The Best Gaming Monitors for the Money: November 2020 Edition (Top Value Picks)

Not saying this guide is your savior, but I'll do my best to help simplify your decision if you're after the best monitor for gaming for a particular resolution, refresh rate, and/or budget. We'll also get into what some of the specs mean, but first let's get straight into the recommendations; below are what I've found to be some of the best gaming monitors in terms of overall value for money right now, with many of these also doubling-up nicely as solid work/productivity monitors too (though not all; see the FAQ at the end to see what I mean). Oh and if you have any feedback to share on this guide or have a quick question about choosing the right monitor for your particular computer, feel free to ask in the comments at the end and I'll personally get back to you as soon as possible to help out where I can. Good luck and hope this guide helps a little in your research.

See Also: Recommended Prebuilt Gaming PCs

For entry-level PC gaming on a budget to go with a basic budget gaming PC that has something like a Ryzen 3 3200G CPU (that uses integrated graphics) or a PC with a budget graphics card like a NVidia GeForce GTX 1650 or AMD Radeon RX 570, a 1080p resolution monitor with a standard refresh rate of 60-75Hz is what you should be looking at otherwise you're kind of wasting your money. A cheap gaming PC won't allow you to get higher than 60FPS anyway (at 1080p resolution), so there's no real point going for a higher resolution (like 1440p) or higher refresh rate (like 144Hz) display because you wouldn't get smooth performance.

But the good news is, 1080p 60Hz gaming, assuming your rig can get 50-60FPS in the particular games you play, is still a great experience. 1080p 60Hz is only a bad experience if you're stepping down from a higher resolution or refresh rate - so if you were gaming at 1080p 144Hz or at 1440p 60Hz for instance, dropping down to 1080p 60Hz would be a bummer. But if 1080p (or lower) is all you've known, or you're coming from consoles that only reach 30FPS, PC gaming at 1080p 60Hz won't let you down.

One of the best value 1080p 60Hz gaming monitors right now is the Acer SB230 23 Inch which is a respectable quality IPS display with a fast response time and okay picture quality (great for its price). It's a tad smaller than most modern gaming monitors that are 24 inches or larger, though a 23 inch display isn't that small in general and it depends what screen size you're coming from previously. To some people coming from a laptop or a smaller monitor, it's going to seem absolutely large enough.

But it must be said; if you're a love of shooters or other fast-paced genres like racing (or even Battle Royale which can be hectic), I would give this 1080p 75Hz monitor a miss as you're probably better off spending the extra money to get a 1080p 144Hz screen if you can. The jump from 60/75Hz to 144Hz is very much worth it for those sorts of games, and nowadays there's plenty of good budget 1080p 144Hz monitors around $150 to $200. But that said, if you're not playing fast games and/or you want to keep costs as low as possible, a 75Hz display like the Acer SB230 may be all you need for a satisfactory gaming experience on the cheap. Just keep in mind the SB230 does not seem to come with a HDMI cable (only a VGA cable), so you'll likely need to buy a HDMI cable because modern graphics cards don't come with a VGA port. It also doesn't have built-in speakers so you'd need to buy your own (see our recommended gaming speakers if you need help with that).

Specs (Acer SB230)

Resolution: Full HD/1080p (1920 x 1080)

Screen Size: 23 Inches

Flat/Curved: Flat

Refresh Rate: 75Hz

Panel Type: IPS

Response Time: 1ms (VRB)

AMD FreeSync: Yes

G-Sync Compatible: No

Aspect Ratio: 16:9

Brightness: 250 cd/m2

HDR: No

Input: 1 x HDMI 1.4, 1 x VGA

Audio: Headphone Out (3.5mm)

Speakers: Not Included

Included Cable: VGA

Height Adjustment: No (Tilt Only)

Full HD (1080p) is still the most common gaming resolution in late 2020, with around 65% of gamers on Steam still using 1080p. So despite many gamers moving onto higher resolution screens like 1440p or even 4K, there's still plenty of reasons to stick with the tried and true 1080p. For one, it still looks great if you don't want a large screen; so if you want a standard screen size of 23, 24, or 25 inch, it's absolutely fine. Secondly, for some of the most popular gaming genres today such as FPS (CSGO, Overwatch, Valorant, COD, Warzone), Battle Royale (Fortnite, PUBG, Apex), and even MOBA (League of Legends and DOTA 2), it's better to get a lower resolution screen with a faster refresh rate, as opposed to a higher resolution screen (like 1440p) but with a lower refresh rate (like 60/75Hz).

So, if you're sold on choosing a 1080p 144Hz screen, which is a nice little sweet spot right now in terms of price vs gaming experience, one of the best budget 1080p 144Hz monitors for gaming right now is the well-known AOC 24G2 24 Inch which offers a lot at its typical price. An IPS display with a 1ms response time and 144Hz refresh rate, combined with fair image quality for this type of price range (don't expect crazy quality and you'll be happy) means that it's an easy recommendation as a great bang for buck buy right now.

At times this year the 24G2 has been a difficult monitor to get a hold of due to it being well-publicized across the web as an excellent value model (which it objectively is as confirmed by reputable monitor reviewers which I've linked at the end in the FAQ for anyone wondering). So if you can't find it in your region, below are the other budget gaming monitors I can recommend which are around the same price and that have similar quality and specs, including a couple cheaper options if you just want the cheapest 1080p 144Hz monitor you can find with acceptable quality, and also a couple larger 27 inch options, though for most people 23-25 inches is ideal for 1080p).

Honorable Mentions (1080p 144Hz):

Asus TUF Gaming VG249Q (24 Inch)

BenQ ZOWIE XL2411P (24 Inch)

Asus VP249QGR (24 Inch)

Viewsonic XG2405 (24 Inch)

Viotek GFV24C (24 Inch)

Sceptre C248B-144RN (24 Inch)

AOC 27G2 (27 Inch)

BenQ ZOWIE XL2731 (27 Inch)

Specs (AOC 24G2)

Resolution: Full HD/1080p (1920 x 1080)

Screen Size: 23.8 Inches

Flat/Curved: Flat

Refresh Rate: 144Hz

Panel Type: IPS

Response Time: 1ms (MPRT)

AMD FreeSync: Yes (FreeSync Premium)

G-Sync Compatible: No (But Can Still Work)

Aspect Ratio: 16:9

Brightness: 250 cd/m2

HDR: No

Input: 1 x DP 1.2, 1 x HDMI 1.4, 1 x VGA

Audio: Headphone Out (3.5mm)

Speakers: Not Included

Included Cables: DP, HDMI

Height Adjustment: Yes

With a healthy budget your options open up considerably, and with a few hundred bucks at the ready your choices are as follows when it comes to choosing a good gaming monitor:

• 1080p 240Hz+ - Best for FPS (First Person Shooter) players wanting super high frame rates in games like CSGO, Overwatch, Valorant, and even Battle Royale titles like Fortnite.

• 1440p 144Hz+ - A nice sweet spot of high quality resolution and nice speed (ie refresh rate), this is what I'd suggest to most gamers if you're not primarily playing shooters.

• 4K 60Hz - A higher quality image at the expense of speed, but still well worth considering if you're not playing super fast-paced genres and prefer quality (read: immersion) over high frame rates.

There's no right or wrong answer here, and it depends on the types of games you play and your preferences. Your hardware also plays a part too; for example, if you get a 240Hz or higher refresh rate monitor, you'll need not only a very good GPU but a solid CPU too (as reaching super high frame rates is taxing on the CPU). You could say 1440p 144Hz and 4K 60Hz is around the same in terms of requirements, as both require a mid to high-end GPU for a good experience, but the latter (4K) is going to be more demanding on your GPU.

In other words, if you have a more mid-range GPU like a RTX 2060 Super, RTX 2070 Super, or RX 5700 XT, 1440p 144Hz is typically going to be the better choice for you, because with those sort of mid-range cards you won't reach 60FPS in demanding AAA games on good settings. With higher-end "mid range" cards like a RTX 2080 or RTX 3070, either is fine. These days 1440p 144Hz has become quite popular, and is what you could consider the overall sweet spot right now in terms of quality and speed versus price - they are plenty of high-quality 1440p 144Hz displays at fairly affordable prices (at least compared to what they were a year or two ago).

After carefully analyzing as many of the popular 1440p 144Hz monitors among gamers today and sifting through professional review after review (customer reviews too, though they're not always that reliable), if I had to narrow down to my absolute number one pick right now in terms of bang for buck, the Asus VG27AQ wins, but only just as the LG 27GL83A-B and Pixio PX7 Prime are also great quality IPS 1440p 144Hz displays at decent prices, and with all the gaming specs you need. You've also got the VG27AQL1A, which is a refreshed version of the VG27AQ with slightly better HDR and a marginally higher refresh rate (170Hz) but with reportedly worse out-the-box settings.

Can't go too wrong with any of these models if you're looking for a good value 1440p 144Hz monitor for gaming and work. If you want to save money though, the AOC CQ27G2 is a good budget choice to consider as well, though keep in mind it's a TA panel as opposed to the IPS panels of the other aforementioned models, meaning worse viewing angles (but better dark-room performance due to a great contrast ratio). All of these 1440p 144Hz monitor recommendations are G-Sync compatible for smooth gaming using NVidia graphics cards, and they support AMD FreeSync for AMD cards too. They aren't true G-Sync monitors, but these days that's not necessary ever since NVidia opened up G-Sync compatibility on FreeSync monitors.

Specs (Asus VG27AQ)

Resolution: QHD/1440p (2560 x 1440)

Screen Size: 27 Inches

Flat/Curved: Flat

Refresh Rate: 165Hz

Panel Type: IPS

Response Time: 1ms (MPRT)

AMD FreeSync: Yes

G-Sync Compatible: Yes (Certified)

Aspect Ratio: 16:9

Brightness: 350 cd/m2

HDR: Yes (HDR10)

Input: 1 x DP 1.2, 2 x HDMI 2.0, 1 x VGA

Audio: Headphone Out (3.5mm)

Speakers: Yes (2W x2)

Included Cables: DP, HDMI

Height Adjustment: Yes

Finally to the ultimate, most immersive gaming resolution that money can buy right now (besides Half Life Alyx VR of course) for those of you fortunate enough to be assembling (or to have already assembled) a powerful RTX 3080 gaming PC. For such a mighty GPU, 4K 144Hz is the ultimate resolution and refresh rate, with benchmarks proving 144FPS at such a demanding resolution to be absolutely well within reach of this mighty new graphics card (in most games at least; Flight Sim 2020 doesn't count ;p).

For the RTX 3080 you could get a 1440p 240Hz screen instead (or even a 1080p 360Hz for the ultimate high-FPS shooter experience), but I'd definitely say 4K 144Hz is the ultimate option for most people. 4K 144Hz monitors don't come cheap, but there are certain models that bring more value to the table than others.

The LG 27GN950-B 27 is exactly what I mean, and is very competitively priced compared to other 4K 144Hz gaming monitors, coming in at well under $1000 US dollars. But despite being considerably cheaper than other good 4K 144Hz monitors (see that guide for all my 4K 144Hz monitor recommendations), it doesn't sacrifice much on overall quality and experience, and based on all I've dug up about this particular monitor, it gets my top recommendation right now as the best 4K 144Hz gaming monitor in terms of overall value.

Sure, there are better and bigger options if you want to go all-out on the absolute ultimate no-compromises gaming setup (ie an LG OLED TV or a massive 43 inch 4K 144Hz like the Asus PG43UQ), but you'll be hard-pressed finding a better value 4K 144Hz screen right now and it's got everything most 4K gamers could really ever want. It doesn't have true/native G-Sync support, which some enthusiasts are willing to pay for, but the official "G-Sync compatible" spec (which is different) is the next best thing and judging from reviews and reports of people using the 27GN950-B, you should be absolutely fine using G-Sync without issues with this particular display.

Just keep in mind one downside of the LG 27GN950-B is it doesn't come with a HDMI 2.1 port (it's got HDMI 2.0) which is totally fine for PC as you'll be (or at least should be) using DisplayPort for that (DP is better than HDMI), but not ideal nor recommended for next-gen console gamers eyeing off the PS5 or Xbox Series X which require HDMI 2.1 if you want to game at 4K 120Hz (for 1080p 120Hz on PS5/Xbox Series X, HDMI 2.0 is enough though). If that is confusing, it boils down to this; the LG 27GN950-B is fantastic for PC gaming - not so much for consoles (get a OLED TV for that). And if you're wondering why this talk of consoles in a PC monitor recommendations guide, yes, as strange as it sounds, some console gamers use computer monitors (and some PC gamers use TVs).

Read Next: Best 4K 144Hz Gaming Monitors for a RTX 3080

Specs (LG 27GN950-B)

Resolution: UHD/4K (3840 x 2160)

Screen Size: 27 Inches

Flat/Curved: Flat

Refresh Rate: 144Hz

Panel Type: Nano IPS

Response Time: 1ms (GtG)

AMD FreeSync: Yes (FreeSync Premium Pro)

G-Sync Compatible: Yes (Certified)

Aspect Ratio: 16:9

Brightness: 400 cd/m2

HDR: Yes (DisplayHDR 600)

Input: 1 x DP 1.2, 2 x HDMI 2.0

Audio: Headphone Out (3.5mm)

Speakers: Not Included

Included Cables: DP, HDMI

Height Adjustment: Yes

What Response Time is Good for Gaming?

The response time (also called the response rate) of a monitor refers to how quickly the screen updates and is one of the most important specs to look for when on the hunt for a good screen. The lower the response rate the better (lower response rates mean that the screen updates faster), and for fast-paced gaming you don't want to get a monitor that has a response rate any higher than around 8ms, though sticking to under 5ms and under is even better (I personally don't recommend any gaming monitors with response times higher than 5ms).

For the fastest possible gaming experience though, 2ms or 1ms is ideal. If you are playing fast-paced action games such as a racing or first person shooter, and your monitor has a slower response rate such as 8ms or above, you may experience and actually notice a visual phenomenon known as "ghosting", which is when the previous image displayed on the screen can still be seen as a blur for moments after the image has changed. The lower the response time of your monitor, the less noticeable it becomes, to where you can't notice it at all with response times of 5ms or less.

Why Do Monitors Have USB Ports?

You may wonder why some monitors have USB ports; these are included for convenience so that you can more easily access them to plug in things like a mouse and keyboard (useful if your PC will live under your desk or something, where it can be annoying to get under there to plug in peripherals). You could also use them to charge devices.

What Are the Best Sources for Monitor Reviews?

For better or for worse, the truth is there's a lot of "fake" monitor (and other high-ticket product) reviews around the web that are essentially affiliate revenue cashgrabs disguised as expert reviews, that after reading makes it abundantly clear to anyone half tech-savvy that the reviewer never actually used and tested the monitor (them including "review" in the article title is a bit of a stretch). For legitimate monitor reviews that thoroughly and professionally test screens, check out the following websites and YouTube channels which I can comfortably recommend for credible, in-depth monitor reviews done right (or for general advice):

• RTings - These guys do a great job of thoroughly, professionally testing displays.
• Monitor.Info - Another reliable site for in-depth, hands-on monitor reviews.
• HardwareUnboxed - Great video reviews of monitors.
• Tom's Hardware - Also decent for monitor reviews from time to time.
• Reddit BuildAPCMonitors
• Reddit Monitors
• Reddit Ultra Wide Master Race

60Hz vs 75Hz: Does it Matter for Gaming?

Along with the typical 60Hz monitors, you'll also see plenty of monitors that have a 75Hz refresh rate. The latter allows you to see up to 75FPS, with the former allowing for the traditional 60FPS. As you can imagine, there's not going to be a huge difference in terms of image "speed" between the two, but if given the choice then 75Hz will of course be a bit better. It's going to be tough actually seeing the difference between 60FPS and 75FPS, but 75 will technically be faster.

What is the Best Monitor Brand for Gaming?

While you don't want to solely base your monitor selection based solely on the brand, as it's more important to compare specific models, there are certain manufacturers that generally stand out from the pack in terms of reliably producing good quality monitor models including BenQ, Asus, LG, Viewsonic, Acer, and Dell to name the big boys in the industry. That said, there are other great models from different companies (ie AOC), so you shouldn't just limit your search to the big names.

Are Gaming Monitors Good for Work Too?

Sometimes, but not always. Not all good gaming monitors are also good "daily driver" work monitors, and vice versa. But there are plenty of gaming monitors - those marketed specifically or primarily towards gamers - that do double-up as great work monitors. Goes without saying but depending on your craft you may have extra requirements that may not satisfied by some gaming monitors. For example, if you're doing video or photo editing where color accuracy is critical, you'll need to factor that into your research.

In terms of eyestrain reduction, again, some gaming monitors are good for that, but others not so much. Most (if not all) of the recommended gaming monitors in this guide have the key modern specs that make for a good long-term viewing experience (such as Flicker Free and Low Blue Light technologies) as I favor recent models in my recommendations over older ones for obvious reasons (display features are always improving year by year), but if eyestrain is especially important to you then make sure to do your research to confirm a certain screen's suitability in that regard (especially if it's an older model).

Basic Eyestrain Tips: If you want to reduce eyestrain is to remember to turn down the brightness. The factory setting of a monitor will typically be way too bright, and it's something a lot of people totally forget. But it can really make eyestrain a whole lot worse. Blue light is also another key thing to remember; if your monitor has a low blue light setting (such as the "Comfort Mode" of my Dell monitor I'm using right now), try it out. I would also play with the built-in "Night Light" setting in Windows 10; this has been a game-changer for me and I keep it on quite often (even during the day). Also don't forget you have blue light blocking glasses, which can also be a game-changer (I use them frequently despite looking like a tool; they ain't no fashion statement).