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After a GPU upgrade, you’ll also need to spend on a high-quality monitor. It simply doesn’t make sense to play games on an old monitor that’s low-res, color-inaccurate, and/or has a sluggish refresh rate, after you’ve built a computer than will have no trouble with the realistic graphics of today’s games, unless you’re fine with your gaming session turning into an ugly, laggy experience. If you’re building a PC, shopping for pre-built gaming computer deals, or just upgrading your existing setup with a new screen, we can help. Below, we’ve got all the best cheap gaming monitors sales.
If you don’t explicitly need a gaming display, however, then also take a look at these desktop monitor deals to see what else is on tap.
Enjoy gaming at 4K quality and with 1ms response time through this ASUS monitor, which features a 28-inch screen and a five-way OSD joystick for easy access to monitor controls.
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This portable monitor will let you play games with a second screen anywhere. The 15.6-inch display offers Full HD resolution, and connects to devices through the USB-C port’s Display Alternative Mode.
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With this ultra-wide monitor, you’re getting a lot of room for multitasking, especially thanks to the 3440×1440 resolution with 1800R curvature. You’ll have more room for your open windows.
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With a high 240Hz refresh rate, this LG monitor ensures that you won’t experience any lagging while playing games. This is a great deal if you’re looking for your first full HD monitor.
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Upgrade your games to a new level of immersion with the 27-inch Acer Predator XB271HU monitor, boasting stunning WQHD resolution and an ultra-fast 144Hz refresh rate for cinematic magic from your PC.
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If you want cinematic gold, this 27-inch BenQ EX280Q monitor is great for users with an eye for visuals. With a 1440p resolution and a 144Hz refresh rate, any game can become a full-blown movie.
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It’s a VA panel (our second recommendation after IPS), but for $240, this 32-inch Westinghouse gaming display gives you a ton of monitor for your money with a 1440p resolution and 144Hz refresh rate.
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With a crisp 1440p resolution, buttery-smooth 165Hz refresh rate, FreeSync and G-Sync compatibility, and a crisp IPS panel, this 27-inch gaming monitor is one of the best you can get for the money.
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This 27-inch gaming monitor features Full HD resolution, an up to 75Hz refresh rate that reduces screen tearing, The monitor also supports AMD’s FreeSync technology for smooth video.
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27 inches is a great sweet spot between “too big” and “too small,” and the Gigabyte G27QC gaming monitor is also pretty sweet with its crisp 144Hz IPS panel. This one is compatible with AMD FreeSync.
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Don’t let its unassuming look fool you: The 24.5-inch Lenovo Legion Y25-25 packs a bevy of modern gaming features including a 240Hz refresh rate, FreeSync, and a 1ms response time.
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Complete your Razer Chroma battle station with the 27-inch Raptor monitor, a vibrant 1440p IPS display that features both AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync compatibility for both Radeon and GeForce GPUs.
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The slim 1800R Curved Full HD display offers an immersive picture while you play your favorite games, with a 165Hz refresh rate and 3ms response time that will give you an advantage.
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The ultra slim profile of this 24-inch monitor will let you save space on your desktop. With a 75H z refresh rate, fast response times, and anti-flicker technology, your gaming will be uninterrupted.
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With a 100Hz refresh rate and AMD FreeSync vertical sync technology, this massive Viotek curved monitor will give you an immersive entertainment experience and enhanced productivity for work.
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Be it competitive or casual, get the best frame rate while playing with the Samsung G5 Odyssey 1440p gaming monitor, which has AMD FreeSync Premium and a 144Hz refresh rate for buttery smooth gaming.
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Enjoy stunning colors and vivid visuals with this QHD gaming monitor, with a 27-inch screen, 165Hz refresh rate, true 1ms response time, and compatibility with NVIDIA G-SYNC and AMD FreeSync.
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If you’re looking for a plus-sized 1080p 144Hz display for gaming, it’s hard to do better than this curved 32-inch Acer FreeSync monitor — especially at this deeply discounted price.
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How To Choose A Gaming Monitor
When sorting through the myriad of gaming monitor deals that are available online, there are a few things to consider before you hand over your hard-earned cash. You don’t want to jump on the first cheap gaming monitor you find that meets your budget, as many that are advertised as “gaming displays” lack some important features.
After determining how much you’re willing to spend on a cheap gaming monitor, the first thing you’ll need to decide on is size and screen resolution. Bigger isn’t always better — your ideal display size has a lot to do with how close you’ll be sitting to it, and for most desktop PC setups, the standard 24 to 27 inches is fine. Displays in this size range are also ideal for 1080p, although at 27 inches, you’ll want to consider bumping up to 1440p if your GPU can support it. At 32 inches and beyond, you’ll likely want to stick to 1440p and even 4K gaming monitors, although this may depend on the display’s vertical resolution in the case of ultrawide panels. An ultrawide display that’s the same height as a 24-inch monitor will still look fine at 1080p.
One important feature that any good gaming monitor will have is some sort of vertical sync technology, the two prevailing standards being AMD FreeSync for use with Radeon graphics cards and Nvidia G-Sync for GeForce GPUs. Vertical sync ensures a smooth picture during fast-moving sequences by mitigating (if not eliminating) screen-tearing, an annoying issue where the lines that make up the image do not synchronize vertically. It’s generally recommended to get a gaming monitor that matches your graphics card, although Nvidia has been increasing cross-compatibility with FreeSync monitors lately. Just note that you’ll need a DisplayPort cable to take advantage of G-Sync; FreeSync works with either HDMI or DisplayPort.
The third thing to look for in a cheap gaming monitor is a refresh rate of 120Hz or higher. The general rule is that your display’s refresh rate should be at least twice the frames per second you want to game at (120Hz or more for 60fps gaming, for example). Modern HDMI and DisplayPort connections both support higher refresh rates, but some older standards like HDMI 1.4 may not. You will see many displays marketed as “gaming monitors” that only have refresh rates of 60Hz or 75Hz. Even if these units have FreeSync or G-Sync, they are not ideal for gaming at 60fps, which is the minimum that we recommend for PC gaming in 2020. There are plenty of cheap gaming monitor deals available that meet these criteria.
One final thing worth mentioning is curved and ultrawide displays, which have both become quite popular lately. Curved gaming monitors are nothing to be afraid of, but unless you’re going bigger than 27 inches (more specifically, if you’re buying an ultrawide panel), don’t pay extra for this feature — you probably won’t notice it much when sitting at a normal distance from a standard-sized desktop display. That said, ultrawide panels are one instance where we recommend going curved no matter what. These gaming monitors are naturally expensive but offer an elegant alternative to multi-monitor setups, and they might not be as cost-prohibitive as you think once you tally up the expense of buying multiple displays.
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