diff --git a/src/app/qgsoptions.cpp b/src/app/qgsoptions.cpp
index 44a9b4863da..404287534da 100644
--- a/src/app/qgsoptions.cpp
+++ b/src/app/qgsoptions.cpp
@@ -360,7 +360,9 @@ QgsOptions::QgsOptions( QWidget *parent, Qt::WFlags fl ) :
 #endif
 
   // set the display update threshold
-  spinBoxUpdateThreshold->setValue( settings.value( "/Map/updateThreshold" ).toInt() );
+  spinBoxUpdateThreshold->setSpecialValueText( tr( "All" ) );
+  spinBoxUpdateThreshold->setMinimum( 999 );
+  spinBoxUpdateThreshold->setValue( qMax( 999, settings.value( "/Map/updateThreshold" ).toInt() ) );
 
   // log rendering events, for userspace debugging
   mLogCanvasRefreshChkBx->setChecked( settings.value( "/Map/logCanvasRefreshEvent", false ).toBool() );
@@ -1051,7 +1053,8 @@ void QgsOptions::saveOptions()
   settings.setValue( "/Raster/cumulativeCutUpper", mRasterCumulativeCutUpperDoubleSpinBox->value() / 100.0 );
 
   settings.setValue( "/Map/enableBackbuffer", chkEnableBackbuffer->isChecked() );
-  settings.setValue( "/Map/updateThreshold", spinBoxUpdateThreshold->value() );
+  int threshold = spinBoxUpdateThreshold->value();
+  settings.setValue( "/Map/updateThreshold", threshold < 1000 ? 0 : threshold );
 
   // log rendering events, for userspace debugging
   settings.setValue( "/Map/logCanvasRefreshEvent", mLogCanvasRefreshChkBx->isChecked() );
diff --git a/src/core/qgsvectorlayer.cpp b/src/core/qgsvectorlayer.cpp
index ebcb9e3f53a..778a199ccc2 100644
--- a/src/core/qgsvectorlayer.cpp
+++ b/src/core/qgsvectorlayer.cpp
@@ -655,8 +655,6 @@ bool QgsVectorLayer::draw( QgsRenderContext& rendererContext )
   mUpdateThreshold = settings.value( "Map/updateThreshold", 0 ).toInt();
   // users could accidently set updateThreshold threshold to a small value
   // and complain about bad performance -> force min 1000 here
-  // TODO: improve GUI (checkbox?) to make obvious the min value (cannot set min
-  // on spinbox because 0 as used for no refresh)
   if ( mUpdateThreshold > 0 && mUpdateThreshold < 1000 )
   {
     mUpdateThreshold = 1000;
diff --git a/src/ui/qgsoptionsbase.ui b/src/ui/qgsoptionsbase.ui
index 9ba9ef6f280..663d554b8d7 100644
--- a/src/ui/qgsoptionsbase.ui
+++ b/src/ui/qgsoptionsbase.ui
@@ -1645,7 +1645,7 @@
                   <item row="3" column="0" colspan="2">
                    <widget class="QLabel" name="textLabel3">
                     <property name="text">
-                     <string>&lt;b&gt;Note:&lt;/b&gt; Use zero to prevent display updates until all features have been rendered</string>
+                     <string>&lt;b&gt;Note:&lt;/b&gt; Set below 1000 to prevent display updates until all features have been rendered</string>
                     </property>
                    </widget>
                   </item>