Gaming monitors can make or break your gaming experience. In fact, a good gaming monitor allows you to enjoy games at a higher refresh rate with minimal response time. And if you are using a PC, then chances are you can make use of other niceties, like AMD’s FreeSync and Nvidia’s G-Sync tech as well. That being said, if you are on a tight budget, it can be hard to find the best budget gaming monitors out there.
And that’s precisely what we will be discussing in this post. At prices less than $200, you can now score a great deal on gaming monitors. Of course, you will have to compromise on certain aspects. However, on the whole, you can still get features like a high refresh rate, support for enhanced color gamut, multiple connectivity options, along with superfast response time. As such, you can easily take your gaming experience to the next level with these affordable gaming monitors.
So, let’s check out some of the best budget gaming monitors. But before we get into that, you might want to check out the following:
- Enjoy high frame rate gaming with these 240Hz gaming monitors
- Make use of the wider FOV with these ultrawide gaming monitors
1. AOC G2490VX
- Screen Size: 24-inch | Panel: VA
- Resolution: 1920×1080 | Refresh Rate: 144Hz
- Ports: 1x DisplayPort 1.2, 1x HDMI 1.4
The AOC G2490VX comes with AMD FreeSync technology, which helps eliminate screen tearing and stuttering. It also features several game modes, including FPS and racing modes, which optimize the monitor’s settings for different types of games.
Of course, the biggest downside of this monitor is that it comes with a VA panel. While VA panels can achieve high refresh rates and offer low latency, the viewing angles aren’t the best.
That being said, it’s worth highlighting that while VA panels traditionally aren’t known for being color accurate, the brand does claim an enhanced color gamut of 93% DCI-P3 coupled with 126% sRGB coverage. As such, the monitor can work wonders for content creators as well.
2. AOC C24G1A
- Screen Size: 24-inch | Panel: VA
- Resolution: 1920×1080 | Refresh Rate: 165Hz
- Ports: 1x VGA, 1x DisplayPort 1.2, 1x HDMI 2.0
The monitor looks sleek and modern, and the unit comes with a matte black finish and red accents on the stand. The unit’s aesthetics will decidedly appease gamers. Additionally, the stand itself is adjustable, thereby allowing users to tilt, swivel, and adjust the height of the monitor to their liking.
Of course one of the standout features of this monitor is the curved panel. While curved panels aren’t as immersive on 24-inch monitors as compared to higher screen sizes, it still feels better compared to flat display.
Do note that some consumers have complained of high levels of ghosting on the panel. However, that is due to the overdrive feature inside the monitor. As such, we’d recommend turning the overdrive mode off for the best results.
3. ASUS TUF VG249Q1R
- Screen Size: 24-inch | Panel: IPS
- Resolution: 1920×1080 | Refresh Rate: 144Hz (165Hz OC)
- Ports: 1x DisplayPort 1.2, 2x HDMI 1.4
The monitor also comes with ASUS’ proprietary Eye Care technology, which reduces eye strain and fatigue during long gaming sessions. This feature, along with the flicker-free technology, makes it easier on the eyes and ensures that users can play for longer periods without experiencing discomfort.
Add to that, you also get ASUS’ GamePlus features, which let you enable certain in-game features from the monitor. These include nifty utilities like the crosshair mode, which puts a crosshair on your display even in games that don’t natively support the feature. Consequently, you will get an edge over your opponents while gaming, especially in FPS titles.
You also get dual 2W speakers on this monitor. However, if you want, you can plug your wired headphones directly into this monitor via the 3.5mm headphone jack as well.
4. GIGABYTE G24F
- Screen Size: 24-inch | Panel: IPS
- Resolution: 1920×1080 | Refresh Rate: 165Hz (180Hz OC)
- Ports: 1x DisplayPort 1.2, 2x HDMI 2.0, 3x USB 3.2
Starting with the design, the GIGABYTE G24F features a sleek design that definitely adds to the aesthetic appeal of your gaming setup. The monitor uses an IPS panel, which provides excellent color accuracy and viewing angles, making it suitable for both gaming and content creation.
Speaking of which, the GIGABYTE G24F offers a 95 percent DCI-P3 color gamut as well as 125 percent sRGB coverage. The panel itself is also HDR-ready. As for connectivity, the monitor comes with a DisplayPort and two HDMI ports. You also get a couple of USB ports to plug in your accessories or peripherals directly into the monitor itself.
One of the best features of the GIGABYTE G24F is that it bundles support for OSD Sidekick. Therefore, you can download the company’s proprietary software on your PC, and then adjust the display settings from the comfort of your keyboard and mouse. Long story short, you won’t have to rely on the finicky joystick at the back, which is great.
5. Acer Nitro ED270R
- Screen Size: 27-inch | Panel: VA
- Resolution: 1920×1080 | Refresh Rate: 165Hz
- Ports: 1x DisplayPort 1.4, 2x HDMI 2.0
Spec-wise, the monitor has a 27-inch curved panel and supports AMD FreeSync Premium Technology. So, not only do you get a bigger display as compared to its competitors, but you also don’t have to compromise in terms of smoothness.
With 72% NTSC coverage, the panel doesn’t offer great color accuracy, but it’s great for gaming and content consumption on a budget. Speaking of content consumption, the panel is HDR10 rated so you can enjoy movies at excellent quality without any issues.
Interestingly, per some customer reviews, the monitor seemingly comes with a 4K upscaling mode too. This makes high-definition movies look better on the display. Also, while the panel exhibits some backlight bleed, it’s only noticeable when viewing media with extremely dark bits.
6. Samsung Odyssey G32A
- Screen Size: 24-inch | Panel: VA
- Resolution: 1920×1080 | Refresh Rate: 165Hz
- Ports: 1x DisplayPort, 1x HDMI 1.4
To wit, the monitor offers a high refresh rate of 165Hz coupled with a 1ms response time. As for the panel, while it is of the VA variety, the picture looks sharp and vibrant on this monitor.
Furthermore, the monitor comes with a few more tricks up its sleeves. For starters, while the panel is officially certified only for AMD FreeSync Premium, it also supports Nvidia G-Sync. Just make sure to use a DisplayPort cable with this monitor, and then you can enable G-Sync from within your computer’s settings.
One of the main reasons why consumers opt for Samsung’s products is customer service. While there are other monitors that may offer better features than the G32A, nothing beats the customer service offered by Samsung. This in itself makes the Samsung Odyssey G32A one of the most reliable budget gaming monitors out there.
FAQs About Best Budget Gaming Monitors
When shopping on a budget, some monitors may have lower refresh rates, or slower response times, which could affect your gaming experience. However, there are plenty of budget monitors available nowadays that offer fast refresh rates, low response times, and good color accuracy, making them suitable for gaming.
144Hz is widely regarded as the sweet spot for gaming, and a slight improvement over the previous standard of 120Hz. Of course, there are monitors that also offer higher refresh rates of 240Hz or more, but you have to ensure that your system is capable of outputting frames that match the refresh rate of your monitor. Most mid-tier and even some budget graphics cards work well with 144Hz, which is why gamers opt for a 144Hz display for gaming, regardless of the display size.
Essentially, there are three types of panels available on monitors, namely – Twisted Nematic (TN), Vertical Alignment (VA), and In-Plane Switching (IPS). While each of the panels has its own pros and cons, most gamers prefer opting for TN panels for fast response times and high refresh rates.
As you might have noticed, some monitors on this list support overclocking their refresh rates. This means that you can essentially increase its refresh rate beyond its factory specifications, which can result in smoother and more responsive gameplay. Monitor overclocking is relatively safer as compared to CPU or GPU overclocking. That being said, it comes with the same risk, which is that a high amount of heat is produced. Additionally, messing with settings can cause damage to your panel after prolonged use. So unless you are a seasoned overclocker, it’s recommended you shouldn’t overclock your monitor.
Game On With These Budget Gaming Monitors
There are plenty of gaming monitors to choose from for budget buyers. While you could go with lesser-known brands, we’ve opted for the most reliable brands that not only offer the best bang for the buck features but also come with good warranty and support.
Along the same lines, if you want the best support, the Samsung Odyssey G32A should be the best pick. That being said, if you want the best features too, then I’d strongly recommend going for the GIGABYTE G24F, as it is one of the best budget gaming monitors out there.
Last updated on 02 March, 2023
The above article may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. However, it does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains unbiased and authentic.
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