The 4 Best Budget And Cheap Gaming Monitors - Spring 2024 Reviews

The best budget gaming monitor we've tested is the Dell G2724D. It delivers remarkable performance for the price and gives you a great gaming experience even if you don't have much to spend on a high-end monitor. You can buy it directly through Dell's website. It works well if you play a lot of fast-moving games, as rapid motion looks fairly crisp, which isn't that common for monitors in this price range. However, it doesn't create an experience that's as engaging as that of more expensive monitors, as highlights don't pop and colors don't look vivid in HDR. If you want a monitor with more vivid colors, better contrast, and highlights that pop in HDR, check out the AOC Q27G3XMN. However, it has far worse viewing angles than the Dell and can be difficult to find.

The Dell is a great option for console gaming, as it supports HDR and VRR on both consoles and can even downscale 4k @ 60Hz signals for a more detailed image. However, it doesn't have an audio output for speakers. If you're looking for a budget monitor that does have an audio output, consider the LG 27GP850-B/27GP83B-B. It displays a slightly wider range of colors in HDR, but deep blacks look grayer in darker rooms, and it doesn't support VRR with the PS5.

If you're on a tight budget and are looking for something cheap, there are some monitors you can get that perform well for gaming, like the Gigabyte GS27QC. It's a step down in overall gaming performance from the Dell G2724D, but that's normal for a cheap gaming monitor. The monitor works best in darker rooms, and its contrast is good enough that deep blacks only appear slightly gray, which is excellent for a monitor without local dimming. And while it doesn't display a wide range of colors, it does at least support HDR, so games look more realistic than on monitors that lack this feature.

However, it doesn't get nearly as bright as the Dell, so it doesn't overcome glare in bright rooms. It also has much worse motion handling, so fast-moving objects are somewhat blurry, and there's smearing behind them. Finally, you can't adjust its height, so it's harder to position it comfortably for a long gaming session.

The best 240Hz budget gaming monitor we've tested is the ViewSonic XG2431. Its higher refresh rate is ideal for competitive gaming, and the lower resolution makes it easier for your graphics card to maintain high frame rates for a smooth and responsive feel while gaming. However, games won't be as immersive or detailed as on the Dell G2724D or Gigabyte GS27QC due to its smaller screen size and lower resolution. It also has low contrast, so deep blacks appear more gray in a dark room than on the Dell and the Gigabyte.

One of the monitor's stand-out features is its customizable backlight strobing feature, which allows you to adjust the flicker to your liking to reduce persistence blur. Many monitors can't do this, so it's a nice addition to a budget-friendly display. Fast-moving objects also look fairly crisp thanks to the quick response time across its entire refresh rate range. Lastly, it has FreeSync variable refresh (VRR) support to reduce screen tearing, and it's also G-SYNC compatible, so it works with most graphic cards. However, its VRR support doesn't work at the same time as its backlight strobing feature, which is normal for most monitors.

While bigger monitors in the budget price range generally don't offer the best performance, if you want the biggest possible size within your budget and you're okay with getting something with worse gaming performance than the Dell G2724D, check out the LG 32GN650-B, which you can also buy as the 32GN63T-B at different retailers. Both variants offer the same performance. It has the same 1440p resolution as the Dell, delivering the same amount of details, but because of its larger size, the pixel density is lower, so games and text aren't as sharp.

It also has worse motion handling than the Dell due to its slower response time, but it's still decent enough for most casual gamers, and like most gaming monitors, it has VRR support to reduce screen tearing. It has a VA panel that displays somewhat deep blacks in dark rooms, though it lacks a local dimming feature to improve this. Additionally, highlights don't pop against the rest of the image for a satisfying HDR experience. Unfortunately, it has worse viewing angles than the Dell, meaning images look washed out from the sides, so it isn't a good choice for local co-op gaming.