The Best Gaming Monitors Under 300 USD (2023 Reviews)

Looking for the best monitor for gaming for under 300 USD? We’ve picked out the absolute best choices available in the $250-$300 range including 144Hz, 240Hz, 1440p, ultrawide and 4K models!

These are the best monitors under $300 for gaming, but some of the listed displays are also great for other activities including designing, editing, watching movies, etc.

All of the included monitors have proven reliable performance and you can rest assured that they are worth the money; just make sure to follow our guidelines and recommendations and we guarantee you’ll pick the ideal monitor for your needs.

Now, some of the monitors we picked are only available for under $300 when they’re on sale, but they’re worth the investment or the wait for a sale regardless. We’ll also mention noteworthy alternatives in the review summaries below.

If you want to view our changelogs for this particular buying guide, you can do so at the end of this article.

Best 1440p Gaming Monitors

In comparison to the standard 1080p Full HD resolution, 1440p WQHD will provide you with significantly more details and screen real estate.

However, if you plan on playing the latest games at 1440p, make sure that your CPU and GPU will be able to handle it.

About The Monitor

The AOC CQ27G3S is a 1440p 144Hz gaming monitor based on a curved VA panel with high contrast for deep blacks. It’s perfect for those who want both immersive and responsive gaming experience, but aren’t particularly competitive.

Image Quality

The AOC CQ27G3S offers the perfect screen size/resolution ratio; this ratio is referred to as pixel density, which in this case amounts to 108.79 PPI (Pixels Per Inch). Basically, you get plenty of screen real estate as well as crisp details without any scaling necessary.

Further, the VA panel of the AOC CQ27G3S monitor features a high static contrast ratio of 3,000:1, a decent peak luminance of 250-nits and 8-bit color depth support with a wide ~120% sRGB gamut.

Now, the colors are not as accurate as that of the IPS models included in this guide, but they are vibrant nonetheless, and the high contrast ratio and screen curvature of 1500R definitely help provide an engaging viewing experience.

Moving on, the response time speed is the weakest point of all VA monitors (at least at this price range) meaning that you can expect some noticeable trailing behind fast-moving objects in faster games, particularly when dark pixels are predominant in the picture.

For casual gaming though, it’s totally tolerable considering the image quality and features you receive for the price.

Features

The AOC CQ27G3S is equipped with the 1ms MPRT backlight strobing technology, which can further reduce the perceived motion blur at the cost of picture brightness.

You also get AMD FreeSync with a 48-165Hz VRR range.

Unfortunately, some units of the AOC CQ27G3S (and most other monitors based on VA panels) are affected by the brightness flickering issue when FreeSync is enabled.

This brightness flickering is mostly visible when your FPS fluctuates a lot or when it gets below 48FPS and triggers LFC. It doesn’t affect all units of the monitor, and it’s not visible in all video games.

Other features include pre-calibrated picture presets, custom crosshairs, Shadow Control for gamma curvature adjustments, Game Color (saturation presets), and MBR (manual backlight strobing frequency adjustment from 0 to 20).

Design & Connectivity

The design of the monitor is exceptionally good considering the price.

You get an ergonomic stand with up to 130mm height adjustment, +/- 40° swivel, -5°/23° tilt and 100x100mm VESA mount compatibility, while the screen has a steep 1000R curvature for added immersion.

Connectivity options include two HDMI 2.0 ports, a single DisplayPort 1.2 input and a headphone jack. The monitor also supports the 1440p 120Hz mode on the Xbox One X and PS5.

Alternatives

• Gigabyte G27QC A and AOC CQ27G2 – older models with similar image quality, performance and features, but a more moderate 1500R screen curvature

About The Monitor

You can even find a 32″ 1440p high refresh rate VA gaming monitor for under $300, such as the Gigabyte M32QC!

Image Quality

The 2560×1440 screen resolution doesn’t look as good on 32″ monitors as it does on 27″ sized screens due to the lower pixel density.

In fact, a 32″ 1440p monitor has the same pixel density as a 24″ 1080p monitor, so you’ll get the same detail clarity, just on a much larger screen and with a bit more screen space due to the higher resolution.

However, since a 32″ display is bigger, you’ll also sit further away from it than you would from a 24″ monitor meaning that individual pixels won’t be as noticeable (not noticeable at all from ~3ft or ~90cm).

Further, a bigger display improves gaming immersion, but we don’t recommend 32″ monitors for competitive gaming as you’d have to move your eyes/neck a lot to see everything that’s happening on the screen.

Just like the AOC CQ27G3S, the Gigabyte M32QC has a high contrast ratio for deep blacks and wide coverage of the DCI-P3 gamut (94%) for vibrant colors. It’s also significantly brighter with a 350-nit peak brightness (400-nits for HDR) and supports HDR10. Since it’s only entry-level HDR support, you shouldn’t pay any attention to it.

Features

AMD FreeSync is supported with a 48-165Hz dynamic range, but some units are affected by VRR brightness flickering. It’s also overclockable to 170Hz.

The monitor also supports backlight strobing through Gigabyte’s Aim Stabilizer Sync implementation, which allows for simultaneous VRR and MBR operation.

Just like with all VA monitors at this price range, some smearing is noticeable (mainly in darker scenes). Some users won’t mind it at all or find it tolerable, while other gamers sensitive to it should consider an IPS display instead.

Other features include Picture in Picture, Picture by Picture, Black Equalizer (improves visibility in dark scenes), various picture presets and crosshair overlays.

Design & Connectivity

The stand of the monitor is sturdy and offers height adjustment up to 100mm, tilt by -5°/20° and 100x100mm VESA mount compatibility. The screen has a moderate 1500R curvature for added immersion.

Connectivity options include DisplayPort 1.2, two HDMI 2.0 ports, USB-C (with DP Alt Mode and 18W Power Delivery), a headphone jack and a dual-USB 3.0 hub. There’s also a built-in KVM functionality.

Alternatives

• Gigabyte G32QCA – An older version of this monitor without KVM and USB-C
• LG 32GN650 – a 32″ 1440p 144Hz monitor with a flat-screen VA panel, but it doesn’t have a wide color gamut

We’d also like to again bring up the issue of VRR brightness flickering and noticeable dark level smearing that affects all these VA monitors. Some users might not be sensitive to it, in which case the monitors are worth considering as you get a higher contrast ratio in comparison to IPS technology.

However, if you want smooth VRR performance and no noticeable ghosting, you can nowadays find 27″ 1440p 144Hz IPS monitors at the same price range, which we’ll get into next.

About The Monitor

Do you prefer smooth performance over high contrast ratio?

You should consider the Acer Nitro XV272U V instead of the CQ27G3S.

Image Quality

The IPS panel of the Acer XV272UV ensures that there’ll be no prominent smearing behind fast-moving objects in dark scenes thanks to its fast pixel response time.

Further, there’s no FreeSync brightness flickering associated with high refresh rate VA panel monitors.

FreeSync is supported with a 48-170Hz range, and ‘G-SYNC Compatible’ works without any issues.

Now, the Acer XV272UV has a contrast ratio of 1,000:1, so blacks won’t be as deep and inky as those of VA models, but you get wider viewing angles and consistent colors without gamma/saturation shifts.

Additionally, it supports a wide 95% DCI-P3 (~125% sRGB) color gamut for more saturated colors, and there’s an sRGB mode for better color accuracy.

Lastly, the screen can get quite bright thanks to its 400-nit peak brightness.

Features

The monitor also supports backlight strobing once you enable ‘VRB’ in the OSD menu. It can’t be active at the same time as VRR though, and brightness is reduced.

Other useful features include Black Boost (improves visibility in darker scenes), various picture presets and crosshair overlays.

Check out our Acer XV272UV review for more information.

Design & Connectivity

The design of the monitor is sturdy and has a good range of adjustments, including up to 110mm height adjustment, -5°/25° tilt, 90° pivot, 360° swivel and 100x100mm VESA mount compatibility.

Connectivity options include two HDMI 2.0 ports, DisplayPort 1.2, dual 2W speakers and a headphone jack.

Alternatives

• MSI G273QF
• HP X27q
• LG 27GL83A

All of these 27″ 1440p 144Hz monitors can be found for below $300 on sale. They have minor differences when it comes to image quality, performance, features and design, so you can pick whichever suits you best.

We recommend Acer’s model as it offers both fast response time and a wide color gamut, and goes for ~$250 on sale.

Best 1080p Gaming Monitors

For the highest frame rate, lowest input lag and smoothest performance in the eSports titles, a lower screen resolution is preferred because it’s a lot less taxing on your CPU/GPU.

About The Monitor

The ViewSonic XG2431 is actually one of the cheapest 240Hz monitors you can get, yet it offers flawless VRR performance, an impeccable MBR implementation and an IPS panel for vibrant colors!

Image Quality

As far as the picture quality is concerned, you get the same viewing experience as with the standard 25″ 1080p IPS panels.

This includes a 1,000:1 contrast ratio, a 400-nit peak brightness, wide viewing angles, 8-bit color depth support and 99% sRGB color gamut coverage.

The 1080p resolution provides a decent pixel-per-inch ratio on the 24.5″ viewable screen of the monitor. More importantly, it allows you to easily reach high frame rates in the eSports titles.

Features

The ViewSonic XG2431 offers smooth VRR performance and a backlight strobing feature fine-tuned by Blur Busters for CRT-like motion clarity.

Other useful features include Black Stabilization (improves visibility in darker games) and various picture presets.

Check out our ViewSonic XG2431 review for more information.

Design & Connectivity

The XG2431 240Hz monitor features a fully ergonomic design with up to 120mm height adjustment, -5°/15­° tilt, +/- 90° swivel, 90° rotation and 100x100mm VESA mount compatibility.

Connectivity options include two HDMI 2.0 ports, DisplayPort 1.4, a headphone jack, dual 3W speakers and a dual-USB 3.0 hub. FreeSync is supported over both HDMI 2.0 and DisplayPort 1.4 with a 48-240Hz variable refresh rate range.

Alternatives

If you don’t need MBR, you can find the Dell S2522HG 24.5″ 1080p 240Hz IPS gaming monitor for just $210 – $250.

About The Monitor

Nowadays, you can even find a 360Hz gaming monitor for under $300 on sale!

Image Quality

The Acer Aopen 25XV2QF features an IPS panel with a 400-nit peak brightness, a 1,000:1 contrast ratio and vibrant colors, even extending a bit beyond the sRGB color space with a ~115% sRGB gamut size.

Additionally, it has a rapid response time speed, low input lag and it’s overclockable up to 390Hz!

What’s more, you can use variable refresh rate and backlight strobing at 390Hz, though not at the same time.

Besides stable VRR performance and excellent MBR implementation, you also get standard gaming features, such as Black Boost, crosshair overlays, on-screen timers, various picture presets, etc.

You can check out our Acer XV252QF review for more information. It’s the same monitor with different branding.

Design & Connectivity

The stand offers height adjustment up to 120mm, tilt by -5°/25°, 360° swivel, 90° pivot and 100x100mm VESA mount compatibility.

Connectivity options include DisplayPort 1.4, two HDMI 2.0 ports (max 240Hz), a headphone jack and dual 2W integrated speakers.

Best UltraWide Monitors

For under $300, you can also get a nice ultrawide monitor. These monitors feature a 21:9 aspect ratio instead of the standard 16:9 which means that they are shorter but a lot wider and thus provide a more cinematic and immersive viewing experience.

Make sure your favorite games support the 21:9 format! For more ultrawide displays, visit our best ultrawide monitor buyer’s guide.

About The Monitor

The Sceptre C305B-200UN offers a high refresh rate of 200Hz as well as a high contrast ratio.

Image Quality

The 3,000:1 static contrast ratio of the Sceptre C305B-200UN ensures a more vivid relation between the darkest and the brightest tones and true, deep blacks.

However, it has a bit limited color gamut (90% sRGB), so it’s not fit for content creation if you care about accurate colors.

Now, the main asset of Sceptre’s monitor is the 200Hz refresh rate. Unfortunately, such a fast refresh rate is bottlenecked by the monitor’s response time speed.

At higher frame rates, the pixels won’t be able to keep changing as fast as the refresh rate demands, which will result in prominent ghosting and black smearing.

Setting the refresh rate to 144Hz is more realistic for the pixel response time of the Sceptre C305B-200UN, but in some games, the 200Hz refresh rate will do just fine.

This isn’t a big deal-breaker as we would highly recommend this monitor at this price even if it had a 144Hz maximum refresh rate.

Additionally, gaming features include pre-calibrated picture presets and AMD FreeSync support with a 48-200Hz range over DisplayPort (HDMI is limited to 165Hz) and stable G-SYNC performance.

Some units are affected by the VRR brightness flickering issue.

Design & Connectivity

The Sceptre C305B has a tilt-only stand but it’s VESA mount compatible by using the provided adapter. Other design features include two red LED strips at the back of the monitor, 1800R screen curvature and ultra-thin bezels.

When it comes to connectivity, there’s one of each: HDMI 1.4, HDMI 2.0 and DP 1.2 as well as a headphone jack and two 3W built-in speakers.

About The Monitor

If you want both a fast IPS panel with accurate colors and a high 200Hz refresh rate, the MSI MAG301RF is for you! It goes for a bit over $300, but it’s often on sale for ~$280; it’s worth the money regardless.

Image Quality

Thanks to its 200Hz refresh rate and rapid 1ms GtG pixel response time speed, there’s zero ghosting behind fast-moving objects, making it ideal for fast-paced games.

Moreover, it supports FreeSync up to 200Hz and it’s certified as G-SYNC Compatible, so there won’t be any brightness flickering or other visual artifacts – just smooth tear-free gameplay all the way up to 200FPS!

It covers the entire sRGB color space for accurate yet rich colors, while other specifications include a 300-nit peak brightness and a 1,000:1 static contrast ratio.

Useful features include MBR, Night Vision (improves visibility in darker scenes), various picture presets and crosshair overlays.

Check out our MSI MAG301RF review for more information.

Design & Connectivity

The stand of the monitor is robust and offers height adjustment up to 130mm, -5°/20° tilt, +/- 45° swivel and 100x100mm VESA mount compatibility.

Connectivity options include two HDMI 2.0 ports (max 180Hz), DisplayPort 1.2, a headphone jack and a dual-USB 2.0 hub.

About The Monitor

Nowadays, you can even find a 34″ 3440×1440 ultrawide monitor for under $300!

Image Quality

If you want a larger 34″ ultrawide monitor, there are a few low refresh rate 2560×1080 models with low pixel density, but the Samsung S34J550W is the only model available with 3440×1440!

The 34″ 3440×1440 screen provides you with a high pixel density of 110 PPI. So, it’s essentially a 27″ 2560×1440 display that’s just ~33% wider, providing you with a lot of screen space and sharp details.

It has a VA panel with a high 3,000:1 contrast ratio for deep blacks, decent 300-nit peak brightness and the standard sRGB color gamut.

With a 75Hz refresh rate, you get a small but noticeable boost in motion clarity in comparison to 60Hz, but the performance is nowhere near the fluidity of 120Hz+.

Still, with a mid-range GPU, you most likely won’t be exceeding 75FPS at 3440×1440 in the latest AAA titles with decent settings, so it gives you a lot to work with for a budget display.

FreeSync is supported with a 48-75Hz variable refresh rate range, but some users have been able to extend it via CRU, as well as to overclock the display up to ~90Hz. However, this will vary from unit to unit.

Design & Connectivity

The stand of the monitor is tilt-only, but the screen is 100x100mm VESA mount compatible. Connectivity options include HDMI 2.0, HDMI 1.4, DisplayPort 1.2 and a headphone jack.

About The Monitor

In case you’d rather have a 34″ 3440×1440 ultrawide monitor with a higher refresh rate and an IPS panel with faster response time than the high contrast ratio of the Samsung S34J550, the Sceptre E345W-QUT offers excellent value for money.

Image Quality

The monitor has a decent peak brightness of 300-nits, a static contrast ratio of 1,000:1 and full sRGB color gamut coverage.

Note that 100Hz provides a noticeable improvement in motion clarity. We find that the jump from 60Hz/75Hz to 100Hz is more visible than the difference between 100Hz and 144Hz.

What’s more, the Sceptre E345W supports VRR up to 100FPS for tear-free gameplay as well as Picture in Picture and Picture by Picture.

Design & Connectivity

The stand offers -5°/15° tilt, while the screen is 100x100mm VESA mount compatible. Connectivity options include two HDMI 1.4 ports (max 75Hz), HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.2, a headphone jack, and two 3W integrated speakers.

Alternatives

• Gigabyte G34WQCA – For ~$50 more, you can get a 34″ 3440×1440 165Hz ultrawide gaming monitor with a curved VA panel. It has a higher contrast ratio and wider color gamut, but not as fast response time or smooth VRR performance
• LG 34GP63A – Another VA model. It can be found on sale for $300, but it doesn’t have a wide color gamut
• HP X34 – 34″ 3440×1440 165Hz flat-screen IPS ultrawide monitor with sRGB color gamut; goes on sale for ~$350

Best 4K Monitors

You can also get a 4K monitor for 300 USD, and quite a good one at that.

Keep in mind though that for gaming at 4K, you’ll need a powerful PC rig to run new games at decent settings and frame rates.

About The Monitor

Want the Ultra HD resolution for the sharpest picture quality? 

The Philips 278E1A is one of the rare 4K monitors actually available for under $300, but it’s very good!

Image Quality

The 4K UHD resolution provides incredible picture quality with crispy details.

The Philips 278E1A features an IPS panel with 10-bit color support (8-bit + FRC), a 1,000:1 contrast ratio, a 350-nit peak brightness and 109% sRGB color space coverage.

What does this mean for you?

Not only will the picture be sharp and crisp; it will have vibrant and accurate colors fit for aspiring designers.

Unfortunately, PC gaming at 4K is quite demanding, so you will need a powerful system or to lower the picture settings in certain games.

The good thing is that due to the high resolution, you won’t need to use anti-aliasing, which will help with the frame rate performance.

Scaling

Since the Philips 278E1A is 27″ in size, the 4K resolution will result in a very high pixel density of roughly 163 PPI. This will make everything tiny, so you will need to scale up everything in order to make text readable.

Sadly, some applications (including some video games) don’t scale well, though that’s mostly the case with outdated software. Either way, be sure to check out how your favorite applications handle scaling.

Design & Connectivity

The Philips 278E1A sports ultra-thin bezels and it’s VESA mount compatible, but tilt-only. Connectivity includes two HDMI 2.0 ports, DisplayPort 1.2 and a headphone jack.

Alternatives

LG’s 27UL500 and its many variations with FreeSync support can sometimes be found for $300 on sale. If you’re looking for something cheaper, check out the Sceptre U275W-UPT – it even has 70Hz, but not quite as wide color gamut.

We highly recommend getting the ASUS VG289Q for ~$310 instead. It has a slightly larger 28″ screen, a wider 90% DCI-P3 color gamut and AMD FreeSync support.

About The Monitor

4K UHD resolution looks amazing even on 32″ sized screens, but for under $300, you’ll have to go with a VA model, which has its ups and downs. A few models can be found on sale for $300, including the LG 32UL500.

Image Quality

On a 32″ sized screen, 4K resolution results in a pixel density of roughly 140 PPI. So, you still get plenty of screen space with sharp details and text. Some users even prefer not to use any scaling here!

Besides the larger screen, the LG 32UL500 also provides you with a higher 3,000:1 contrast ratio for deeper blacks and a wide 95% DCI-P3 gamut coverage for more vibrant colors in comparison to the Philips 278E1A.

It supports FreeSync with a 40-60Hz VRR range and while there’s some minor ghosting in darker scenes, it’s negligible when it comes to casual gaming.

Design & Connectivity

The stand of the monitor is tilt-only and supports 100x100mm VESA mount compatibility, while connectivity options include two HDMI 2.0 ports, DisplayPort 1.2, a headphone jack and dual 5W integrated speakers.

Alternatives

LG offers a lot of similar 32″ 4K 60Hz monitors (UK, UL, UN and UP series), so make sure to check out our comparison between all models. Usually, at least one model goes for below $300.

Other 32″ 4K VA monitors that can be found for below $300 include Samsung’s S32A70 and U32J590 models, but they don’t support a wide color gamut.

Buyer’s Guide – How To Pick The Right Gaming Monitor

When choosing a monitor for gaming at this price point, there are several things you should take into account. We’ve already been through the most important features and specifications for each monitor, so here’s a quick sum-up.

60Hz vs 144Hz vs 240Hz – What Is The Difference?

The video above can give you a general idea about motion clarity and smoothness at different refresh/frame rates.

Generally, there’s a drastic boost in motion clarity when going from 60Hz/75Hz to 144Hz. To take full advantage of it, you will need to maintain ~144FPS as well.

The jump to 240Hz from 144Hz isn’t as noticeable as going from 60Hz to 144Hz, but the difference is certainly there. If you’re a competitive gamer and play undemanding eSports titles when you can maintain ~240FPS, 240Hz is for you.

1080p vs 1440p vs 4K

Now, unless you have a really powerful computer rig, we recommend against getting a 4K monitor for gaming. It’s simply too demanding, and you will likely end up lowering picture settings to gain more frame rate, which kind of defeats the purpose of a high resolution.

So, when it comes to 1080p 240Hz vs. 1440p 144Hz, it solely depends on what type of games you play.

For competitive first-person shooters such as CS: GO and Overwatch, a 240Hz monitor is an obvious choice — and if you play more graphically-oriented games and use your PC for other things too, go with 1440p 144Hz.

IPS vs VA

Moving on, IPS panels offer wide 178-degree viewing angles, a fast response time speed and accurate colors.

VA panels have the best contrast ratio for the deepest blacks as well as a superior relation between the brightest and the darkest colors.

If you want a display with deep blacks, though, you will have to deal with some motion blur in fast-paced games, at least at this price range.

UltraWide vs Widescreen

If one of the ultrawide monitors has caught your attention, there are some things you should keep in mind.

First of all, ensure that video games you play the most support the 21:9 ultrawide format or you’ll play with black borders at the sides or a stretched picture.

Ultrawide monitors are great for watching movies as the 21:9 format is closer to the native aspect ratio of movies (2.39:1).

Finally, the extra horizontal space makes for more enjoyable web surfing, working, multi-tasking, and other everyday activities.

Conclusion

There you have it! These are the absolute best gaming monitors under $300 you can get right now. We’ve carefully selected only the best models and made sure that you have a wide selection.

For competitive gamers out there, the ViewSonic XG2431 will deliver the best results, granted that you can push ~240FPS. If you prefer lower input lag to motion clarity, go with the Acer Aopen 25XV2QF instead if you can reach ~390FPS.

If you’d rather have a bigger screen with a higher resolution as well as a responsive gaming experience, we recommend going with the Acer XV272UV.

In case you’re after something a bit different, we recommend the MSI MAG301RF for fast-paced games and the Sceptre E345W-QUT for graphically-oriented games as well as productivity work and basic content creation.

Still not sure what monitor to get?

Let us know in the comments below, and we’ll gladly help!