Best gaming monitor under $300 in 2024 – our top picks
A comprehensive look at some of the market's best mid-tier gaming monitors
WePC is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Prices subject to change. Learn more
If you are in the market for the best gaming monitor under $300, then you have landed on the right page.
Most monitors at this price point are in the sweet spot of price and performance – offering a nice balance of features and specifications that deliver excellent picture quality and fast gaming responsiveness. Our aim in this guide is to select the best gaming monitors we can find for under $300 – recommending an array of options that cater to a wide range of scenarios.
If you have a look at the options available on the market, there are plenty of monitors that reside in the $300 price spectrum. At this price, you’ll be able to find 240hz refresh rates, low 1ms response times, and 1440p screen resolutions. You’ll also find a tonne of ultrawide, curved, and less competitive panels, too – with editing monitors and productivity panels also featuring heavily at this price point. All in all, the $300 price point is incredibly versatile, meaning you’ll be able to find almost any combination of specs here.
Even though prices fluctuate from time to time, especially during sales events, there are plenty of great gaming monitors that stick around the $300 mark. Luckily for you, this amount of cash can get you some impressive specs, from 1080p competitive displays up to a high 4K visual treat. Let’s take a closer look at our top picks, as well as some other great monitors which are worth considering. We talk about the pros and cons and much more about why these monitors are the best choice for under $300. We keep this guide up to date to reflect the current market.
-
01Best gaming monitor under $300
Best gaming monitor under $300: Samsung 27-Inch Odyssey G55C (LS27CG552ENXZA)
Samsung 27-Inch Odyssey G55C (LS27CG552ENXZA)
- 27-inch QHD monitor
- 165Hz refresh rate
- Adaptive sync support
- Mediocre viewing angles
If you want the best gaming monitor for your setup for under $300, then you should check out the Samsung Odyssey G55C monitor.
The monitor sports a 27-inch display, which we think is a good balance between smaller 24-inch monitors and other ultrawide monitors. Plus, as mentioned, it is a curved QHD monitor, so you can expect better picture quality than a plain FHD monitor.
In addition to this, the display also offers HDR10 support, which should give high contrast and sharper colors. To help keep up your long gaming sessions, the monitor has an Eye Saver Mode, which minimizes blue light to give you a more comfortable viewing experience.
As far as performance goes, the monitor comes packed with a 165Hz refresh rate, which is sufficient for playing your AAA titles and keeping up with fast-paced games. Plus, you also get a 1ms MPRT response time, which should give you minimal blur. And with AMD FreeSync, you can expect the refresh rates to be in sync and give you a smooth gaming experience.
Best QHD gaming monitor under $300: GIGABYTE M27Q
GIGABYTE M27Q
Refresh rate
170Hz
Response time
0.5ms
Screen size
27″
Resolution
2560 x 1440
- Super quick response time and high refresh rate for gaming
- Large 27″ display ideal for 1440p
- HDR ready and FreeSync Premium support
- Excellent IPS display panel
- Not the best ergonomics
When searching around for a great monitor under the $300 mark, this is a stand-out choice – the GIGABYTE M27Q. If you’re looking for a larger display with a higher resolution to back it up, there is no better gaming monitor on the market right now. It has a super low 0.5ms response time, making it ideal for both competitive gaming and more immersive titles with its large 27″ screen. Likewise, the 170Hz refresh rate is more than enough to enjoy smooth gameplay, especially with FreeSync Premium on board to negate screen tearing.
Aside from the gaming features mentioned above, this monitor is also great for work or general media consumption. As we said, the larger screen lends itself well for productivity, especially with a 1440p resolution, which is higher than some more esports-focused displays at 1080p. So, if you’re looking to maximize your workspace, as well as have a great monitor for gaming, this is the pick. Jumping up to 4K would be great for work, but this 1440p monitor is in the sweet spot for many gamers. It doesn’t sacrifice much gaming performance, especially as it sits under the $300 mark.
All in all, we can’t really fault the GIGABYTE M27Q, though its ergonomics could be a downside for some due to the lack of swiveling customization, despite the height and tilt adjustments available.
Best esports monitor under $300: ViewSonic OMNI XG2431
ViewSonic OMNI XG2431
Refresh Rate
240Hz
Response time
0.5ms
Screen size
24″
Resolution
1920 x 1080
- Minimal 0.5ms response time perfect for fast-paced games
- Competitive gaming monitor with smooth 240Hz refresh rate
- Great ergonomic stand
- Minimalistic thin bezel design
- Lower 1080p resolution
Now, moving on to the ViewSonic OMNI XG2431. If you’re looking for an esports-ready monitor, this should be your go-to monitor under $300. The super high 240Hz refresh rate is ideal if you’re playing optimized esports titles like Counter-Strike, Valorant, or even Call of Duty. No matter the game, if you can reach a comfortable 240FPS in-game, you want to make the most of it with a 240Hz monitor. Not to mention the lightning-quick 0.5ms response time, which allows for snappy flicks in your favorite FPS. Gaming performance is further improved by the inclusion of AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, to ensure no screen tearing will affect your gameplay.
As this is a more competitive gaming-focus monitor, it sits at 24″ and at the more familiar 1080p resolution. That’s not a worry, though, if you primarily use this display for gaming instead of work. Obviously, the drawback is the lower pixel count, which can leave things looking cramped if you want a massive amount of windows open at once for productivity purposes – but that’s not what this monitor is aimed at.
Aside from the great gaming performance on the show, the monitor features fantastic ergonomics, a frameless design, a USB hub, and built-in speakers if you need them. The ergonomic stand, in particular, allows for full adjustments, and there are even pre-set custom options to optimize the display for your game genre of choice.
Best Full HD monitor under $300: ASUS VG278Q
ASUS VG278Q
Size
27″
Refresh Rate
144Hz
Response Time
1ms
Panel Type
TN
Resolution
1920 x 1080
- 4-way Ergonomic Stand Adjustment
- 144Hz
- Highly responsive
- Slim Bezels
- 5-Way OSD Navigation Joystick
- With AMD FreeSync Technology
- TN Panel
- Poor Speaker Quality
- Doesn’t Have a DVI-D Cable
The ASUS VG278Q is a fantastic choice for any gamer. It features a high refresh rate and a low response time, making it a great product for competitive gaming. Our favorite thing about this monitor is the 144Hz refresh rate. You can instantly notice the difference if you have been labored with 60Hz, and you will never go back once you try some E-sports on a monitor like this.
You are getting a very premium feeling monitor here for a fraction of the price, and it’s largely down to the brilliant build quality. The speakers aren’t that great considering the price, but the OSD controls make adjustments convenient. It also comes with venting holes and a smart cable management hole at the base of the stand so you can conceal the hideous cables on your desk.
This is a 27-inch 1080p resolution gaming monitor. While there are higher resolutions, 1080p is still great for competitive FPS gaming. The stand is brilliant, too; you can tilt, swivel, pivot, and adjust the height for the best viewing angle. You can also have this mounted on the wall since it’s VESA-compatible. For connections, you have a DVI-D port, a DisplayPort, HDMI, and aux ports. Make sure you get a separate DVI-D Dual Link Cable if you don’t have one already because this doesn’t come with a DVI-D cable, which is a shame as you will need this for higher hertz usage.
Lastly, the G-Sync compatibility removes stutters and screen tearing when gaming, which is a great feature to include. If you’re looking for a highly responsive 1080p monitor for under $300 that has a 144Hz refresh rate, this is for you.
Best high refresh rate monitor under $300: Acer Nitro XV271U
Acer Nitro XV271U
Screen size
27″
Refresh rate
180Hz
Response time
0.5ms
Panel type
IPS
Resolution
2560 x 1440 (QHD)
- 1440p resolution
- AMD FreeSync Premium
- Up to 180Hz refresh rate
- IPS panel
- Excellent value
- Sub-par contrast ratio
Acer always delivers excellent value for money with their gaming monitors, and this is yet another that doesn’t disappoint. You get a quad HD (in other words, 1440p) screen resolution with excellent specs for gaming. Thanks to a fast refresh rate of up to 180Hz and a snappy 0.5ms response time, the Acer Nitro XV271U is a top-tier choice if you’re careful with your cash and want to focus on gaming performance. This IPS monitor has a DCI-P3 95% wide color gamut to offer solid color reproduction and accuracy. Another benefit of IPS panels like this is a wide viewing angle, which is great for something like a three-monitor setup.
Despite the wide viewing angle, this monitor has an ergonomic stand for tilt, swivel, pivot, and height adjustments. It’s also VESA mount compliant if you want to mount the 27″ screen. Overall, the XV271U is hard to beat in terms of value for money and an excellent choice under $300. The HDR performance isn’t going to be the best with just a 1000:1 static contrast ratio, but that’s one compromise worth taking.
How we choose & test monitors
To make sure we’re not just buying and testing random monitors, we did an initial search on which monitors are most suited for gaming. We then went over several online customer reviews from retailers for honest feedback. Once happy with the consumer census, we checked through product reviews to give us a better overall impression of the products and see if they back up what paying customers are saying.
Figuring out the best gaming monitors can be helped by testing. We perform a ton of different tests when carrying out monitor reviews. You can also check out our more in-depth look at how we test gaming monitors.
We took it a step ahead and did a panel comparison. We placed the TN panels side-by-side and loaded up some competitive titles such as CS2, Overwatch 2, and PUBG. For the IPS panels, we loaded up some graphically nice-looking games, such as Battlefield 5, and also loaded some high-definition movies and images to see the color differences and quality compared to some of the other monitors in the office.
We invited some of our friends, certified hardcore gamers, to sit with us and play some games. After spending too much time playing games and not enough time working, we finally got our results.
How to pick the best monitor under $300
We want to make sure you’re purchasing the right monitor for your personal needs. While it’s true that most of you today know what features matter, picking the right monitor to go with your setup can sometimes give some a bit of a headache.
Panel type
There are two main types of monitors: IPS and TN. IPS panels offer greater color reproduction and viewing angles than the typical TN counterpart. Because of this, IPS panels are a favorite among video editors, movie watchers, and single-player gamers who want to enjoy the best colors their graphics cards have to offer.
However, IPS comes with a few key downsides: Lower response times and refresh rates, along with a higher price point. To get an IPS display that is also competitively ready for serious gaming costs much more than what’s available in this price range.
In other words, IPS monitors offer a better viewing experience at the expense of a competitive edge in gaming. If you aren’t a particularly competitive gamer, this shouldn’t be a problem for you.
If you’re competitively-minded, though, and don’t have an extra $300 to spend, you’re probably better off with a TN panel in a 144Hz monitor.
Screen size and resolution
Often, one of the first things that people think about when getting a monitor is the size but the quality of your image is tied in with the resolution. For most, a resolution of 1080p will more than suffice, especially for gaming but for more detail 1440p becomes ideal. 4K is also great, but kind of still out of the $300 price range unless you compromise on the refresh rate. You can check out our guide to the best 4K gaming monitors right here.
If you’re going to opt for a 1440p monitor, then you may want to take performance into consideration. Your GPU may be fine at 1080p high settings, but can it churn out stable performance with a 78% increase in resolution? Keep your system’s limitations in mind when choosing a monitor, and you should be good!
Response time
Response time refers to pixel response time, and in short, it determines how quickly your monitor responds to inputs. The lower the response time, the better.
5ms is considered acceptable by most, especially on larger displays. 5ms may be the maximum recommendation, but it is worth noting that competitive players prefer a low response time of 1ms or lower for less perceivable lag.
Refresh rate
A refresh rate, which is measured in hertz, refers to how often the screen can refresh its image, or update to reflect changes that have happened.
A higher refresh rate appears to our eyes as a much smoother motion. So, getting a 144Hz monitor could give you an advantage over someone with a 60Hz monitor. This is because 144Hz is much closer to real-life motion than 60Hz is, allowing for better vision, a greater experience, and quicker reactions. For some of the very best, you can check out our guide to the best 240Hz gaming monitors here.
You need to make sure that you are capable of achieving a steady framerate around or above your refresh rate to avoid screen tearing or ghosting, though FreeSync and G-Sync tech minimizes this. However, if your GPU makes light work of games, then you won’t notice any issues at all.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are $300 gaming monitors good for esports?
There are plenty of excellent gaming monitors that fall under the $300 price point – many of which are great for competitive esports gaming.
The ViewSonic OMNI XG2431 is a prime example, sporting a quick 240Hz refresh rate, low 1ms response time, and 1080p screen resolution – the perfect combination for competitive gaming.
Can you get a 4K gaming monitor under $300?
While a 4K screen resolution is one of the most expensive features a monitor comes equipped with, there are several 4K options that fall under the $300 mark.
The ASUS VG289Q1A is a fine example of an entry-level 4K gaming monitor under $300. While it might not be as fast as other monitors on the market, it still offers a decent gaming experience for console gamers playing in 60Hz.
Final word
Picking the best gaming monitor for you is never easy, but our selection of the best gaming monitor under $300 gets you there without having to spend a fortune. Since we all have our own personal preferences, the right monitor can either make or break your gaming experience. All of our top picks should offer something to you, whether you want a 1080p esports-ready gaming display or a 4K monitor for work.
With that being said, we think that the monitor is certainly one of the best options at this price point. The 27-inch curved monitor offers QHD resolution, which should deliver stunning picture quality. For gaming, you get a 165Hz refresh rate, 1ms MPRT response time, and adaptive sync, so you can expect a good gaming experience. Overall, this is a good, feature-packed monitor for under $300 to add to your setup.
