Best Budget Gaming Monitors (2022): Top Picks For Gamers On A Budget

When buying a monitor for gaming, it’s recommended that you get the best possible monitor that you can afford since it will have all the best features that will let you enjoy the best gaming experience. However, there are people on a budget that just can’t afford top of the line monitors and if you’re one of them, this article is for you. We round up the best budget gaming monitors in different categories to help you pick out the right one for your budget, including gaming monitors from Acer, Philips, Gigabyte and VIOTEK.

Best Budget Gaming Monitors Comparison Chart

Monitors Under $100

The Acer SB220Q is not advertised as a gaming monitor but its features make it one of the best choices under $100.

With the Acer SB220Q, you’ll get a monitor with gaming features such as Freesync compatibility and a 75 Hz refresh rate, even though it is not really advertised as a gaming monitor. You won’t find any 120 Hz and higher monitors in this price range, so this is the best that you can get. The Acer SB220Q is a 21.5-inch 1080p monitor, and surprisingly, it also has an IPS panel. Usually, monitors in this price range that are suitable for gaming will come with an inferior TN panel, so this is a great deal.

Since it has a 75 Hz refresh rate, it will provide a smoother gaming experience than 60 Hz monitors. Combined with its Freesync support, you’ll have a smooth gaming experience free from stutters and screen tearing. It has a 4ms response time, which is not bad at all, especially since this is a cheap monitor. If you are strapped for cash and you can’t stretch your budget any further, the Acer SB220Q is the best monitor that you can buy.

Monitors Under $200

For under $200, the Philips 242E1GSJ is the best available.

For the best budget gaming monitor under $200, our pick is the Philips 242E1GSJ1. With its 144 Hz refresh rate and Freesync support, you’ll have a great time playing games without any issues like screen tearing, stuttering and more. Even though it is only a 1080p display, its 24-inch screen allows for a good PPI (pixels per inch), so images still look crisp and detailed. You’ll have great looking games even at this resolution.

The only downside to this monitor is that it has a VA panel instead of the superior IPS. The colors are not as vivid and it has limited viewing angles. However, it does offer offer deeper blacks due to its higher contrast ratio. Overall, a VA panel is not that bad, but an IPS panel is better.

It is a well-designed monitor with very thin bezels so it will also work well in a dual monitor setup. The back has a brushed finish, which really looks nice and it has one HDMI input and one DisplayPort input, along with a 3.5mm audio port. It is also VESA compliant so you can mount this monitor on the wall or with a desk arm.

Monitors Under $300

At this price point, you can buy a 1440p 144 Hz monitor such as the Gigabyte G27Q.

The sweet spot for PC gaming is at 1440p and 144 Hz, since 1440p looks significantly better than 1080p, but not as hard to drive as 4K. A 144 Hz refresh rate monitor is also more than enough for most people at 1440p, especially for single player games and casual multiplayer games. That said, our choice at this price range is the Gigabyte G27Q.

This is an excellent monitor for the price as it has all the gaming features that you’ll want. First, it is a 1440p monitor with a refresh rate of 144 Hz for smooth gameplay. Also, it is a Freesync Premium monitor and it has an excellent 1ms response time. Moreover, it has an IPS panel for great picture quality and it is VESA Display HDR 400 as well. You’ll have a hard time finding another monitor with all these features at the same price point.

Aside from its gaming features, the Gigabyte G27Q also has a few other features that are worth noting, including its ergonomic design, flicker-free screen and low blue light emission for eye safety. You can tilt and adjust the monitor for the best view and you can play for long hours without experiencing eye strain and fatigue due to its flicker-free screen and low blue light emission.

Budget 4K Gaming Monitor

You can’t really get a high refresh rate 4K monitor on a budget, so the best available is the Acer Nitro VG270K.

If you want a 4K gaming monitor on a budget, high refresh rate monitors are out of the picture since those are still quite expensive. The best that you can get is a 60 Hz monitor with Freesync support, such as the Acer Nitro VG270K. It is a 27-inch 4K monitor and it is compatible with AMD’s Freesync adaptive sync technology.

With its 27-inch screen, you’ll get exceptional image quality due to the high pixel density at 4K. In addition to that, it also has an IPS panel for vibrant pictures and excellent viewing angles. While it won’t offer the smoothest gaming experience, it is still a great gaming monitor since it supports AMD Freesync and it has a fast response time of 1ms. If you really want a 4K gaming monitor while on a budget, the Acer Nitro VG270K is the best monitor available.

Cheap Ultrawide Gaming Monitor

The best budget ultrawide monitor that you can get is the VIOTEK GNV34DB.

When it comes to budget ultrawide gaming monitors, our top pick is the VIOTEK GNV34DB. An ultrawide allows you to have a more immersive gaming experience due to its wider field of view. It also gives you an advantage in some online games that support the 21:9 aspect ratio as you can see more than those using standard 16:9 monitors.

The VIOTEK GNV34DB has a 1500R curved 34-inch screen and a resolution of 3440 x 1440, so you’ll need at least a mid-range card from AMD or NVIDIA to be able to run AAA single player games at medium-high settings. It has a refresh rate of 100 Hz and a 4ms response time, along with AMD Freesync support. Aside from gaming, this monitor is also great for productivity since you can run multiple apps or windows side-by-side. When it comes to price to performance, this is one of the best monitors around.

Summary

Even if you’re a gamer on a strict budget, there are still a lot of good monitors to choose from.

For monitors under $100, the best choice is the Acer SB220Q. At this price point, you can’t have all the best gaming features such as high refresh rate, QHD resolution, G-Sync compatibility and more. Instead, you’ll have to make some compromises and the monitor that gives the best combination of features and image quality is the Acer SB220Q.

If you up your budget a bit, you’ll have more choices that include high refresh rate monitors. For under $200, the monitor that offers the best features is the Philips 242E1GSJ1. It is a 24-inch 1080p display that features a refresh rate of 144 Hz. It also has support for AMD’s Freesync and has a response time of 1ms.

For those with a budget of around $300, you can definitely get a very good gaming monitor, like our top pick, the Gigabyte G27Q. It is a 27-inch monitor that has a 1440p resolution and 144 Hz refresh rate. As a lot of PC gamers say, 1440p 144 Hz is the sweet spot for PC gaming. It also has an IPS panel for vibrant images and it also supports AMD Freesync.

If you like high resolution gaming, the best budget monitors that we can recommend are the Acer Nitro VG270K for 4K gaming and the VIOTEK GNV34DB for ultrawide gaming. Both monitors are excellent for gaming as well as work and productivity, so they are the best when it comes to price to performance.

FAQs