Gaming is one of the more expensive hobbies, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be. Some people spend thousands of dollars on gaming PCs, gaming mice, and all kinds of other accessories. While some consider gaming laptops for convenience. So if you’re someone who’s looking to save some money while still enjoying a very immersive gaming experience, then you’re on the right page.
Today, we’ll be taking a quick overview of some of the cheapest gaming monitors that perform unexpectedly well for their price. But before we jump into our main topic, let’s do a quick recap on the specs that you should look for and consider when shopping for a gaming monitor.
What are the Specs to Consider when Shopping for Gaming Monitors?
There are many high-quality gaming monitors on the market, which vary in terms of resolution, response time, and refresh rate. So if you’re going to purchase a gaming monitor, consider first its purpose. If you enjoy playing video games and want to get the most out of your console or PC, you might want a higher resolution and faster refresh rate. But if you use your computer mainly for work, lower resolution may be fine. It’s not wrong to choose a screen based on its graphics capabilities but if that’s the case, make sure it can also do other things well.
If you’re a serious gamer, you probably already know that having the right gaming monitor is essential. You need a fast response time, a high refresh rate, and a good screen resolution. But once you get those things, what else should you look for? So when choosing a gaming monitor, make sure the brand has an excellent reputation for quality products because several brands include cheap monitors in their range of products. The brand also determines future upgrade options, such as new graphics cards and upgrades a few years down the road.
If you want to play your favorite games at their lowest settings but still want to use high resolutions, a higher refresh rate ensures smoother gameplay. For instance, professional gamers like to use 240-Hz monitors. At these rates, it becomes easier to aim in FPS games because they reduce the lag considerably. Furthermore, the monitor you choose must be synchronized with your GPU (through minimum required frequency too), so that there are no potential issues with frames being dropped or lagging displays.
The Most Important Factors to Consider When Shopping for Gaming Monitors
- Resolution – High resolution translates to a better picture display.
- Refresh rate – refresh rate is one of the most important elements to consider if you are looking for a gaming monitor. A high refresh rate results in a smooth gaming experience.
- Response Time – The shorter the better. A longer response time results in motion blur when playing video games.
- Size of the Display – the size of the monitor will affect the number of pixels. This means that a bigger size equals better image quality
- Build/Manufacturer – You should also consider the track record of the manufacturer of the gaming monitor. After
all, a monitor packed with impressive specs will be useless if poorly built.
There are other factors to consider when it comes to gaming monitors. However, since we are looking for budget-friendly ones, let’s just use the four elements mentioned above.
Brands of Gaming Monitors to Consider
Below is a list of gaming monitors that will surely fit your budget;
Asus VP228HE
The Asus VP228HE gaming monitor is one of the cheapest gaming monitors you can find.
With a price tag ranging from $124 – $129, you’ll surely get your money’s worth since this monitor is packed full of goodies.
Screen Size: 21.5 inches
Resolution: 1920 x 1080
Refresh Rate: 60htz
Response time: 1ms
Monoprice Dark Matter 42770
Monoprice Dark Matter 42770 doubles the price of The Asus VP228HE. For $250 you will be getting a monitor with a 144hz refresh rate, a USB C-type video input, and adaptive sync. Despite lacking HDR support, the solid build, and brilliant contrast is worth it.
Screen Size: 25 inches
Resolution: 1920 x 1080
Refresh Rate: 144Hz
Response time: 1ms
ViewSonic VX2418-p-MHD
The Viewsonic VX2418-P-MHD is another budget-friendly gaming monitor that you should consider checking out. The monitor’s $169.99, will provide you with low input lags, high contrast, full HD, customizable game mode, and much more. Furthermore, one of the highlights of this gaming monitor is the 165Hz refresh rate, which is a point higher than the Monoprice Dark Matter.
Screen Size: 24 inches
Resolution: 1920 x 1080
Refresh Rate: 145Hz
Response time: 1ms
LG UltraGear 24GL600F
With a price that starts at $160.75, the LG UltraGear 24GL600F is one of the cheapest gaming monitors that boasts a 144Hz refresh rate. Additionally, it comes with Radeon FreeSync, customizable game mode, dynamic action sync, black stabilizer, and much more.
Screen Size: 23.6
Resolution: 1920 x 1080
Refresh Rate: 144Hz
Response time: 1ms
Dell S3222DGM
If you’re looking to go big, then the Dell S3222DGM is the gaming monitor that you should consider. For $299.99, you will be getting a 31.5 QHD (Quad High Definition) curved monitor with a 165Hz refresh rate and 1ms (MPRT) response rate. Moreover, it’s one of the cheapest curved 31 inches gaming monitors that you can purchase today.0020
Screen Size: 31.5 inches
Resolution: 2560 x 1440
Refresh Rate: 165Hz
Response time: 1ms (MPRT)/ 2ms (gray to gray)
Know What Features You Prefer
When you’re picking out a new gaming monitor, be sure to keep in mind what’s most important to you: resolution, refresh rate, size, category (TN, VA, or IPS), or other features? It’s also worth noting that some of the higher-end professional monitors have a wide range of color settings and calibration modes. If color accuracy is critical to your work as an artist, photographer, or designer, these are definitely options you’ll want to consider. However, you can’t go wrong with any of the more popular brands out there. They may cost more than the standard models, but they’re still much more affordable than professional monitors.
In a Nutshell…
There are numerous features to look for in a gaming monitor, but there is no “best monitor” that will work best for everyone. Your needs as a gamer are unique to you. Therefore, you should use our recommendations as a starting point. We have provided information that can help you understand the differences between types of monitors and the considerations involved.
The gaming monitor market changes constantly, with new types of monitors becoming available, and prices falling across the board. So there will always be some way to make a gaming monitor better than one that came before it. Whatever you choose, have fun with your new display. If you’re looking for a new gaming monitor, you have plenty of options to choose from. Hopefully, this guide has helped narrow down your choices. Choosing a gaming monitor can be rather tricky, so narrowing it down to one type is probably best. Don’t worry, we got plenty more updates for you about gaming monitors here in PlayPC, so stay tuned.
