Best gaming monitor under $150 in 2024 – our top picks
You might not need to spend a fortune to get the gaming display you desire
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If you’re on the hunt for the best gaming monitor under $150, we’ve got you covered right here.
You may not find the very best gaming monitors on the market at this price, but that doesn’t mean you’re left with just scraps or VGA connections. Cheaper gaming monitors like this are also ideal if you want to save some cash arranging a multi-monitor setup. If you’re in a rush, check out either the LG UltraGear 24GQ50F-B or AOC Curved C24G1A. More time to spare? Continue reading on as we regularly update our monitor guides.
Some of the top-of-the-line gaming monitors can tip the scales at above $1000, but you don’t need to spend a fortune to get a decent display. Sure, you may have to make some concessions when it comes to HDR, resolution, refresh rates, and perhaps even speakers – but it is possible to grab something for less than you’d think that ticks more than a few boxes. What you’ll likely get is something that is 1080p (FHD), probably under a 27-inch screen (usually 24-inch screens), and maybe something with an IPS display, although the max brightness may not be mind-blowing when compared against some higher-end models. You’ll also find that they’re a bit smaller, which is good if you don’t have a load of desk space.
Best gaming monitor under $150: LG UltraGear 24GQ50F-B
LG UltraGear 24GQ50F-B
Size
24″
Refresh rate
165Hz
Response time
1ms
Panel
VA
Resolution
1920 x 1080
- Fast response time
- Fast refresh rate
- Sturdy stand
- Freesync
- Basic design
Recently coming down in price is this fantastic gaming monitor from LG. The UltraGear 24GQ50F-B is the perfect monitor for any gamer, but especially for those who enjoy a competitive FPS title. This monitor comes with a lightning-fast 165HZ refresh rate and 1ms response time, making it ideal for the competitive sphere in games like CS2, Fortnite, and Valorant. The pixel density is also ideal, given its smaller 24″ size at the 1080p resolution.
The monitor also comes with AMD’s Freesync Premium technology to eliminate screen tearing and really create the smoothest gaming experience you can get at an affordable price. Furthermore, this 1080p 24-inch monitor comes with a Black Stabilizer, helping you spot an enemy even in the darkest of settings, backed up by the decent 1800:1 contrast ratio. The design is what some would consider “boring,” but it is essentially just a matte black gaming monitor with the only real flare coming from the angled stand and the patterned back. The stand itself is very sturdy and limits monitor movement (even when you get a little rage).
Overall, we have an excellent gaming monitor for under $150, offering everything you could need at this price bracket and more. It is also worth mentioning that LG is renowned for the quality of its monitors, and build quality can’t be sniffed at when working with a budget.
Best monitor under $150 for general use: BenQ GW2480
BenQ GW2480
Size
24″
Refresh Rate
60Hz
Response time
5ms
Panel
IPS
Resolution
1920 x 1080
- Great color reproduction
- IPS panel
- Great Overall Build Quality
- Mediocre response time
- 60Hz refresh rate
The BenQ GW2480 monitor is more optimized for home and office use, but its IPS panel, incredible color accuracy, and 5ms response time give gamers a great low-cost option. The design is that classic BenQ look, with thin bezels and a sturdy stand to boot. While the stand only features a bit of tilt, there is a compartment to hide your cables inside, leaving your setup looking cleaner than ever.
While there may not be many gaming features for this budget option, the 24″ IPS panel is beautiful and delivers colors with incredible accuracy for the price. Surprisingly, this comes with a 5ms response time, which we consider to be the upper limit for gamers, but you aren’t going to notice any difference unless you play a lot of competitive games. As this is a BenQ, you get their proprietary eye-care technology and some built-in speakers for use straight out of the box. The viewing angles are very wide thanks to the IPS panel, leaving you with a monitor you can use for much more than just gaming.
Overall, this Full HD 1080p monitor is a great budget option, coming way under the $150 mark. While it may not be the best for gaming, it has plenty of features for the price, plus that BenQ build quality.
Best curved gaming monitor under $150: AOC Curved C24G1A
AOC Curved C24G1A
Size
24″
Refresh Rate
165Hz
Response Time
1ms
Panel Type
VA
Maximum Resolution
1920×1080
- Fantastic value for money
- 144Hz refresh rate
- Decent colour accuracy
- Curved display
- 24″ not ideal for curved panels
- Limited stand adjustment
The AOC C24G1 is a frameless curved beast and features everything you could want for a budget gaming monitor. Our top curved selection comes in the form of this gaming monitor from AOC. The C24G1A features a rapid 1ms response time for low input lag and a 144Hz refresh rate to give competitive gamers a superb option in a pinch. The gaming specs don’t end there, though, with this monitor also shipping with AMD’s FreeSync Premium, VESA compatibility, and a three-year guarantee on zero dead pixels.
The VA display is 1080p (Full HD), giving off excellent colors and providing gamers with great viewing angles, making this more than just for gaming. Looks-wise, this AOC monitor certainly features one of the nicest designs in this roundup, and that is helped by the impressive-looking stand that is built to help you get the perfect height while playing. Adding to the looks is the frameless-looking bezels and overall thin profile, a great gaming monitor for under $150 here.
Best IPS gaming monitor under $150
Acer SB242Y EBI
Screen Size
23.8″
Refresh Rate
100Hz
Response Time
1ms
Panel Type
IPS
Resolution
1920 x 1080
- Fast 1ms response time
- Zero-Frame IPS panel
- AMD FreeSync support
- VESA mount compatible
- 100Hz response time not the best
The Acer SB242Y EBI is a fantastic display that markets itself as a gaming/office hybrid of sorts. While that does result in a 100Hz refresh rate (via the HDMI port), a little lower than what we’re used to on a gaming monitor, the IPS panel allows for great visuals nonetheless. As an IPS monitor, it boasts a crisp display that delivers great color performance that isn’t compromised by viewing angles. Not only do games look good on this monitor, but they are completely responsive, too, with the response time on this being only 1 ms. The monitor also features AMD’s Freesync technology, which means you can play your favorite games without getting any lag input, resulting in a screen tear.
The design is simple but sleek and looks really clean and professional, with a touch of flare coming from the unique-looking stand. Acer calls this a zero frame, and it looks great; it’s worth checking out our best thin bezel monitor guide if that is what you are into. The monitor is VESA mountable, giving various options depending on your setup. For the price, this 1080p monitor is a bargain and will enhance your overall gaming experience. If that’s what you want this for, don’t forget with its IPS display, this could be used for media and work, too.
How we choose best monitor under $150
Whether we’re reviewing the best gaming monitors under $150 or the best GPUs on the market, choosing the right hardware can always be a tricky task. It requires hours of product research, performance benchmarking, and reviewing user feedback to get anywhere close to a definitive conclusion on what to recommend.
If you aren’t tech-savvy and struggle to put the time aside to go through the above requirements, you may end up purchasing a gaming monitor that isn’t right for you. Fear not, though, friends! Here at WePC, we like to take the stress of research away, and transform the whole process into an easy-to-follow, complete buyers guide. That’s right, our team of PC enthusiasts has done all the hard work for you!
How we test the best monitor under $150
Testing the products we recommend is a huge part of the overall selection process in our best of guides. It’s a way to make sure what we recommend is, without a doubt, the best option in its specific category. To be sure a gaming monitor is “the best,” it must show excellent performance in our tests and display better qualities and features than the competition it faces.
Many of the products we recommend here at WePC have gone through a strict testing process that involves everything from price and performance to building quality, efficiency, and aesthetics. Each product is pushed to the limit to see how it performs under intense stress to make sure it warrants our coveted top spot. Doing this enables us to provide you with the most accurate review of how the product performs and, ultimately, whether it’s worth your hard-earned cash. See our full monitor testing process while you’re here.
How to get the best monitor under $150
Regardless of whether you are spending upwards of $300+ or going for a gaming monitor for under $150, knowing what to look for is an important part of the process. Below, we have gone over a few key factors you should consider before making your final purchase. These key factors will not only make choosing your next monitor easier but also ensure you get a product that fits your needs and limit the risk of wasting any money.
Screen resolution
When it comes to the best gaming monitors for under $150, you aren’t really going to see a variety in screen resolution. In fact, the majority of options available in this price range are going to be 1080p.
The screen’s resolution can have a direct impact on performance. You are playing a demanding game, so if your PC is old or features slower components, you may want to avoid going for 1440p gaming monitors and up. On the flip side of that argument, if you have an excellent gaming computer, it may be worth investing in a 1440p gaming monitor to show off your games and future-proof your setup further.
Panel types
Today, most modern monitors are manufactured using TFT-LCD (thin-film transistor–liquid crystal display) technology. There are other technologies, too, each with its own plus points and drawbacks. Each panel type performs best in different situations. For example, some are more responsive, whereas others boast wide viewing angles or color accuracy.
The three main panel types are TN (twisted nematic), VA (vertical alignment), and IPS (in-plane switching). To better understand the differences, take a quick look at the table below, and if you still want to know more, check out this page all about the different panel types:
Response time
A low response time is one of the more important factors and something we can often take for granted.
Response times can vary dramatically from monitor to monitor, even with gaming monitors, but 1ms is very common these days. Most gaming monitors for under $150 will be under 5ms, and as a general rule of thumb, the faster the response time, the better that monitor is going to be for gaming. Lower response time is especially important for competitive players who have a lot of fast-moving imagery on their screen that needs to be seen as quickly as possible.
Refresh rate
Unless you are on a tight budget or are looking into 4K gaming, a refresh rate is of high importance. A monitor’s refresh rate is measured in Hz(Hertz) and is a way of measuring how fast a particular monitor can refresh the image on the screen.
Refresh rates vary from 60Hz to 240Hz, with some even higher coming out more recently, but, generally speaking, the faster the refresh rate, the better, with the odd exception to this rule.
60Hz is fine for gaming but should be avoided if and where possible unless you are planning on buying a 4K monitor. 60Hz can also be a great option for those on tighter budgets or just looking for a casual monitor.
144Hz could be considered the new benchmark of where you want to be, and a monitor that features 144Hz should always be considered first, even if it means you may have to save for a little longer. Jumping from 60Hz to 144Hz is a very noticeable difference, and the quicker refresh rates are ideal for any FPS competitive players out there.
FreeSync and G-Sync
Now, with monitors under $150 offering higher refresh rates than ever before, you want to look out for variable refresh rate (VRR) technology such as AMD FreeSync or Nvidia G-Sync. This is very much a standard feature these days, but more budget options may opt to forgo this feature. Luckily, regardless of the graphics card (whether it be AMD or Nvidia), you can make use of either of these VRR technologies.
They are designed to negate the effects of screen tearing, which can occur when in-game framerates don’t match your display’s frame rate. VRR syncs your monitor refresh rate to your graphics card / in-game frame rate to ensure there are no lapses in image smoothness or image quality.
Frequently Asked Questions
What brands make gaming monitors under $150?
Fear not if you have the assumption that only cheap brands produce gaming monitors under $150. Some of the most well-known names in the monitor business offer up cheap gaming monitors around this price range. We feature the likes of LG, BenQ, Acer, and more.
Are gaming monitors under $150 good?
Monitor technology is evolving all the time, and with it, prices drop to make way for new and exciting offerings. That said, can you really get a good monitor for under $150? Well, the answer is fairly simple, yes.
Today’s high-end monitor will likely be tomorrow’s budget pick – or something like that. The point I’m making is, monitors from a few years ago that were considered high-end – and still offer good gaming performance today – are rapidly falling in price. Many of which currently feature for under $150. Furthermore, with manufacturing methods becoming more efficient, the cost of cheaper technologies is naturally falling.
Can you get a 144Hz monitor under $150?
Monitor technology has now surpassed 144Hz refresh rates – and by a considerable amount. Modern-day panels now come equipped with 360Hz refresh rates or even higher, making 144hz alternatives quite a bit cheaper and easily attainable under $150.
These days, plenty of 165Hz monitors are available in this price range too. The cheapest in today’s market can be found for just over the $100 mark. Happy with 144Hz? Check out our best cheap 144Hz monitor guide for even more.
Are monitors under $150 worth it?
You may be asking – why go for one? Well, spending less on your monitor is a great way of saving money for other components, whether it’s a new motherboard or GPU, or perhaps even a new console. If you do however want something slightly higher spec than the options we’ve chosen in this guide, it may be worth taking advantage of sales periods – especially the likes of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. There you can find some cracking deals, with even some of the best 4K monitors dropping to around $200-$250, not too bad relatively speaking.
There are many great options out there under $150 these days, so these gaming monitors are well worth it if you want something competitive, especially at 1080p. Some of the biggest brands have monitors within this price bracket, so high quality is not a worry.
Final word
With prices dropping year on year, it is becoming much easier to find the best gaming monitors for under $150, with 144Hz options easily achievable and slightly higher 165Hz options out there. You no longer have to compromise too much with refresh rates, giving those on tighter budgets more options than ever before. Even curved monitors have joined the party.
With that being said, if you have to buy a monitor for under 150 dollars, then we think that the LG UltraGear 24GQ50F-B is a good choice. The monitor offers a 24-inch screen with an FHD resolution, which should deliver good picture quality. For gaming, you get a 165Hz refresh rate and a 1ms response time, which is good enough for you to play competitive, fast-paced titles like Valorant or CS:GO. Overall, for this price point, the LG model is a good pick.
Overall, any of these monitors would be a solid addition, but if this is still a little steep for your budget, then consider one of our under $100 picks. If you can save a few extra pennies and stretch your monitor budget close to $200, this is where you start to see some monitors optimal for gaming with many improved features.
