A method for employing a variable refresh rate at a liquid crystal display LCD (104, 1606), the method comprising: receiving, by a display controller (114, 602), image control data from a graphics processor unit of a computing device communicatively coupled to the LCD; and determining, by the display controller, a target refresh rate for the LCD based on the received image control data, and transitioning the LCD to operate at the determined target refresh rate; the method further comprising: performing, by a buffer circuit (116, 606) connected to the display controller, a compensation operation to adjust brightness of the LCD in response to a current refresh rate changing from the current refresh rate to the determined target refresh rate, wherein performing the compensation operation includes: selecting, by the buffer circuit and from a number of distinct values, a target voltage (VCOM_TARGET) for a display driver (118, CD1-CDN) based on the determined target refresh rate; setting, by the buffer circuit, a current voltage of the display driver to the target voltage, wherein the target voltage is a common voltage reference for the pixels of the LCD and is selected by the buffer circuit such that said setting the current voltage to the target voltage causes the brightness of the LCD to increase when the determined target refresh rate is lower than the current refresh rate and such that said setting the current voltage to the target voltage causes the brightness of the LCD to decrease when the determined target refresh rate is higher than the current refresh rate; and receiving, by a sloping logic of the buffer circuit and from the display controller, input pulses (VCOM_CNT_EN) and the target voltage, wherein said setting the current voltage of the display driver to the target voltage is by either abruptly or gradually adjusting the current voltage to the target voltage according to a register setting (VCOM_SLOPE) of the buffer circuit, and said gradually adjusting is performed, by the sloping logic, by controlling the current voltage to gradually reach the target voltage over time, with a rate determined by the frequency of the input pulses (VCOM_CNT_EN). receiving, by a display controller (114, 602), image control data from a graphics processor unit of a computing device communicatively coupled to the LCD; and determining, by the display controller, a target refresh rate for the LCD based on the received image control data, and transitioning the LCD to operate at the determined target refresh rate; the method further comprising: performing, by a buffer circuit (116, 606) connected to the display controller, a compensation operation to adjust brightness of the LCD in response to a current refresh rate changing from the current refresh rate to the determined target refresh rate, wherein performing the compensation operation includes: selecting, by the buffer circuit and from a number of distinct values, a target voltage (VCOM_TARGET) for a display driver (118, CD1-CDN) based on the determined target refresh rate; setting, by the buffer circuit, a current voltage of the display driver to the target voltage, wherein the target voltage is a common voltage reference for the pixels of the LCD and is selected by the buffer circuit such that said setting the current voltage to the target voltage causes the brightness of the LCD to increase when the determined target refresh rate is lower than the current refresh rate and such that said setting the current voltage to the target voltage causes the brightness of the LCD to decrease when the determined target refresh rate is higher than the current refresh rate; and receiving, by a sloping logic of the buffer circuit and from the display controller, input pulses (VCOM_CNT_EN) and the target voltage, wherein said setting the current voltage of the display driver to the target voltage is by either abruptly or gradually adjusting the current voltage to the target voltage according to a register setting (VCOM_SLOPE) of the buffer circuit, and said gradually adjusting is performed, by the sloping logic, by controlling the current voltage to gradually reach the target voltage over time, with a rate determined by the frequency of the input pulses (VCOM_CNT_EN). selecting, by the buffer circuit and from a number of distinct values, a target voltage (VCOM_TARGET) for a display driver (118, CD1-CDN) based on the determined target refresh rate; setting, by the buffer circuit, a current voltage of the display driver to the target voltage, wherein the target voltage is a common voltage reference for the pixels of the LCD and is selected by the buffer circuit such that said setting the current voltage to the target voltage causes the brightness of the LCD to increase when the determined target refresh rate is lower than the current refresh rate and such that said setting the current voltage to the target voltage causes the brightness of the LCD to decrease when the determined target refresh rate is higher than the current refresh rate; and receiving, by a sloping logic of the buffer circuit and from the display controller, input pulses (VCOM_CNT_EN) and the target voltage, wherein said setting the current voltage of the display driver to the target voltage is by either abruptly or gradually adjusting the current voltage to the target voltage according to a register setting (VCOM_SLOPE) of the buffer circuit, and said gradually adjusting is performed, by the sloping logic, by controlling the current voltage to gradually reach the target voltage over time, with a rate determined by the frequency of the input pulses (VCOM_CNT_EN).