The 5 Best Budget Gaming Monitors - Summer 2020
Reviews

The best budget gaming monitor we've tested so far is the ViewSonic XG2402. It's a great monitor for fast-paced games thanks to its outstanding motion handling. It has a 144Hz refresh rate and extremely quick response time, and it even supports FreeSync variable refresh rate to reduce screen tearing.

If you have a recent 10- or 20- series NVIDIA graphics card, it's compatible with G-SYNC as well, though it'll require a driver update. Despite its budget price, this monitor has a good build quality that feels solid. If you play in a well-lit room, this monitor can get bright enough to overcome glare and it has great reflection handling. It also has a flicker-free backlight to help reduce eye strain for those long gaming sessions.

Unfortunately, it uses a TN panel that has a low contrast ratio and poor black uniformity, which is less ideal for dark room gaming, as blacks tend to look more like gray. Its viewing angles aren't great, but surprisingly, it has impressive color accuracy right out of the box. This monitor should please most gamers, making this the best budget gaming monitor we've tested so far.

The best budget gaming monitor with a 1440p resolution that we've tested so far is the Dell S2417DG. It's a 24 inch monitor with a TN panel that delivers an incredibly smooth gaming experience thanks to its superb motion handling. Its exceptional response time results in almost no motion blur and it has an optional Black Frame Insertion feature that can further improve clarity. It has a 144Hz refresh rate that can be overclocked up to 165Hz, and it supports G-SYNC natively to help minimize screen tearing. Input lag is extremely low, and although it's slightly higher when playing with VRR, it shouldn't be noticeable for most people.

Unfortunately, it isn't well-suited for dark rooms as it has a very low contrast ratio and poor black uniformity, which is expected of most TN panels. In addition, its narrow viewing angles cause images to look washed out from the side. It has excellent ergonomics, though, so you can adjust the monitor easily to your optimal viewing position. It gets bright enough for use in any lighting conditions and it handles reflections well. Gray uniformity is good on our unit, but the top of the screen is visibly darker than the rest.

Despite its budget price, this monitor comes with a generous number of USB ports. It has four in total and there's one on the side that supports USB BC 1.2 fast-charging. There are two 3.5mm analog audio out ports: one has adjustable volume for use with headphones, while the other is a line out with a fixed volume for use with desktop speakers. On the whole, this is an excellent 1440p gaming monitor at a wallet-friendly price.

The best cheap gaming monitor we've tested so far is the AOC CQ27G1. It's a decent overall monitor with a very good contrast ratio and impressive out-of-box color accuracy that offers great gaming performance.

This monitor offers anything you would want in a gaming monitor. It has an incredibly low input lag, great response time, and a black frame insertion feature to reduce any motion blur. Its 144Hz refresh rate can go as low as 20Hz thanks to its support for FreeSync VRR technology, but sadly it's not compatible with NVIDIA graphics cards. It also includes extra features like a shadow boost and on-screen crosshair for FPS games.

Unfortunately, it doesn't perform very well as an office monitor or for watching movies due to its mediocre brightness, disappointing viewing angles, poor black uniformity, and lack of HDR support. Regardless, for a monitor that won't break your wallet, this is the best cheap gaming monitor we've tested so far.