The 6 Best Budget Gaming Monitors - Summer 2021 Reviews

The best budget gaming monitor with a 1080p resolution that we've tested is the Acer Nitro XF243Y Pbmiiprx. It's an impressive monitor for gaming. Its fast response times deliver outstandingly clear motion, with no noticeable blur behind fast-moving objects at the max refresh rate and no overshoot. There's also an optional black frame insertion feature that can further improve the appearance of motion, but it's only available at high refresh rates, which isn't ideal.

As a budget model, this monitor is pretty barebones. There's no RGB bias lighting, and the design is pretty simple but functional. The stand has excellent ergonomics, so you shouldn't have any issues placing it in the ideal viewing position. It has a good selection of inputs, with two HDMI ports and a DisplayPort connection, but there aren't any USB ports.

This monitor is no slouch in picture quality, with wide viewing angles, great peak brightness, and excellent gray uniformity. Like most IPS-type panels, the contrast ratio is low, though, so it's not the best choice for gaming in a dark room. Overall though, this is a great monitor that should please most people.

The best budget gaming monitor with a 1440p resolution is the Gigabyte M27Q. Although it's a bit more expensive than our usual budget limit, it's an excellent gaming monitor that should please even the most demanding gamers. Motion looks incredible thanks to the superb response times, resulting in almost no noticeable blur behind fast-moving objects and no overshoot. It has exceptional low input lag as well, so you can respond instantly to the action on-screen.

This monitor is surprisingly well-equipped for a budget model. It has great connectivity, with a built-in USB hub, including a USB-C port, and you can even use it as a KVM switch, so you can control two sources with a single keyboard, mouse, and display. It also has a few customizable overlays that you can use to add virtual crosshairs, system information like the CPU temperature, and even a frame rate counter.

Like most IPS monitors, the contrast ratio is passable, and the black uniformity is sub-par, so this isn't the best choice for gaming in a dark room. Other than that, this is an amazing gaming monitor that should please most people.

The best budget gaming monitor with an ultrawide screen that we've tested is the Acer Nitro XV340CK Pbmiipphzx. Unlike most ultrawide monitors, this model still has a flat, non-curved screen. It's 34 inches, with 3440 x 1440 resolution and a 21:9 aspect ratio. This gives you more horizontal space than a standard 16:9 display, which feels more immersive when gaming. It has decent viewing angles and good ergonomics, making it great for sharing content or playing co-op games.

It has a 144Hz refresh rate and excellent response times, so motion looks smooth, with only a short blur trail behind fast-moving objects. Input lag is remarkably low, and it remains low with VRR enabled. On the subject of VRR, it supports FreeSync natively and is compatible with G-SYNC. It has a Black Frame Insertion feature to help improve motion clarity, but it only works within a narrow refresh rate range and isn't usable simultaneously with VRR.

Unfortunately, even though it supports HDR, it can't display a wide color gamut and doesn't get very bright. Its screen brightness is low in SDR too, so it's not the best for well-lit or sunny environments. It has a USB hub with two USB 3.0 ports, built-in speakers, and a Picture-in-Picture/Picture-by-Picture mode. Lastly, it has a flicker-free backlight and a blue light filter to help reduce eye strain. So, if you're looking for an ultrawide gaming monitor that won't break the bank, this is a great choice.