In this guide, we’ve taken a look at nine of the best cheap 144Hz monitors for gaming. All nine monitors come in at ~$200 or lower, making them perfect for budget-oriented gamers.
With the rise of esports and competitive gaming, gamers everywhere are looking for as much of a competitive advantage over their opponents as possible. And, one way to gain an advantage is with a high refresh rate monitor that will allow you to get as high of a framerate as possible.
In the past, high refresh rate monitors came at a premium. However, in recent years, the price of higher refresh rate monitors have dropped and there are now quite a few cheap 144Hz monitors available. So, in this guide, we’re going to rate and review nine of the best cheap 144Hz gaming monitors.
Table of Contents
– Quick-Look: Top Cheap 144Hz Monitors
1. Top Pick: Sceptre E255B-1658A 24″
2. 27-Inch: Samsung Odyssey G3 27″
A Quick Look at the Best Cheap 144Hz Monitors
For a quick look at our top choices for the best cheap 144Hz monitors, the table below showcases our top pick, our choice for the best cheap 27-inch 144Hz monitor, the top option with G-Sync, our favorite value pick, and the cheapest overall option.
|
NAME | SPECS | RATING | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
TOP PICK
|
Sceptre E255B-1658A |
|
/10 | ||
27-INCH
|
Samsung Odyssey G3 |
|
/10 | ||
G-SYNC
|
Acer XFA240 |
|
/10 | ||
VALUE
|
Sceptre C248B-144RN |
|
/10 | ||
CHEAP
|
AOC C24G1A |
|
/10 |
*If you want to read our overview on each of the monitors above, click “Read Review »” to jump to that specific monitor. For our Honorable Mention picks, keep scrolling down this guide.
1. Sceptre E255B-1658A 24″ Review
Best affordable 165Hz monitor overall
Of all of the options on this list, the Sceptre E255B-1658A stands out the most. Not only does it come in at an incredibly low price, but it also comes with AMD’s FreeSync technology and it sports a 165Hz refresh rate—which is a higher refresh rate than all of the other options on this list.
Another standout feature of the Sceptre E255B-1658A is its thin bezel design. There is almost no border at all around the sides and top of the display, and that makes it a good candidate to use in a triple monitor configuration. This 1080P 24.5-inch LED display also comes with a fast 1ms response time.
All-in-all, the faster refresh rate, ridiculously affordable price tag, and the FreeSync technology help make the Sceptre E255B-1658A out pick for the best affordable 144Hz+ monitor currently on the market.
2. Samsung Odyssey G3 27″ Review
Best cheap 27-inch 144Hz display
For a little more than the Sceptre E255B-1658A, you can get the larger Samsung Odyssey G3. Where the Sceptre E255B-1658A comes with a 24.5-inch display, the Samsung Odyssey G3 offers more screen real estate with its 27-inch screen.
It doesn’t cost a ton extra to get that extra inch-and-a-half of screen space, either. In total, the Odyssey G3 only comes in at ~$50 more expensive than the Sceptre E255B-1658A. And, like the Sceptre E255B-1658A, the Odyssey G3 also comes with AMD’s FreeSync technology.
The Odyssey G3 doesn’t have as high of a refresh rate, though, (165Hz vs 144Hz), but the real-world difference between the two probably won’t be significant. The Sceptre E255B-1658A does come with thinner bezels, though.
Ultimately, if you’d prefer a larger 27-inch display over a more traditional 24-inch display, then the Odyssey G3 is probably the right budget-friendly 144Hz monitor for you. If not, then you can save a little bit of money by opting for the smaller Sceptre E255B-1658A.
3. Acer XFA240 24″ Review
Best cheap G-Sync 144Hz monitor
The Acer XFA240 24″ is our pick for the best G-Sync monitor on this list. In fact, it’s the only option on this list that is compatible with NVIDIA’s G-Sync technology. And, at coming in at just under $200, the Acer XFA240 is the cheapest G-Sync compatible monitor on the market.
It is alsohas a 1ms response time, and it comes with built-in speakers, too.
All of those factors make it an insanely good value for the price it comes in at. So, if you want to utilize NVIDIA’s G-Sync technology (and not AMD’s FreeSync technology—which is not compatible with NVIDIA graphics cards) then the Acer XFA240 is probably your best bet.
If you don’t mind opting to use AMD’s FreeSync technology instead, though, you’re probably better off looking at either of the two options listed above.
4. Sceptre C248B-144RN 24″ Review
Budget-friendly curved 144Hz monitor
If you’re looking for an even cheaper 144Hz monitor option, there are two choices that come in at a price lower than the three options listed above. One of those options is the Sceptre C248B-144RN.
The Sceptre C248B-144RN is a 24-inch 1080P display with a curved panel, a 3ms response time, and a 144Hz refresh rate. It also sports AMD’s FreeSync technology.
And, it comes in at well under ~$160, easily making it one of the cheapest 144Hz displays currently available. It is a few dollars more expensive than the AOC G2460PF listed below. However, we feel like the curved panel and the thinner bezels on the Sceptre C248B-144RN give it a bit more value. If those two things aren’t important to you, though, and you just want the least expensive 144Hz gaming monitor possible, then the AOC G2460PF can be had for a little bit less.
5. AOC C24G1A 24” Review
The cheapest 144Hz gaming monitor
The other ultra-cheap 144Hz monitor is the AOC C24G1A. The AOC G2460PF comes in at a few dollars less than the Sceptre C248B-144RN listed above. And, both monitors offer similar specs. Like the Sceptre C248B-144RN, the AOC G2460PF is a 24-inch 1080P monitor that has a 144Hz refresh rate and comes with AMD’s FreeSync technology.
There are a few differences, though. First, as we mentioned above, the C24G1A comes in at a few dollars less expensive than the C248B-144RN. And, while both options have curved panels, the C248B-144RN has thinner bezels. The C24G1A does have a faster response time than the C248B-144RN, though. (1ms vs 3ms.)
Both monitors are good options, though, and if you don’t need the thin bezel design of the C248B-144RN, then you can save a little bit of money and get the C24G1A instead.
6. Sceptre C275B-144R 27″ Review
Honorable mention #1
If you want a larger 27-inch 144Hz monitor that has a curved panel, the Sceptre C275B-144R is worth checking out. It is nearly $20 more expensive than the Dell D2719HGF—which also has a 27-inch display—but it does come with a curved panel instead of a flat panel.
The Sceptre C275B-144R also comes with AMD’s FreeSync technology, a fairly thin bezel, and a 3ms response time. The 3ms response time is a bit slower than the 2ms response time found on the Dell D2719HGF, but it probably won’t be noticeable in real-world scenarios.
Ultimately, though, if you don’t need the curved panel that the Sceptre C275B-144R comes with, then you’d probably be better off saving some money and opting for the Dell D2719HGF.
7. ViewSonic VX2458-MHD 24″ Review
Honorable mention #2
ViewSonic’s VX2458-MHD is another solid budget-friendly 144Hz display. However, it comes in at nearly ~$20 more expensive than AOC’s G2460PF despite offering a fairly similar feature set.
Both options are 24-inch 1080P displays that have a 1ms response time, a 144Hz refresh rate, and come with AMD’s FreeSync technology.
So, unless the VX2458-MHD comes down significantly in price, it probably isn’t as good of a buy as the AOC G2460PF.
8. ViewSonic XG2401 24″ Review
Honorable mention #3
ViewSonic’s XG2401 is another worthy budget-friendly 144Hz monitor worth considering. It offers a very similar option to the AOC G2460PF and Acer XFA240. And, while both of those options come in at a much more reasonable price, ViewSonic’s XG2401 is an option to consider if it goes on sale.
The XG2401 comes with a 24″ 1080P screen that has a 144Hz refresh rate and a 1ms response time. It also is Freesync ready, so you have an AMD Radeon graphics card you can take advantage of AMD’s adaptive sync technology.
Overall, though, we feel like there are better options on this list in terms of what you pay for what you get. The XG2401 will need to come down quite a bit in price in order to match the price-to-performace ratio of some of our top selections on this list.
9. MSI Optix MAG24C 24″ Review
Honorable mention #4
While MSI isn’t well-established in the monitor market, they are a top brand in gaming desktops, laptops, motherboards, and graphics cards. So, it’s no surprise that they have a produced a quality 144Hz monitor in their Optix MAG24C.
Unfortunately, though, the price that the Optix MAG24C currently comes in at gives it a worse price-to-performance ratio that some of the other options on this list. If you want a curved display, you can get the larger Dell D2719HGF for less. If you just want a 24-inch 144Hz FreeSync monitor, the AOC G2460PF is nearly ~$40 cheaper, or our top pick, the Sceptre E255B-1658A is ~$20 cheaper and comes with a faster refresh rate.
So, again, like many of our Honorable Mention selections, the biggest deterrent to the MSI Optix MAG24C being ranked higher is the price it currently comes in at.
What is the Best Cheap 144Hz Monitor?
The best cheap 144Hz monitor at the moment is the Acer XFA240. If you’re looking for a little bit more performance, the Sceptre E255B-1658A and its 165Hz refresh rate are also worth considering.
But, ultimately, there’s never been a better time than now to buy a 144Hz monitor. For ~$200-$300, the nine options above will give you the opportunity to pick up a solid gaming monitor that will help you gain an edge over the competition.
So, really, even gamers with tight budgets can now afford to grab a cheap 144Hz monitor. Just make sure that, if you are going to grab a 144Hz monitor, that you have a system that can accommodate it. Check out our budget gaming PC builds for an idea of the kind of systems that will support these monitors.