The 7 Best 1080p Gaming Monitors Under $200 for 2021

To get the best deal of a monitor at around $200, you have to know what to sacrifice.

The refresh rate, the resolution, the contrast ratio, the type of panel it has, the response rate, the size of the screen in inches, the inputs, and a handful of additional features are all things that you’ll want to look for if gaming is your priority.

With a cheaper option, you might be able to find a great response rate and refresh rate, but you’ll be looking at a smaller size, or lower resolution, or what-have-you. It’s kind of like a tug of war in a sense. You gain a little ground, you lose a little, depending on which specs matter to you the most.

Best Gaming Monitors under $200 - 60hz to 144hz

1. Acer GN246HL

We’re off to a great start. It’s all about finding something that’s fast enough that you won’t be able to tell the difference, without spending a fortune on a high-end monitor. 1ms is as low as one could hope for, it’s the standard for gaming monitors even today, so this is a huge win in this category.  Let’s keep going…

The refresh rate describes how often an image on your screen is refreshed, and it’s measured in hertz. A higher number means it refreshes more times per second, which means the overall gaming experience will be a lot smoother with a higher refresh rate. 60Hz is pretty standard for regular monitors, and it’s certainly do-able to use them for gaming, but it’s far from ideal.

144Hz refresh rate

The second box that the Acer GN246HL checks off is having a 144Hz refresh rate for silky-smooth gaming. 

There’s an old myth that the human eye can’t see higher than 30 frames per second, and that even Hollywood blockbuster moves are below 30FPS, so anything over 30Hz is overkill. That’s not true, don’t listen to people who say that, you can absolutely tell a different between 30Hz, 60Hz, 144Hz, and so on. It makes a difference. Having said that, anything 60Hz+ is fair to expect for a budget gaming display, but being able to pull off 144Hz is our favorite aspect of this monitor in particular. Another checkmark in the win column!

Resolution

The resolution is 1920 x 1080. That’s full HD, but it’s not compatible with 4K. Finding 4K or 1440p resolution, along with all of these other features, just isn’t in the cards without spending a lot more money. 1080p has been around for a while, but it’s still going to look great, especially since the monitor is 24 inches instead of 27, so those pixels won’t be too stretched out. 

This is the one area where you’ve got to sacrifice a little bit in order to stay under $200, but unless you have a really high-end graphics card, you probabally wouldn’t be able to run most games on high settings at 1440 or 4K anyways, so you’re better off with maxing your graphic settings on 1080p with a mid-range graphics card, or if you have a super high-end card – spend a lot more on your monitor to really take advantage of what it can do.

This Acer gaming monitor comes with 3 different inputs. It has DVI, VGA, and HDMI, one of each. You can have it plugged into your graphics card with the DVI port, have a console or your laptop plugged into it via HDMI, and still have one slot left open. 

Before you buy: We just need to point out that in order to use the 144Hz refresh rate at 1080p, you’ll need a Dual Link DVI cable (like this one).

We’ve heard from a lot of people over the years who are wondering why they can’t selected 144Hz in their system settings, and often it comes down to using the correct cable. You need the Dual Link DVI, even if you have another cable that still fits in the port, if it’s not a DL-DVI, it’s not going to unlock the full range of features that this monitor supports.

All That, And It Even Has 3D

If you want to try out 3D gaming at some point, you’ll be able to do that becasue this monitor supports it. They totally didn’t have to include support for this in this monitor, it already hit every other important note for a great gaming monitor, and is super reasonably priced, but low and behold, they went and made it a 3D gaming monitor just for kicks.

All around, this is a very impressive offing from Acer. Do we wish it was a little bit larger? Sure, but there’s a 27 inch version you can upgrade to, so that takes care of that. Do we wish you could go a little higher with the resolution? It doesn’t hurt, but for the most part, anyone who has an enthusiast-tier graphics card is going to want to buy a beefing monitor anyways, and is probabally going to spend closer into the $500 range on a screen.

So, all things considered, we did pretty good, hey? We found a monitor with a super low response time, a great refresh rate, a solid 24 inches, multiple inputs, and 3D… all for under $200.

2. ASUS VG245H 24-Inch Full HD Gaming Monitor 1080p, 65hz, 1ms

And to enhance your gaming experience further, ASUS VG245H comes integrated with ASUS exclusive GamePlus as well as Game Visual Technology. The Game Visual property features 6 pre-set modes through which to optimize the visuals.

VG245H also comes ASUS Eye Care technology, a property designed to minimize blue light emanating from the monitor notorious for causing eye strain and fatigue. Its Flicker-Free Technology also helps reduce the light intensity landing on your eyes effectively reducing eye strain and fatigue.

Additionally, the monitor has an ergonomically designed adjustable stand that you can swivel and rotate for your comfortable viewing angle.

Key Monitor Features

• 24-Inch 1080p LED Display
• GamePlus and Game Visual Technology
• ASUS Eye Care Technology
• AMD FreeSync Technology
• 1ms Response Time
• 75Hz Refresh Rate

Equipped with GameFast Input Technology, an ultra-fast 1ms response time and Eye Care Technology, ASUS VG245H 24-Inch is an excellent monitor for immersive gaming.

3. MSI Optix G24C 24" Non-Glare - 1920 x 1080 144Hz Monitor

Besides, the monitor employs the AMD FreeSync adaptive free sync technology, which ensures the smoothest visuals. It does that by syncing the monitor’s refresh rate to the AMD GPU effectively eliminating screen tearing and smearing.

What’s more, Optix G24C take pride in its true color technology in that it has at least 20 percent more color gamut than most monitors. Combined with the 1080p screen resolution, this monitor renders more realistic and detailed gameplay visuals.

Key Monitor Features

• 24-Inch 1080p
• AMD FreeSync Technology
• 1ms Response Time
• 144Hz Refresh Rate
• Curved VA Panel

From the curvature, refresh rate to the ultra-fast response time, Optix G24C gaming monitor has what it takes. We wish the screen size was larger, but for a $200, it’s a great deal.

4. VIOTEK GN24C 24-Inch 1080P Monitor with 144Hz, VESA Ready

The monitor has 1000000:1 Dynamic Constant Ratio plus 17.6M color shades which guarantee visuals with enhanced color and detail depth.

Besides, VIOTEK GN24C features EyeCare Protection that ensures low blue right reflection to keep you from eye strain or fatigue after long hours of gaming.

VIOTEK GN24C comes integrated with HDMI and DP 1.2 that enhance your connectivity options. Use the ports to hook a wide array of multimedia devices for entertainment galore.

Key Features & Specs                     

• 24-Inch 1080p 1800R Curved
• 144Hz Refresh Rate
• 3ms Response Time
• 1000000:1 DCR
• Low Blue Light Technology
• HDMI & DP 1.2 Ports

VIOTEK GN24C 24-Inch Curved is a pretty solid gaming monitor. And while the response time might appear slightly disappointing, for a budget machine, it’ll still be virtually impossible to tell the difference.

5. Samsung LS27E330HZX/ZA 27" 1920x1080 1ms / 60Hz Gaming Monitor

Although the monitor appears to have sacrificed it’s it refresh rate (60Hz) for a high response time, you can still expect smooth and lag-free gameplay.

LS27E330HZX/ZA gaming monitor comes equipped with Game Mode capable of delivering smooth images however intense the gaming actions get. With only the click of a button, the Game Mode will reveal images with much details in the darkest scenes.

And for the comfort of your eyes, the monitor comes with Eye Saver Mode which ensures no eye strain and minimal, if any, fatigue.

Feature Highlights

• 27-Inch
• Eye Saver Mode
• Ultra-Fast 1ms Response Time
• 60Hz Refresh Rate
• Game Mode

Although Samsung LS27E330HZX/ZA 27-Inch fails terribly regarding ports for connectivity, the monitor was designed for gaming and will deliver smooth, and vibrant visuals in intense gaming actions.

6. LG 25UM57 25-Inch WFHD IPS Gaming Monitor - 60hz 5ms

Still, on the visuals, the LG's Black Stabilizer will brighten up the darkest scenes helping you spot your opponent from afar. LG 25UM57 also features 3 modes; 2 First-Person Shooters modes as well as the RT’s pre-set mode.

With the ultrawide 29:1 aspect ratio, your movies, and video games are about to get immersive. The monitor is also 4-screen split meaning you can view four documents at the same time without the trouble of flipping back and forth.

Features at a Glance

• 25-inch WFHD 2560x1080 Monitor
• IPS Panel Type
• 60Hz Refresh Rate
• 5ms Response Time
• Black Stabilizer
• Dynamic Action Sync

Regarding the picture quality, LG 25UM57 scores 100%. However, the gaming monitor isn’t without an issue – the light bleeding at the edges. Except for that, it’s a solid unit for extreme actions and general purpose use.

7. AOC G2460PF 24" 1920x1080  Full HD Gaming Monitor

Combine the impressive refresh rate, response time, 1920x1080 screen resolution and the high 80M:1 constant ratio capable of delivering images in 16.7M colors. You’re assured of brilliant, detailed and colorful visuals.

AOC G2460PF also comes equipped with AMD FreeSync Technology that works by syncing the GPU with your monitor’s refresh rate effectively preventing input lagging as well as screen tearing and stuttering.

If you sit behind the screen for so long, then AOC G2460PF has you covered. It comes equipped with Flicker-Free Technology which uses the Direct Current backlight system to deliver a more comfortable viewing experience for reduced eye strain and fatigue.

Make the best use of this monitor with its flexible connectivity options. It comes integrated with VGA, Dual Link DVI, 4.0 USB 2.0, HDMI-MHL and audio In/Out. It’s also VESA-wall mountable.

Key Feature Highlights

• 24” 1080p LED monitor
• 144Hz Refresh Rate
• 1ms Response Time
• AMD FreeSync Technology
• 80M Constant Ratio, 16.7M Colors
• Flicker-Free Technology
• VESA Mount

Overall, AOC G2460PF Gaming Monitor comes equipped with excellent features for immersive gameplay. The monitor won’t disappoint, at least in performance and functionality.

If something more competitive and better comes along down the road, we’ll update this post, so whenveer you’re reading this – rest assured that we’re bringing you an option that has GREAT value, an amazing price, and epic specs that’ll take your gaming experience to the next level. All that, and you can even have your consoles hooked up to it, too.

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Don’t underestimate the importance of a decent monitor when you’re gaming. In the lower-budget ranges, you won’t get anything that’s top of the line today, but you can get a great monitor that would have been considered top of the line a few years ago, and frankly it’s still going to be a huge upgrade over a basic desktop monitor like your Grandma uses.

The difference between a ‘regular’ computer screen and a gaming monitor can be significant. Even when it comes to cheap gaming monitors, there are a few specs to keep an eye out for, since they’ll have the biggest impact on gaming.

Now, when you’re looking at cheaper options, you do have to make sacrifices in certain areas when it comes to certain specs. How do you decide which stats are the most important? It has a lot to do with not only your budget, but also of which types of games you plan to play, and what else you’re going to be doing with your monitor.

When putting together this list and testing out different monitors, we wanted to choose one that is very versatile, that gives you INCREDIBLE bang for your buck, and despite the lower price tag, it totally workable for even higher-end gaming with modern titles.