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Samsung’s affordable 24-inch monitor has excellent contrast, a curved screen, and supports AMD FreeSync, making it a top pick for gamers on a budget. Read More
The Gigabyte G24F 2 hits 180Hz for less money than even the Monoprice Dark Matter 24, and steers clear of direct competition from NZXT’s Canvas 25F. Read More
The 24-inch 1080p display isn’t offering much in terms of size or resolution, but it’s an effective pairing with great uniformity and solid features. Read More
The Monoprice Dark Matter 42770 offers bright, punchy visuals. Its color accuracy is astounding for a monitor at this price. Read More
The BenQ EW2780 is a nice utilitarian monitor. It comes on a pretty straightforward stand, but you can always swap it over to a VESA mount. Read More
A monitor is one of the most important peripherals you can buy for your desktop PC or laptop. Without one, your desktop is nothing more than a large paperweight. If you work on a laptop, plugging it into a larger, external display can give a significant boost to your productivity. Unfortunately, finding a good monitor at a great price can be a struggle.
The good news is, we're here to help.
We’ve tested dozens of monitors to find the best bang for your buck. Our top pick is Samsung’s 24-inch 390 Series monitor, which also goes by the model name Samsung LC24F390FHNXZA (available at Best Buy for $139.99) . Unlike most affordable monitors, the C24F390 has great contrast and good color reproduction, traits that help it stand out from the crowd. We’ve also selected several strong alternatives, in case our top pick doesn’t meet your needs.
Editor's Note: Due to supply chain issues some of the monitors on this list may fluctuate above $200.
The Samsung C24F390 provides a great experience for a tiny price.
Fast display
Exceptionally colorful
Handy connectivity
HDR worth ignoring
165Hz
Vibrant color and good contrast
Highly adjustable stand
Severe ghosting
Wiggly stand connection
144Hz
Strong color volume
USB-C port
Simple stand
Not specifically G-Sync/FreeSync
Good color accuracy
Built-in speakers
75Hz refresh
No DisplayPort
Meh HDR mode
Adjustable stand
Portrait rotation
1080p resolution
Nothing we could find
144 Hz refresh rate
G-Sync compatible
Affordable price
Poor color accuracy
Low contrast ratio
Affordable
Small footprint on desk
Crisp resolution
Low refresh rate
No built-in speakers
Mark Knapp has covered tech for most of the past decade, keeping readers up to speed on the latest developments and going hands-on with everything from phones and computers to e-bikes and drones to separate the marketing from the reality. Catch him on Twitter at @Techn0Mark or on Reviewed, PCMag, IGN, TechRadar, T3, and Business Insider.
Hi! I'm Matthew S. Smith, a technology journalist and hardware reviewer. I started writing about computer hardware 13 years ago. I've worked for numerous publications including PCMag.com, TechHive, Business Insider, Lifewire, Digital Trends, and, of course, Reviewed.
I believe that standardized testing matters, and I have something most testers don't: a log of results going back a decade. This unique perspective helps me compare how monitor brands have performed over time. I can confidently say the top pick on this list outperforms the best monitors available 10 years ago.
Lee Neikirk is the Editor for Reviewed's Home Theater vertical and also contributed to this guide. He has a strong background in display evaluation and is an ISF-certified calibrator who has been honing Reviewed's screen-testing methodology since 2012.
Image quality is our top priority when testing a monitor. A display should have a strong contrast ratio, decent color gamut and accuracy, good image uniformity, and high enough brightness to appear vivid in a typical home office.
We’re more lenient when testing monitors in this price range than we’d otherwise be, as displays in this class simply can’t deliver the near-perfect color or crystal-clear sharpness found on expensive alternatives aimed at niche use cases or gaming. Still, we think a budget monitor should be enjoyable to use across a broad range of tasks, from Word documents to Netflix movies.
Our testing was conducted with Datacolor’s SpyderX Elite. This consumer calibration tool offers many detailed tests that gauge how a monitor performs against industry standards, such as the AdobeRGB color gamut. If that means nothing to you, don’t worry. Just know we’ve performed instrumented, objective testing to go along with real-world tests so we can rank monitor performance with confidence.
We’ve also put these monitors through their paces with at least several days of hands-on testing for productivity, gaming, and web browsing. This step makes us confident these monitors don’t have hidden flaws that will annoy or disappoint you down the line.
24 inches: You'll see 24-inch computer monitors most often and, with a few rare expectations, this is the smallest size you'll find. A 24-inch monitor is a perfect size for a typical home office. Larger monitors look more impressive but, if you’re sitting two and a half or three feet away, their extra screen real estate will often end up in your peripheral vision.
27 inches: A 27-inch monitor is the most common next step up and the largest size that makes sense for most people. Upgrading to a 27-inch monitor won’t make you more productive, but it can make for a more immersive and impressive experience. A 27-inch monitor is also wise if you sit more than three feet away from your monitor.
32 inches: Especially popular as gaming peripherals, a 32-inch monitor is too large for most users. It will dominate your desk and leave much of the screen outside your focus. A 32-inch monitor can make sense if you have a small living space and intend to use the monitor as a TV alternative. However, we can’t currently recommend any 32-inch display in the budget category.
Budget shoppers only need to think about 1080p resolution. Quality monitors with a higher resolution aren’t available in this price range. You should beware of monitors that offer a resolution below 1080p, which can still be found on the market, but every monitor we recommend here is 1080p.
A monitor’s LCD panel sits between the glass or plastic on its surface and the LED backlights at the rear. The panel is largely responsible for the image quality of a monitor. There are three distinct technologies common in the budget market.
IPS: Short for "in-plane switching," IPS panels tend to be bright, with good color and subdued ghosting behind fast-moving objects. However, IPS struggles to show deep black levels, which is a problem in movies and games. These panels are extremely common and good for general use.
TN: This means "twisted nematic." These are the cheapest panels and generally perform poorly in color, contrast, and viewing angles. However, they have fast response times and still reign as the go-to option for affordable, high-refresh gaming monitors.
VA: This means "vertical alignment." This panel technology has far superior contrast than IPS or TN, and its color performance isn’t bad, either. A good VA panel can also be very bright. VA panels have poor viewing angles compared to IPS, but this problem is less noticeable on a monitor since you’ll usually sit directly in front of it.
Want more general help in buying the right kind of monitor? Check out our guide to buying a monitor.
Lee was Reviewed's point person for most television and home theater products from 2012 until early 2022. Lee received Level II certification in TV calibration from the Imaging Science Foundation in 2013. As Editor of the Home Theater vertical, Lee oversaw reviews of TVs, monitors, soundbars, and Bluetooth speakers. He also reviewed headphones, and has a background in music performance.
Matthew S. Smith is a veteran tech journalist and general-purpose PC hardware nerd. Formerly the Lead Editor of Reviews at Digital Trends, he has over a decade of experience covering PC hardware. Matt often flies the virtual skies in Microsoft Flight Simulator and is on a quest to grow the perfect heirloom tomato.
Mark Knapp
Contributor
Mark Knapp has covered tech for most of the past decade, keeping readers up to speed on the latest developments and going hands-on with everything from phones and computers to e-bikes and drones to separate the marketing from the reality. Catch him on Twitter at @Techn0Mark or on Reviewed, IGN, TechRadar, T3, PCMag, and Business Insider.
Our team is here for one purpose: to help you buy the best stuff and love what you own. Our writers, editors, and lab technicians obsess over the products we cover to make sure you're confident and satisfied. Have a different opinion about something we recommend? Email us and we'll compare notes.
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