5 Best Budget Monitors in 2023

Specs:

• Panel type: IPS 
• Size: 24”
• Refresh Rate: 144Hz
• Resolution: FHD (1920 x 1080)
• Color: sRGB 99% HDR 10

You can’t go wrong with LG regarding TVs and monitors; they’ve been making some killer products lately, especially if it’s screen-related. And while the LG 24GN650-B might be a bit small for your modern sensibilities (or not, depending on what you’re used to), its image quality is undeniably superb.

The 99 percent color gamut and LG’s usual reputation for their screens shouldn’t let you down here. Moreover, the IPS monitor ensures that you can get away with being off-center, and really, for a budget monitor, an IPS panel is quite rare.

You also don’t have to worry about which GPU to pair it with since it comes with FreeSync Premium.

Specs:

• Panel type: VA (Curved) 
• Size: 27”
• Refresh Rate: 165Hz
• Resolution: QHD (2560 x 1440)
• Color: DCI-P3 92%

Going 1440p while still remaining in a budget range can be tricky, but thankfully, Acer and its Nitro lineup is there for such niches. Their Acer Nitro ED323QU is one of the most ideal curved and QHD monitors out there and price-wise, it blows the competition out of the water.

Of course, since it’s curved, you can expect some cost-cutting involved in the form of the VA panel but that shouldn’t be much of an issue due to the curvature. On the flip side, the 165Hz refresh rate is quite appealing, especially if you have the GPU to max it out.

Specs:

• Panel type: IPS 
• Size: 28”
• Refresh Rate: 60Hz
• Resolution: 4K (3840 x 2160)
• Color: DCI-P3 92% HDR 10

Most of the time, 4K and budget don’t usually match but Asus begs to differ with its TUF Gaming VG289Q1A 4K monitor. This 4K monitor sits at a sub-$250 price range thanks to a sale (at the time of writing). Granted, there are some massive compromises to be made here.

It only runs at 60Hz whereas the most recent 4K monitors of 2023 tend to run at triple-digit refresh rates. Still, this kind of refresh rate for 4K was more than acceptable just a year ago; if you’re not exclusively gaming and are mostly looking for 4K for work-related comforts, then this monitor just might suffice while still keeping the budget under control.

Specs:

• Panel type: IPS 
• Size: 29”
• Refresh Rate: 100Hz
• Resolution: Ultrawide FHD (2560 x 1080)
• Color: sRGB 99% HDR 10

Who says you can’t have ultrawide luxuries on a budget? LG is inclined to disagree with its LG 29WQ600-W ultrawide monitor. It’s only an ultrawide FHD but it’s close enough to 1440p to feel crisp and roomy. More importantly, the panel is IPS and there’s a respectable 100Hz refresh rate.

For a sub-$200 device, you get a nice and sleek ultrawide monitor that’s as good for work as it is for gaming. One glaring downside is the lack of G-Sync or FreeSync Premium, it only has the default AMD FreeSync so you might have to live with screen tearing or find alternative solutions that introduce input lag, such as Borderless Window mode.

Specs:

• Panel type: VA (Curved)
• Size: 27”
• Refresh Rate: 240Hz
• Resolution: FHD (1920 x 1080)
• Color: 72% NTSC

Compromises had to be made for something as high-performance as a 240Hz monitor on a budget. But if you’re mainly playing e-sports or other games that demand pixel-perfect reaction times, then the Acer Nitro XZ270 is a strong contender.

It’s a curved frame so the VA panel shouldn’t be much of a bother. However, 1080p on a 27-inch screen is a bit of a stretch already (literally). Moreover, the monitor only supports Adaptive-Sync, which isn’t ideal for screen tearing, though it’s acceptable. If you really need that high refresh rate on a budget, you can forgive some of its flaws.