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Last updated on August 19, 2018
Building a new gaming rig is exciting, but there’s a lot you should take into account before shelling out the money. With the recent influx of cryptocurrency, you may find that some of your parts are becoming extremely expensive, and you need to save a bit of money when it comes to other items on your computer checklist. Thankfully, one of the more important pieces in a gaming rig hasn’t been affected too much by the rise in cryptocurrency mining, and that important piece is a monitor. In this article, you’ll find some of the best gaming monitors for under $200.
Factors to Consider Before Buying the Best Gaming Monitor
There are quite a few factors that you should consider before buying the first one you see, and just because you have a budget, doesn’t mean that you should go with the lowest priced monitor possible. If you want to play like the pros, or just see Skyrim in a more beautiful way, then you’ll want to consider the forthcoming factors. Some of these include:
Resolution – imperative for a beautiful visual experience, resolution is important. There are numerous resolutions a monitor can have, but for those who want to game hardcore, the three you’ll want to know are:
- 1080p (full HD)
- 1440p (2K/QHD)
- 2160P (4K/UHD)
In short, the higher the resolution, the more pixels you will see. In having more pixels, your gaming experience amplifies, and your graphics look gorgeous. It’s not all about your graphics card, but surely it helps. Of course, with the highest resolutions, you’ll need specific hardware within your computer, so before taking the plunge because of a fantastic price, you’ll want to make sure it’s compatible with what you have in mind.
There are some monitors and GPUs that aren’t capable of showing more than 30 frames or 60 frames per second, even though it may have a decent resolution. This leads us into our next topic of discussion: the refresh rate.
Refresh rate – If you’re someone that plays first person shooter games, the refresh rate is actually extremely important, as one little big of lag can make you miss a shot you thought you were going to hit for sure. A monitor has an output showing of 60hZ, even if your NVIDIA console says you’re seeing way more frames per second. The higher the refresh rate, the more money you’ll be paying. There are there different refresh rates for monitors including:
- 60HZ
- 144HZ
- 240HZ
As we mentioned earlier, though, just because you have a high refresh rate for your monitor, doesn’t mean your GPU can handle it. When it can’t handle it, you have to make sure the output settings are on a much lower refresh rate and pushing out way less frames. Many graphics cards can’t handle a 144hZ refresh rate and require a much more powerful setup.
Response time – there are many people that get confused and think that refresh rate and response time are one in the same. While they both graphically enhance your gaming experience, they are both very different. In short, the lower your response time, the better the graphics will be, as they’ll be much smoother. The longer your monitor takes to respond, the more motion blur you’ll have, as your monitor doesn’t have time to process and push out quality graphics with the movement of the camera.
Screen size – This is a huge aspect to consider for gamers. Even though there are many other points to look at, the average size of a computer monitor has grown a great deal within the last 10 years. Now, the average size of a gaming monitor is between 21-27 inches, allowing comfort and clarity all wrapped into one. Anything larger than 25-27 inches is incredibly hard to view up close and may be better for someone that doesn’t necessarily having a gaming PC setup, but more of a console or controller on their couch kind of setup. At the end of the day, the size is entirely up to your discretion, and is based on eyesight and personal preference.
You’ll find that there are three different connections on a modern monitor for gaming, including:
- 4 – the best choice for gaming, as it transfers audio/video perfectly and seamlessly
- HDMI 1.4/2.0 – will not transfer audio/video for higher refresh rates at all, or as well
- 5mm Audio Out – designed for convenience in connecting peripherals, instead of the monitor, which can conflict with how others hear during Discord gaming sessions
Curved VS. Non-Curved Monitors
If you’ve been researching gaming rigs within the last few months, you may have noticed that one of the more popular additions to the monitor world is the curved monitor. Some bring a gorgeous and immersive experience, while others fall short and leave you with stretched viewing of an otherwise stunning game.
Why choose a curved monitor? One of the primary reasons why a curved monitor was designed in the first place was because the world is not flat (up to speculation for some, but scientifically proven in the real world). The viewing experience offered by well-made monitors allows the user to immerse themselves in the game and feel like they’re looking out their window, rather than a flat experience.
Unfortunately, curved displays are still very new, and can cost quite a bit. Because there specifically made for the world of gaming, the cost is higher. Combine this with a high refresh rate, and you’ve mostly likely gone over your $200 budget.
You shouldn’t settle for a smaller curved monitor, either, as this will most likely take you back a few steps with your gaming experience. Anything smaller than 30-inches may deter you from playing your favorite games, and may affect your performance; however, a decent curved monitor at this size and a great refresh rate can cost you $1,000+ – obviously not what we’re going for here!
At the end of the day…
Of course, you shouldn’t settle on comfort when it comes to your gaming rig, and finding the perfect gaming desk is imperative, as well as a chair to match. Without comfort, your game could suffer immensely. Those that are into competitive and earning a rank within their favorite game should seek out the most comfortable setup possible.
When you know the aforementioned information, finding the best inexpensive gaming monitor comes easy. You know which ones to weed out, and which could be the best fps gaming monitor for your needs.
The Top Sub-$200 Gaming Monitors Compared
The Best Gaming Monitor Under $200 Reviews
First up on our list is an 
Who doesn’t love a monitor that’s backed by fantastic customer service? Don’t worry about plunging in and feeling like you don’t have a safe backup plan if the monitor isn’t to your liking. Thankfully, ASUS has a 3-year warranty on the product, as well as ASUS Rapid Replacement with a 2-way free shipping feature. If something happens to the monitor that’s out of your control and you need a new one ASAP, they have your back.
If you’re looking for the full 144HZ experience, though, you won’t find it here. Thankfully, it still is able to offer 75HZ when overclocked, and there’s a 1ms response time ensuring that there’s no blur. The monitor isn’t heavy either, so you don’t have to dread moving it around if need be.
The Advantages of the Product
- Flicker-free experiencing, as well as a reduction in eye-fatigue for the best viewing experience possible – minimizing eye-strain
- Stereo speakers in the design of the monitor
- An 80,000,000:1 contrast ratio – reproduces the whites and blacks of an image to create a stunning visual experience
- Rapid replacement, 2-way free shipping, 3-year warranty
- Dual HDMI capabilities
The Disadvantages of the Product
- Not great for designers/artists that use Photoshop – colors aren’t accurate and are more over exaggerated for a better gaming experience
- Not the best internal speakers
Next on our list is quite the impressive monitor. Available within the budget we’ve stated, 
Because of the incredibly fast 1ms response time, the moving motions that your screen will be faced with will allow your games and movies to be seen marvelously. With the lack of longer transition times, motion blur is efficiently reduced. With the inclusion of 144hz as the refresh rate, you’ll be seeing 120 frames per second easily. For those strict FPS shooters that need more frames than what standard monitor can give, this is a fantastic option for you.
There are multiple outputs that you can utilize in your gaming experience, including DVI, VGA, and HDMI. Versatility is key if you want to include multiple forms of media within your gaming setup. There are many things this monitor does for an amazing price that others don’t, including being NVIDIA 3D vision ready, a viewable area of 24-inches total, a high refresh rate, and even 3D Lightboost provided by NVIDIA’s incredible design. This allows you to see a brighter image than other monitors can offer. In doing so, the shutter technology introduced ensures a better visual experience.
The Advantages of the Product
- 144HZ refresh rate, more frames per second
- A quick response time for fantastic imagery
- LED backlighting and a sturdy stand
- NVIDIA 3D options within the design of the monitor
The Disadvantages of the Product
- 3D aspect may look weird to some, and you may not use it at all
- Can be quite bright in the dark
Boasting a fantastic price, there’s even fantastic performance with 
The visual clarity that comes along with owning this monitor is exclusive to the monitor, and the color enhancer that’s equipped on this monitor ensures that the right exposure and visibility in darker in-game environments is optimal. In doing so, this effectively reduces the amount of eye strain you have to partake in, and your eyes can rest a little easier. Furthermore, you can play for longer amounts of time in reducing your eye fatigue.
There are also multiple display modes to make use of, including FPs presets, fighting game preset modes, and even RTS preset models. If you don’t utilize any of these modes, there’s also display mode and smart scaling to help you compose the perfect visual experience. Never worry about flare and reflections ever again, as this was designed by BenQ to reduce that effectively. The compact, but sturdy base, provides ample weight distribution while coming equipped with a slip-resistance design.
The Advantages of the Product
- Full tilt adjustment
- Compatible with both PC and console platforms
- Multiple inputs including DVI-D, headphone jack/line-in, dual HDMI ports, and more
- Comes equipped with low blue light, ZeroFlicker, and reduces eye-fatigue
The Disadvantages of the Product
- Only has 60HZ refresh rate, but fast response time
- Colors may not be as vibrant as some may like
Next on our list is a 
This monitor is available in both 24-inches and 27-inches, with multiple refresh rates available including 75HZ, and 144HZ. There are options for the high adjustable stand, depending on what you like, and it’s quite ergonomic with pivot and swivel adjustments that you may make. Beyond immersing yourself in your favorite game, make sure the game is played how you want and with your comfort in mind.
Equipped with adaptive FreeSync technology, you can support anywhere between 40hz and 75hz for the HDMI port. Depending on what you use this HDMI port for, this is versatile and fantastic in comparison to competitors on the market. Enhance your gaming experience with the color performance and GamePlus functions for control. Exclusive with GameVisual and this monitor, you’ll have an experience like never before.
The Advantages of the Product
- Get in-game enhancements with the GamePlus hotkey experience, provided with this monitor
- Take advantage of the low blue light filter to help reduce your eye fatigue
- Flicker-free technology for a better transition between rapid light changes in and out of gaming
- There is a warranty through Amazon specifically for pixels that are “dead on arrival”
The Disadvantages of the Product
- Item weight may seem like a little much – being 11.3lbs.
- Contrast levels may be difficult to set yourself as some customers have experienced (blotchy backlighting for some models) – may be a consistency issue on the manufacturer’s end
The Advantages of the Product
- Warranty that’s boasted as the industry’s leading warranty – 3-year coverage
- Includes audio and VGA cables, as well as power cables, DVI cables, and more
- Can use this on a PC, laptop, or hook it up to your Mac computer
The Disadvantages of the Product
- The rapid response time is 2ms – 1ms slower than others, may see more blur and transitioning between images might not be as smooth/clear
- LCD, not LED, which can be a huge con to some
FOR THOSE ON A STRICT BUDGET…
Are you on an even steeper budget than you once thought after looking at these monitors? Do you want something that’s going to provide you with an ample viewing experience that’s crisp, clear, and vivid? Fret no more, as 
This full HD monitor has a 16:9 ratio and has 2 million pixels for clarity beyond what you can imagine (for the price!)
The Advantages of the Product
- The price is truly nice
- Arsenic-free glass within the monitor
- LED backlighting that contains NO mercury whatsoever
- Energy efficiency is promoted within this product
- Doesn’t need a ton of GPU power to function
The Disadvantages of the Product
- 7ms response time – a bit slow and may show a bit of blur within frame transitions
- Doesn’t have a high refresh rate – for gaming on a budget
Finding top budget gaming monitors can be tough when most of them boast the same features. If you haven’t tried many of them and can’t tell which may be a step up from your own, you should definitely seek one of these fantastic budget gaming monitors – we don’t think you’ll be disappointed!
