV and movies, you won’t have any problem. If you are known to clock 2,000 hours Counter-Strike 2 on a yearly basis, you may have a problem if you plan to maintain your UI elements. At that point, you should use a monitor that the actual pros use, which is a Fast-TN LCD display.

With OLED being so prevalent in monitors, TVs, and laptop screens, maybe it’s time we learn to respect our gadgets enough to take care of them. So try using dark mode and hide your Windows taskbar. Don’t force your monitor to run for hours when you’re not using it. And hell, screen breaks every once in a while. It will do you good.