Are you looking for a gaming monitor that comes under budget but is super reliable?
Even if you have the most expensive gaming computer, pairing it with a poor-quality monitor would give you a terrible experience. But what if you’re on a budget?
Well, let’s be honest, finding a really functional gaming monitor while staying on a budget can be a difficult task. However, our team has done a lot of research to pick up the best option among all the monitors available in the market.
Quick Overview : Best Gaming Monitors Under $150
Here is a quick look at our top picks:
| IMAGE | PRODUCT | PRICE |
|---|---|---|
EDITORS CHOICE
| AOC C24G1A
| Check Price Read Our Review |
Best IPS
| Sceptre (E275W-FPT)
| Check Price Read Our Review |
Best Runner Up
| ASUS VA24DQ
| Check Price Read Our Review |
After researching and choosing the best monitors on the market, we have prepared a step-by-step detailed guide regarding the top 5 best gaming monitors for under 150 dollars.
So, let’s get started with it.
Specifications:
- Refresh Rate: 165Hz
- Response Time: 1ms
- Resolution: 1920 x 1080p
- Panel Type: VA
On our list at number one we have the AOC C24G1A, which is an affordable gaming monitor offering good image quality with sturdy ergonomics, and plenty of gaming features as well.
The AOC C24G1A features a 24 inches screen with a screen resolution of 1920 x 1080p. Let’s find out more about what this monitor has to offer when it comes to gaming.
Image Quality
The first thing is the image quality, the AOC C24G1A has a 23.6 inches screen (to be very accurate). This monitor comes up with a vertical alignment panel along with a 1080p screen resolution.
With a combination of 24 inches screen and 1920 x 1080p resolution, the monitor gives off an overall pixel density of 93 PPI. No doubt, a full HD 1080p resolution is good enough for gaming and other tasks such as multimedia work, etc.
Now, let’s talk about panel technology. As I mentioned before, it is equipped with a VA panel that is good to provide a static contrast ratio of 3000:1, which helps the monitor produce deep and inky blacks. However, as compared to the blacks produced by IPS and TN panels, these are much better.
The peak brightness offered by this monitor is 250 nits that are enough to provide a bright environment, under normal lighting conditions. Other than that the viewing angles are absolutely amazing so that you can have a good look towards your screen even if you watch it from a skewed angle.
Gaming Performance
Now, let’s check out what this monitor has to offer at a budget price. When it comes to performance, the AOC C24G1A offers an exceptional one. The AOC C24G1A provides a 165 Hertz higher refresh rate so that you can enjoy gaming with better frame rates, without any issue at all.
This monitor is compatible with AMD FreeSync as well as the NVIDIA G-Sync so that you can entertain yourself with Variable Refresh Rates (VRR Technology).
At this refresh rate, the response time offered by this monitor remains pretty much the same. However, the pixel response time offers overdrive modes such as Off, Weak, Medium, and Strong.
At the 165 Hz refresh rate, it is highly recommended to use the Strong mode because it helps to eliminate the fast trailing and ghosting effects when a fast-paced object appears in a game.
Also, the darker scenes in the games give off a better color performance due to the vertical alignment panels.
Ergonomics and Connectivity
The monitor has a sturdy design with a wide range of ergonomics available, such as you can adjust the height, tilt or swivel, as well as you can mount it against your wall by using the VESA mount pattern.
For connectivity, the AOC C24G1A offers two HDMI 2.0 ports, a DisplayPort 1.2, a VGA port, and an audio line-out port for external speakers and headphones.
- It has a good contrast ratio
- The gaming performance is amazing
- Premium design with strong ergonomics
- Users have reported medium ghosting effects in fast-paced games, particularly with dark graphics.
- There is no joystick given to navigate through the On-Screen Display Menu.
Specifications:
- Refresh Rate: 60Hz
- Response Time: 4ms
- Resolution: 1920 x 1080p
- Panel Type: IPS
Acer R240HY which is another affordable gaming monitor coming under 150 bucks. This monitor delivers amazing performance, it has an HD resolution with an exceptional image quality that will boost up your gaming performances.
All of these features make this monitor surely the best one to buy for gamers. Let’s check out it in detail to see what it has to offer you.
Image Quality
The Acer R240HY offers users amazing image quality, even though it comes under a budget price, the colors and the resolution are rich.
The Acer R240HY has a 24 inches screen size that is accompanied by a 1920 x 1080p screen resolution. The combination of a 24 inches screen with 1080p resolution results in a good pixel density making the visuals on this screen more accurate and good enough.
This monitor is equipped with IPS panels that offer great color accuracy and consistency to enhance your gaming experience. Hence, while playing your favorite games, the visual will look more realistic due to enhanced colors.
Other than that, IPS panels also offer wide viewing angles, around 178 degrees wide, so you can watch your computer screen from a particular angle without facing the color change issue.
The contrast ratio is 1000:1 which is average. And the peak brightness of 250 nits is also satisfactory.
Gaming Performance
For better gaming performance, the Acer R240HY features a fast response time speed of 4ms. Hence this monitor ensures that none of the fast-moving objects in a game go unnoticed. Also, the response time speed of 4ms helps reduce the ghosting effects and motion blur issues too.
However, when compared with Twisted Nematic panels, they deliver a faster response time of 1 ms that completely eliminates ghosting and motion blur from the screen while sacrificing color accuracy and the viewing angles. On the other hand, you may have to compromise a little with the response time, while the color accuracy and viewing angles are excellent.
After that, we have the refresh rate. The refresh rate offered by the Acer R240HY is not that good, it is 60 Hertz, which is quite basic for gaming. For those in competitive gaming, I recommend you check out any other product mentioned on this list.
But, still, if you don’t want to lose faith in Acer R240HY, then I suggest you overclock the monitor to get a refresh rate of 71 to 75 Hertz to get extra smoothness in your games
With a fast response time, the input lag becomes extremely less on the Acer R240HY. It is around 10 milliseconds only and this amount is quite good to go with.
Ergonomics and Connectivity
The Acer R240HY doesn’t offer excellent ergonomics, because it features a tilt-only design and you can only tilt your screen by 20 degrees only. So, to be honest I was quite disappointed with the ergonomics of this monitor.
Next up we have the connectivity options. When it comes to connectivity, the Acer R240HY features a VGA port, a DVI port, HDMI Port, and a headphones jack.
- This monitor comes at a cheap price
- The color quality is great.
- It features thin bezels in design.
- Features tilt-only design, the ergonomics could have been improved.
- It does not feature AMD FreeSync compatibility.
Specifications:
- Refresh Rate: 75Hz
- Response Time: 5ms
- Resolution: 1920 x 1080p
- Panel Type: IPS
Sceptre E275W-FPT which is another affordable monitor providing excellent value within a budget price tag. This monitor comes with an IPS panel, a decent screen resolution with an excellent image quality.
Image Quality
The first thing that we will discuss regarding this product includes its image quality. The Sceptre E275W-FPT is equipped with an In-Plane Switching panel that offers a high contrast ratio, with good color quality, however, the response time is a bit slow.
The 27 inches screen with a resolution of 1920 x 1080p makes this monitor ideal for different purposes. However, in terms of gaming, some users exclaim that this resolution is not enough. Still, this monitor helps gamers to get a good amount of frame rates per second while playing games. That’s why it is a good budget pick.
Next up is the native contrast ratio of this monitor, which is of average quality. With a good contrast ratio, a monitor performs excellently in dark scenes. However, the Sceptre E275W-FPT provides a grayscale where it should display black. It also offers an anti-glare coating on the front side to avoid reflections and glares while playing games. But these issues are not common because of the high brightness offered by this monitor.
In this budget range, the color quality is better than most of the other panels, however, the viewing angles are also enjoyable. You don’t have to sit in front of the monitor all the time, you can also look at your monitor from a certain angle to enjoy playing games.
So overall, if you want a budget gaming monitor under $150 then the Sceptre E275W-FPT offers a satisfactory image quality.
Gaming Performance
This monitor is equipped with an In-Plane Switching panel, and this type of panel is good enough for gaming.
As for response time, the IPS panels are not that great. The response time offered by the Sceptre E275W-FPT is 5 ms. Well, a response time speed between 1 to 5ms is considered to be good enough. But still, gamers definitely prefer 1ms over 4ms. For that purpose, you can surely get a TN panel. But for gaming, performance at the IPS panel is far better as compared to TN ones.
The Sceptre E275W-FPT offers a promising refresh rate of 75Hertz that performs very well while playing different games. This monitor does not offer users with FreeSync technology, though it offers amazing motion handling capabilities with more smooth and more clear visuals. It also offers a built-in flicker-free technology to avoid issues related to screen tearing, and ghosting, etc.
Overall, the gaming performance delivered by the Sceptre E275W-FPT is no doubt amazing. If someone is in search of a good monitor to spend time on while playing casual games, this one is highly recommended.
For competitive gamers, it is recommended to pass on this product, because of the absence of AdaptiveSync technology. Also, the refresh rate is below average for competitive gaming.
Ergonomics and Connectivity
When it comes to design and ergonomics, the Sceptre E275W-FPT features a unique, aesthetic, and frameless design with a small stand installed at the bottom of this monitor. The stand is sturdy but it only offers tilt, so the ergonomics are basic.
When it comes to connectivity, the Sceptre E275W-FPT features dual HDMI ports, a VGA port, and two audio ports for input/output sound support. Other than that, it also offers built-in speakers as well. As per my knowledge, there are quite a few monitors that offer built-in speakers for under $150.
- Offers wide viewing angles
- Best for casual gaming
- Peak brightness is excellent
- Includes built-in speakers
- Poor ergonomics
- No AdaptiveSync / VRR technology included.
Specifications:
- Refresh Rate: 144Hz
- Response Time: 1ms
- Resolution: 1920 x 1080p
- Panel Type: TN
BenQ ZOWIE XL2411P that is an amazing budget gaming monitor for better performances in games. The BenQ ZOWIE XL2411P is an exceptional product with outstanding features. This monitor offers everything that you need, under a budget price. The response time, refresh rate, and gaming performances are absolutely amazing.
In my recommendation, this monitor is surely the best one for competitive gamers. Let’s review this product in detail to know more about it.
Image Quality
The first thing that we are about to review about this product is its image quality. When it comes to image quality, the first thing to check out is the panel type.
Basically, the BenQ ZOWIE XL2411P is equipped with a Twisted Nematic panel that makes it not that good in terms of image quality.
This monitor is equipped with 24 inches of screen, along with an HD resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels that makes it much easier for you to play your favorite games at a high-quality resolution.
Other than these features, the peak brightness offered by this monitor is 350-nits, which is high for sure. The contrast ratio is 1000:1, which is average as expected from twisted nematic panels.
Overall, the image quality displayed by the BenQ ZOWIE XL2411P is good enough. The only drawback is that the TN panels offer narrow viewing angles and poor color quality as compared to IPS and VA panels.
If you are highly concerned regarding the panel quality then pass on this product because the developers are not in a mood to enhance it any further.
Now, let’s get towards the performance of this monitor.
Gaming Performance
The second thing that we are about to review is the gaming performance of the BenQ ZOWIE XL2411P. Well, in my opinion, its performance is quite good.
The input lag offered by this monitor is around 4ms which is surely outstanding. The reason for such a low input lag is because of the 1 ms response time of this monitor.
Other than that, it offers a refresh rate of 144 Hz that makes sure to provide you with amazing and fast-paced gaming performance.
Because of the low input lag, and quick response time, the BenQ ZOWIE XL2411P makes sure that none of the fast-moving objects in a game skips through your vision. Hence all of the ghosting effects are eliminated.
You can also use the Black eQualizer feature in order to stabilize the dark scenes. As the contrast ratio is low, this feature will be quite beneficial for you.
Ergonomics and Connectivity
The next thing that we will review contains the ergonomic features and connectivity options offered by the BenQ ZOWIE XL2411P.
For ergonomics, the BenQ ZOWIE XL2411P includes a variety of options. The first one is the 90-degrees pivot, 45-degrees swivel to both left and right sides, also -5 degrees / 20 degrees tilt. Other than these options, it also offers a height adjustment to more than 130mm of height.
For connectivity options, this monitor offers a DisplayPort 1.2, an HDMI Port, and a Dual-Link DVI Port.
- It offers a low input lag with a quick response time speed.
- The motion blur reduction technology makes it even better
- The ergonomics offered by this monitor are outstanding.
- It does not offer AMD FreeSync technology
- The viewing angles offered by this monitor are narrow.
- The image quality is average as compared to VA and IPS panel technologies.
- Over HDMI, you can’t get a 120/144Hz refresh rate.
Specifications:
- Refresh Rate: 75Hz
- Response Time: 5ms
- Resolution: 1920 x 1080p
- Panel Type: IPS
ASUS VA24DQ that is a budget-friendly 24 inches monitor offering you a full HD resolution and some fantastic gaming features as well. The ASUS VA24DQ is basically an affordable monitor coming under a price tag of $150. It offers consumers thin bezels, good ergonomics, and amazing gaming performances as well.
Image Quality
The first thing that we are about to review regarding this product is its image quality. As for image quality, the most important thing includes the resolution, panel technology, and some other components.
The ASUS VA24DQ is equipped with an IPS panel that allows this monitor to provide users with 178 degrees wide viewing angles. The screen size offered by this monitor is around 23.8 inches, which is further accompanied by a resolution of 1920 x 1080p.
Other than that, it offers a static contrast ratio of 1000:1, and a peak brightness of 250 nits.
One of the most amazing benefits of IPS technology is that it gives the most accurate and consistent colors to help you play games at a better rate.
However, the contrast ratio is a bit low, which results in the creation of deep blacks and white on the screen. The black color appears grayish in IPS panels.
Gaming Performance
The next thing that we are about to discuss is the gaming performance of ASUS VA24DQ. The overall input lag of this monitor is around 10 ms, and that is quite low. With a low input lag, you can easily get rid of the delays on your screen resulting in an excellent gaming experience.
The refresh rate offered by the ASUS VA24DQ is around 75 Hertz. It may seem a little to some gamers, however, it is better than the standard 60 Hertz refresh rate.
The response time offered by this monitor is 5ms GtG. In the case of IPS panels, the response time is around 4 ms or 5 ms. If you want faster than that, then I suggest you go for a twisted nematic panel instead, but then you have to compromise on viewing angles and color quality.
Still, a 5 ms response time is good enough to eliminate ghosting effects in fast-paced games.
The ASUS VA24DQ also features AdaptiveSync technology that allows you to enable FreeSync or G-Sync on your supported graphics card. With the AdaptiveSync technology, you will be able to get a variable refresh rate that boosts the standard refresh rate to avoid graphics problems such as screen tearing, etc.
Ergonomics and Connectivity
The ASUS VA24DQ does not offer a fully ergonomic stand. It has ultra-thin bezels. The sturdy stand allows tilt-only adjustability. Other than that there are no advanced ergonomics included. However, it does offer VESA Mount compatibility so that you can mount the ASUS VA24DQ against the wall.
When it comes to connectivity this monitor offers a DisplayPort, an HDMI port, a VGA Port, a headphones jack, as well as integrated speakers.
- Offers good features at a budget price
- The design is unique
- Color quality is superior
- Input lag is low
- Offers AdaptiveSync technology
- Connectivity options are rich
- Poor ergonomics
- FreeSync range is not that vast.
- The contrast ratio is dull
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a 75 Hz monitor good for gaming?
A 75 Hz monitor is quite good to play games casually, as it provides lower frame rates as compared to monitors with higher refresh rates. So if you want to play games casually in your leisure time, then 75 Hz is good for you.
Is the 144 Hz monitor worth it?
For competitive games, a 144Hz monitor is quite good. It provides you with a more responsive and improved gaming monitor as compared to other monitors with lower refresh rates. Also, if your opponent has a 60 Hz monitor, you will surely get an advantage over them. So, a 144Hz monitor is definitely worth it.
What are some best gaming monitors under $150?
Some of the best gaming monitors under $150 include:
- AOC C24G1A 24″ Curved Frameless Gaming Monitor, FHD 1920×1080, 1500R, VA, 1ms MPRT, 165Hz (144Hz supported), FreeSync Premium, Height adjustable Black
- Sceptre IPS 27-Inch Business Computer Monitor 1080p 75Hz with HDMI VGA Build-in Speakers, Machine Black 2020 (E275W-FPT)
- ASUS VA24DQ 23.8” Monitor, 1080P Full HD, 75Hz, IPS, Adaptive-Sync/FreeSync, Eye Care, HDMI DisplayPort VGA, Frameless, VESA Wall Mountable, BLACK
Other than these options, we have also added some others in our recommendations (mentioned earlier in this article).
Conclusion
I hope that after reading this detailed guide, you will be able to choose the best gaming monitor under $150 for your needs. All of the products mentioned in this post were well researched by our team. So you won’t face a hard time while buying your favorite monitor.
If you have any questions or queries then make sure to drop them down in the comments section.