10 Best 144hz Monitors Under $200 in 2023 Reviewed

Best 144hz Gaming Monitors under $200

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With all the options out there, it may be hard to find the best 144hz gaming monitor for less than $200. Whether you need a fast budget monitor for competitive gaming or just night-long sessions with your friends, you’ll be able to find a budget-friendly monitor within our selection.

We plan to go over the specs of each and give you an honest review to ensure you can make the wisest choice and get a quality monitor that fits your wants and needs without sacrificing performance because you are on a budget.

Best 144hz Monitors Under $200 in 2023 Round-Up

The table below will give you a quick look at our selections for the 10 best 144hz gaming monitors under $200 currently available on the market. To read a full review, simply click on ‘review>>’ in the respective row.

Product

Image

Rating

1. MSI Optix G24C4

''Best 144hz monitor under $200 overall''

9.8

2. LG UltraGear 24GN600-B

''Best 144hz monitor under $200 runner-up''

9.7

3. AOC G2790VX

''Best 27'' 144hz monitor under $200''

9.6

4. AOC G2490VX

''The absolute cheapest 144hz gaming monitor''

9.5

5. AOC C24G1A

''Best for multi-monitor setups''

9.4

6. ASUS VG248QG

''Best for competitive gamers''

9.4

7. Samsung Odyssey CRG5

''Editor's pick''

9.3

8. BenQ Zowie XL2411K

''Most ergonomic 144hz monitor under $200''

9.2

9. Acer KG251Q Fbmidpx

''Honorable mention''

9.1

10. Philips 242E1GSJ

''Honorable mention #2''

9.0



1. MSI Optix G24C4

”Best 144hz monitor under $200 overall”

Screen Size: 23.6″ | Resolution: FHD (1920 x1080) | Panel Type: VA | Aspect Ratio: 16:9 | Response Time: 1 ms | Refreshing rate: 144 Hz | Brightness: 250 cd/m2 | Contrast Rate: 3000:1 | Curved: Yes | I/O Ports: 1x DisplayPort 1.2, 2x HDMI 1.4, Audio

MSI Optix G24C4

 

REASONS TO BUY

  • Excellent gaming performance
  • Incredible value for the money
  • Sharp, color-accurate display
  • Quality VA panel with good contrast
  • Both G-Sync and FreeSync compatible
  • Curved, immersive screen
  • Plenty of connectivity
  • Quality construction
  • Attractive gaming aesthetics

REASONS TO AVOID

  • No built-in speakers
  • Only a one-year warranty
  • Limited adjustability on the stand

Our Rating:   9.8/10

MSI (Micro-Star International) has been around since the mid-’80s and produces quality monitors at affordable rates. The MSI Optix G24C4 is a perfect example of that. It’s a fantastic budget 144hz monitor that does well in nearly every category.

Boasting a 1920×1080 24in LED screen and 1500R curvature with a 1ms response time, it provides excellent gaming performance and a color-accurate display for general use. The G24C4 punches well above its weight class while looking like a proper gaming monitor. In fact, this may be the best budget monitor, period.

Sporting a black frameless design, the MSI Optix G24C4 is very pleasing to the eyes, and with its plastic and metal two-pronged stand, it fits well in most spaces and blends in aesthetically with almost any color scheme you may have.

The curved monitor will further spice up the look of your gaming station and help immerse you in your favorite games. It’s worth noting that while the stand has a roughly -5° to 20° of tilt, it is not height adjustable. While we, by no means, consider this a deal-breaker, it is a bit disappointing.

On the back of the monitor, you will find a small red joystick/button combo, which is used to navigate menus. And in terms of connectivity, the MSI Optix G24C4 comes equipped with two HDMI ports, one display port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. With that, you will be able to use this monitor with more than one source without having to unplug your computer; just switch inputs in the menu.

Unfortunately, the MSI Optix G24C4 doesn’t have any speakers. However, if you don’t have a pair of headphones or external speakers hooked up to your PC, you’ll be able to plug in your favorite 3.5mm earbuds to use while you game or work.

The MSI Optix G24C4 produces less blue light than other monitors and comes with MSI’s Anti-flicker Technology. Blue light is stressful to your eyes and causes eye fatigue after long sessions in front of your computer. Adding to the stress is the constant flickering of your monitor.

Typical monitors flicker around 200 times per second, this is all but invisible to us, but it strains our eyes nonetheless. Luckily, MSI has taken measures to lessen the strain and enable you to work or game longer without as much impact on your eye health.

Further, the G24C4 uses a VA panel, which means it’s a good choice for general use but has its drawbacks. VA (vertically aligned) panels offer decent color accuracy and contrast but aren’t as vibrant as IPS panels. However, in comparison to other budget monitors, this VA panel is one of the best you can get.

In terms of color accuracy, the MSI Optix G24C4s covers 90% of the DCI-P3 90%, and 115% of the sRGB color gamuts, which is really good for a budget monitor, especially a gaming one. This way, you’ll be able to confidently use this monitor for both gaming as well as some creative activities like photo or video editing.

The only gripe we have with the display is brightness. When at its maximum setting, it is a little too dim, and on the other hand, a bit too bright at its lowest setting while in a dark room. So keep that in mind when considering the MSI Optix G24C4.

Whether you have an AMD or Nvidia graphics card, the MSI Optix G24C4 can be optimized for your needs. With Freesync and G-Sync capabilities, this monitor can sync up to your GPUs refresh rate, which means less screen tearing and smooth framerates.

However, G-Sync can only be used if you’re using the DisplayPort; Freesync can be used with either the HDMI or the DisplayPort. The adaptive sync is only really noticeable at 100fps or higher, so if you’re only viewing or gaming at, let’s say, 60fps, then you can just leave it turned off.

All-in-all, the MSI Optix G24C4 is a fantastic budget 144hz monitor, one of the best you can get for less than $200. For the money, it offers excellent performance for gaming, color-accurate display, and attractive gaming aesthetics. The biggest drawback is the lack of adjustability on the stand; however, the overall set of features and performance is among the best in its class.

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2. LG UltraGear 24GN600-B

”Best 144hz monitor under $200 runner-up”

Screen Size: 23.8″ | Resolution: FHD (1920 x1080) | Panel Type: IPS | Aspect Ratio: 16:9 | Response Time: 1 ms | Refreshing rate: 144 Hz | Brightness: 300 cd/m2 | Contrast Rate: 1000:1 | Curved: No | I/O Ports: 1x DisplayPort 1.4, 2x HDMI

LG UltraGear 24GN600-B

REASONS TO BUY

  • Amazing performance for the money
  • Exceptionally fast response times
  • Quality IPS panel with good brightness
  • Dynamic Action Sync
  • Covered by a three-year warranty
  • Quality construction overall
  • Stylish gaming aesthetics
  • Enough connectivity

REASONS TO AVOID

  • Limited stand adjustments
  • Low contrast ratio compared to other budget monitors

Our Rating:   9.7/10

The second entry on our list is the LG UltraGear 24GN600-B, a great all-around budget monitor. And that’s no surprise. LG has taken over the premium monitor market and is touted as one of the best monitor manufacturers in the world. Even their budget monitors, while cheap, perform well ahead of many of their competitors.

The LG 24GN600-B’s outer shell and stand are made out of matte black plastic with red accents on the back of the monitor and feet. One issue is: you can only tilt the monitor toward and away from you. So if ergonomics are important to you, you may want to consider buying a mount to go along with it.

On the back, you will find the input panel, which has one display port, two HDMI ports, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. This makes it great for gaming areas, as you can have your computer and consoles all plugged in and ready to go at the push of a button.

Unfortunately, the ports are horizontal, and your cables will take up more space because they’ll be sticking out more than other monitors with down-facing ports. So keep this in mind if every centimeter of space counts.

Furthermore, there are no built-in speakers, so you will need to use a pair of headphones plugged into your computer’s USB port or the monitor’s 3.5mm headphone jack.

In addition, it boasts a frameless IPS panel with a refresh rate of 144hz and a 1ms response time. This will give you the edge in competitive games while looking beautiful while it does it.

IPS panels are considered the best for color accuracy and clarity. This monitor continues the trend with a 77% coverage of the DCI-P3 and 110% of the sRGB gamut. That’s good news if you also dabble into some content creation, as the monitor produces extremely accurate colors, especially for a budget monitor.

A gaming monitor would be hard-pressed to compete in today’s gaming scene without some type of adaptive sync. Luckily, LG has included Freesync to allow the monitor to sync its refresh rate with your graphics card. AMD cards will do this automatically, but you will need to do it manually if you have an Nvidia video card.

On top of the adaptive sync, the LG 24GN600-B has a motion blur reduction setting as well as a Dynamic Action Sync. This setting allows for further reduced response times by adapting to your game and your reactions to deliver the best performances at an on-demand level.

With all that being said, the LG24GN600-B is not without its flaws; however, it’s easily one of the best 144hz monitors under $200. It offers good connectivity, stylish aesthetics, and a quality IPS panel with quick response times and peak brightness. For the money, it’s an absolute steal.

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3. AOC G2790VX

”Best 27” 144hz monitor under $200”

Screen Size: 27″ | Resolution: FHD (1920 x1080) | Panel Type: VA | Aspect Ratio: 16:9 | Response Time: 1 ms | Refreshing rate: 144 Hz | Brightness: 350 cd/m2 | Contrast Rate: 3000:1 | Curved: No | I/O Ports: 1x DisplayPort 1.42, 1x HDMI 1.4, Audio

AOC G2490VX

REASONS TO BUY

  • Fantastic performance for the money
  • Cheapest 27” 144hz monitor available
  • Large 27” display with thin bezels
  • Perfect for multi-monitor setups
  • Covered by a three-year warranty
  • Great VA panel with high contrast
  • Plenty bright

REASONS TO AVOID

  • Reports of quality issues
  • Limited stand adjustability
  • FullHD resolution looks a bit stretched on the 27” screen

Our Rating:   9.6/10

AOC (Admiral Overseas Corporation) has been in the electronic display business for decades. With almost 60 years of experience, AOC is a top-rated gaming monitor manufacturer and shines when it comes to cheap yet powerful monitors such as the AOC G2790VX. It’s easy to see why it made number three on our list.

The G2790VX is a 27”, 1ms monitor with a 144hz refresh rate and 1920×1080 resolution paired with a frameless design. With the display being so big already, the thin bezels make the screen look huge; and would work great in a multiscreen setup. The AOC G2790VX is practically the bigger brother of the AOC G2490VX. So if 27 inches is too big for your needs, consider the G2490VX below.

Construction-wise, the sleek black plastic of the case is abruptly interrupted with a gamer-red lower bezel that has AOC proudly displayed in shiny metal right in the center. Moving on down, the stand is also black with a brushed steel appearance, but it too is made of plastic and proportionally small. We wish they would have made the base at least a couple of inches bigger and more ergonomic.

Speaking of the stand, there are a few adjustment capabilities. The only thing it can do is tilt towards and away from you. So if you need something that is highly adjustable and ergonomic, the AOC G2790VX (as well as the G2490VX) won’t be your best option.

Adaptive sync is a big selling point of monitors these days. Luckily the AOC G2790VX comes with Freesync allowing your monitor to sync its refresh rate with your computer’s graphics card. This will help reduce screen tearing and smearing during fast-paced games. This works natively with AMD cards but can be used with Nvidia G-Sync in compatibility mode.

With AOC’s LowBlue mode and flicker-free technologies, you will be able to game longer with less eye fatigue. These modes reduce the amount of blue light produced by the monitor and eliminate the flickering to an extent.

You can access these features and more by using the joystick and button combo on the back right side of the monitor. You can find all the on-screen display features and visual presets in the settings menus. It may take a little bit to find what works best for you, but once you do, the AOC G2790VX looks excellent.

Unfortunately, the AOC AOC G2790VX does not have speakers, so you will have to rely on headphones or earbuds for audio. AOC has included a 3.5mm headphone jack for convenience, but this will not deliver great sound; it’s better than nothing, though.

In terms of connectivity, there is one HDMI and one Display Port on the back. This is a little disappointing if you plan on using this monitor for an all-in-one game station, as you can only have your computer and one other console attached. If you don’t plan on anything other than your computer, then great! Just make sure to use DisplayPort; you’ll get the best performance that way.

Lastly, the VA panel used on this monitor offers the best of both worlds. It gets close to the higher refresh rates of TN panels and the color capabilities and crisp visuals of an IPS panel. Though not as great as either in its class. Think of it as jacks of all trades but masters of none.

Like its 24in counterpart, the AOC G2790VX is plagued with bad reviews claiming dead on arrivals and pixel issues. Don’t worry, though; AOC offers a three-year warranty along with a one-year, one-time use, accidental damage warranty. So playing the panel lottery is less of a risk.

Overall, the AOC G2790VX is a really solid option as it’s currently the cheapest 27” 144hz gaming monitor on the market. It’s perfect for dual or even triple monitor setups thanks to its thin-bezel design and low price. If you’re thinking about a multi-monitor setup and don’t have too much room in your budget, we highly recommend the AOC G2790VX.

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4. AOC G2490VX

”The absolute cheapest 144hz gaming monitor”

Screen Size: 24″ | Resolution: FHD (1920 x1080) | Panel Type: VA | Aspect Ratio: 16:9 | Response Time: 1 ms | Refreshing rate: 144 Hz | Brightness: 350 cd/m2 | Contrast Rate: 4000:1 | Curved: No | I/O Ports: 1x DisplayPort 1.2, 1x HDMI 1.4, Audio

AOC G2490VX

REASONS TO BUY

  • The absolute cheapest 144hz gaming monitor
  • Great performance for gaming
  • Bright 24” display
  • Perfect for multi-monitor setups
  • Frameless design
  • High contrast ratio
  • Lots of customization and presets
  • Covered by a three-year warranty

REASONS TO AVOID

  • Possible quality control issues
  • Backlight bleed
  • Limited adjustability of the stand

Our Rating:   9.5/10

This next monitor is one of the best choices for the budget-conscious. It’s fast and powerful while being cheap and affordable. Rarely do you see such performance out of a monitor well below the $200 mark; plus, with the reputation and longevity of the AOC company, it’s no wonder this monitor is a top competitor in its class.

The AOC G2490VX is a 144hz 24in flatscreen with a frameless design, which is a fancy way of saying it has next to no bezels boarding the panel itself and a resolution of 1920×1080. All that, paired with a 1ms response time, gives you a sharp, responsive screen perfect for fast-paced FPS shooters and racing simulators.

Being the most affordable on this list, the look of the AOC G2490VX isn’t all that much. The black plastic shell is made of cheap plastic, and the stand follows suit with only the ability to tilt forward and back. The stand doesn’t allow for much adjustment, but you can expect some cut corners for the price.

There is a little flair in the form of the same red accent at the bottom of the screen that seems popular with gaming gear manufacturers. But with that reduction in exterior quality comes a decent panel, if you’re lucky, but we’ll go over that later.

The AOC G2490VX comes with a VA panel and, as such, has an excellent contrast ratio of 4000:1, making your blacks truly black. This helps make dark areas seem more realistic by not allowing as much backlight to bleed through, making the image look grey or patchy.

Further, this monitor has a wide viewing angle of 178°, meaning it will still look great from angles. AOC has also equipped the G2490VX with FlickerFree and LowBlue light technologies, which allow for more prolonged viewing with less eye strain enabling you to game longer.

On the back, you will find a small joystick on the right side. You can use this to navigate the menu and access features such as Freesync (which will lock the refresh rate of your monitor to your GPU), the on-screen display modes, and picture quality settings.

There are many optimization modes like gamer 1, gamer 2, and gamer 3 settings depending on your preferences. These give you different sharpness and contrast levels which can help adjust your picture to suit the situation, meaning no matter the game or video, you’ll be able to tweak it to your needs.

There aren’t many connectivity options, with only one HDMI and one DisplayPort. This can be a problem if you have more than one device you’d like to have hooked up to the AOC G2490VX, so if this is an issue, you may want to keep searching.

Besides that, there are no built-in speakers for this monitor. If you don’t have a pair of headphones or external speakers attached to your computer, there is a 3.5mm jack you can plug a pair of earbuds into if needed.

Now, this may be the cheapest on the list but take heed. While we didn’t experience any bigger issues, the AOC G2490VX has many one-star reviews claiming the monitor was dead on arrival or dead pixels out of the box. 

So if you don’t mind gambling a little in hopes that your monitor isn’t one of the bad ones, then the AOC G2490VX may be perfect for you. One good thing about it is, if you do get a bad one, it comes with a three-year manufacturer’s warranty with a one-year, but one-time, accidental damage warranty as well.

When it comes to cheap, full high-definition 144hz monitors, you can’t get a better bang for your buck than with the AOC G2490VX. It’s a fantastic budget 144hz monitor as long as you win the proverbial panel lottery. But with the warranty AOC offers, you can rest assured that even if you get a bad panel, they will replace it.

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5. AOC C24G1A

”Best for multi-monitor setups”

Screen Size: 23.6″ | Resolution: FHD (1920 x1080) | Panel Type: VA | Aspect Ratio: 16:9 | Response Time: 1 ms | Refreshing rate: 144 Hz | Brightness: 250 cd/m2 | Contrast Rate: 3000:1 | Curved: Yes | I/O Ports: 1x DisplayPort 1.2, 2x HDMI 2.0 1x VGA, 4x USB-A, Audio

AOC C24G1A

REASONS TO BUY

  • Great gaming performance for the money
  • Attractive aesthetics
  • Custom motion blur settings
  • Frameless design
  • Perfect for a multi-monitor setup
  • Covered by a three-year warranty
  • Excellent connectivity
  • Decent adjustability on the stand

REASONS TO AVOID

  • Fuzzy text
  • Washed out colors
  • Motion reduction dims the display

Our Rating:   9.4/10

AOC once again graces our list with another budget monitor with a decent performance-to-quality tradeoff. While the AOC C24G1A is undoubtedly a good monitor, it just doesn’t stand up to others in its class, and it shows in a few surprising ways due to AOCs reputation.

This monitor will be best used for gaming because of the 24” curved 1920×1080 VA panel at its core. This gives the monitor an excellent contrast ratio of 3000:1, meaning dark blacks compared to IPS or TN panels.

In terms of color reproduction, this monitor covers 88% of the DCI-P3 and 120% of the sRGB gamuts, which is great for photo editing or color-accurate work. While the out-of-the-box settings may be fine for some, we found them a little washed out and kind of drab. Tweaking the settings will help boost those colors and make everything more vibrant.

When it comes to gaming, with a 1ms response time and 144hz refreshing rate, you’ll be able to enjoy smooth frame rates with little stuttering or ghosting. Besides that, the C24G1A has a low input lag mode that adjusts the monitor’s settings to favor response time over everything else, giving you a competitive edge and lowering other aspects of the display. Plus, the AOC C24G1A comes equipped with FlickerFree and LowBlue light technologies, allowing you to game longer with less eye fatigue.

Construction-wise, the AOC C24G1A is made out of your typical black plastic common with budget monitors. The stand is made of the same material and has wide feet making it really stable. It allows for height adjustments up to a max of 130mm and a roughly 45° swivel in either direction. It cannot pivot, however.

On the back are the inputs; the AOC C24G1A comes with two HDMI, one DisplayPort, a VGA port if anyone still uses those, and finally, a 3.5mm headphone jack. With three different video inputs, you’ll be able to use this monitor for more than just your computer.

The DisplayPort will be your primary input with the fastest possible response time, but the HDMI inputs default to 60hz instead of the 144hz the AOC C24G1A is capable of. You can switch this in the settings, but you should keep that in mind nonetheless.

In the settings menu for the AOC C24G1A, you can access the motion blur settings to switch it between off, weak, medium, strong, or boost. This allows for smoother motion on screen with less ghosting and smearing at the loss of brightness. At full boost mode, the backlight drops to a quarter of its brightness. These features work surprisingly well, but due to the brightness dimming, we can’t really suggest having it in boost mode, especially in dark game areas.

For under $200, you could do worse, but you could also do better. There are a few downsides that struck us as a big deal. For one, the text is fuzzier than most VA panels, and the motion blur reduction settings drop backlight intensity. While not a bad monitor in the least, the AOC C24G1A leaves some things to be desired.

In the end, the AOC C24G1A is a solid budget 144hz monitor. While there are some drawbacks, for the money, the overall performance, quality, and design are among the better ones in its price range.

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6. ASUS VG248QG

”Best for competitive gamers”

Screen Size: 24″ | Resolution: FHD (1920 x1080) | Panel Type: TN | Aspect Ratio: 16:9 | Response Time: 1 ms | Refreshing rate: 165 Hz | Brightness: 350 cd/m2 | Contrast Rate: 1000:1 | Curved: No | I/O Ports: 1x DisplayPort 1.2, 1x HDMI 1.4, 1x Dual-Link DVI, Audio

ASUS VG248QG

 

REASONS TO BUY

  • Highly ergonomic stand
  • Fantastic gaming performance
  • Overclockable to 165hz and 0.5ms
  • Built-in speakers
  • Plenty of connectivity
  • Bright, sharp display
  • Covered by a three-year warranty

REASONS TO AVOID

  • Narrow viewing angles
  • Worse color fidelity
  • Thicker bezels

Our Rating:   9.4/10

In recent years, ASUS has made great strides in the gaming community by producing quality components targeted at budget-conscious gamers. And the ASUS VG248QG is a perfect example of this.

The ASUS VG248QG is a 24in 1920×1080 flat-screen TN panel monitor with excellent custom adjustability options and extra features that may surprise you. While the ASUS VG248QG may not have a frameless design like other monitors, the screen bezels are pretty thin and give this monitor a nice look.

Constructed of strong, shiny black plastic, the ASUS VG248QG looks good. On the back is their ASUS logo top and center, and along the sides are nice stylized accents that catch the eye. Also on the back is the input panel. This area sports a display port, an HDMI port, and a DVI-D Dual port, giving you multiple options for connectivity. Additionally, it has a 3.5mm headphone jack and an audio-in port of the same variety.

Under everything is what we would consider one of the biggest selling points of this monitor, the base. Its made out of the same sturdy black plastic but with a stylish red ring and allows the monitor to swivel 90° in either direction, rise and lower 130mm, rotate 90° right or left, and tilt from a -5° to a maximum of 33°. Furthermore, you can attach a mount (sold separately) if you so desire.

Most people use headphones these days for their computers, but if you don’t, the ASUS VG248QG has two 2-watt speakers. While this is great to have in a monitor, these speakers leave much to be desired. But, for casual listening, they’re just fine.

ASUS cares about their customers, and it shows with their flicker-free technology and blue light filters. These were designed to ease the amount of strain on your eyes while you are at your computer. Not only did they help reduce strain on your eyes, but they also took ergonomics into consideration, as this monitor can be adjusted in a surprising amount of ways.

Overclocking, especially a monitor, will probably be a little advanced for most users. Nonetheless, if you feel obliged to do so, the ASUS VG248QG is definitely capable. With this budget monitor, you’ll be able to boost both the refresh rate and response time to up to 165hz and 0.5ms, respectively, giving you a slight but noticeable boost in performance.

This means less tearing, smearing, and stuttering on screen while in the middle of an intense firefight in your favorite game and smoother viewing of whatever video you may be watching.

The ASUS VG248QG, as we mentioned before, is a TN (twisted nematic) panel monitor; this bodes well for gamers due to its lightning-fast transitions between pixel cycles. On top of that, the ASUS VG248QG comes equipped with ELMB (Extreme Low Motion Blur) technology, further decreasing the effect.

Unfortunately, the downside is the VG248QG will not do so well for color-accurate work. This is because TN Panels have a lesser ability to display accurate colors and cause text to have a fuzzy look. Moreover, these types of panels have a very narrow viewing angle. The more off-center you are, the darker and fainter the image appears. So if this is important to you, then this monitor may not be the best choice.

The ASUS VG248QG is optimized for Freesync by AMD but is compatible with NVidia’s G-Sync as well, meaning it will work fine with whichever GPU you have in your computer and sync up the monitor refresh rate with that of your GPU.

Buttons on the back right side allow menu access, navigation, and further customization of your screen. In the menu, you can access the GameVisual and GamePlus settings. These features optimize your display settings depending on your preferred visual experience, as well as add extra info and overlays to your screen like an fps counter, a timer, or crosshairs.

Overall, the ASUS VG248QG is a top contender for the gaming crowd due to its crazy fast response time. The performance, in combination with the high amount of adjustability and customization, is impressive for the price. The only drawback of this monitor is the panel; however, the performance you get for under $200 is unheard of.

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7. Samsung Odyssey CRG5

”Editor’s pick”

Screen Size: 24″ | Resolution: FHD (1920 x1080) | Panel Type: VA | Aspect Ratio: 16:9 | Response Time: 4 ms | Refreshing rate: 144 Hz | Brightness: 250 cd/m2 | Contrast Rate: 3000:1 | Curved: Yes | I/O Ports: 1x DisplayPort 1.2, 2x HDMI 1.4, Audio

Samsung Odyssey CRG5

REASONS TO BUY

  • Great value for the money
  • Very customizable settings
  • A large number of gaming features
  • Strong gaming performance
  • Stylish aesthetics
  • Covered by a three-year warranty
  • Plenty of connectivity ports

REASONS TO AVOID

  • No mounting option
  • Limited articulation on the stand
  • 4ms response time causes some ghosting

Our Rating:   9.3/10

Samsung has been a leader in the monitor market for years, and with the Samsung CRG5, they offer an excellent balance between price and performance. With all the experience that Samsung has with budget-friendly monitors, it’s easy to see why this monitor ranks so high on our list. If you’re looking for a cheap 144hz monitor, it would be hard not to consider one from Samsung, especially the CRG5.

At the heart of the Samsung CRG5 is a VA panel with a 3000:1 contrast ratio which is pretty good and gives you great black-to-white contrast and sharpens your image. This also makes it somewhat of a general-use monitor, but with all the features, like Freesync, and a suite of settings dedicated to gaming, it’s clearly made for gamers.

Speaking of gamers, the monitor comes with a refresh rate of 144hz with a 4 ms response time, giving you fast response times and quick performance for fast-paced, competitive games. Besides that, the Samsung CRG5 has a 1800R curved screen with a resolution of 1920×1080, making it more immersive and visually stunning. But don’t expect perfection; this is a budget monitor, after all.

With no fancy accents or any frills to the look, the Samsung CRG5’s shell is made of dull black plastic. The stand is also made of the same material and only tilts., so again, if you need an ergonomic monitor, this one won’t be the best option.

Further, you will not be able to mount the Samsung CRG5 as there is nowhere for a mount to screw into. The spot usually reserved for a mounting location is the input panel in the form of a large recessed circle. While visually interesting, it’s surprising that Samsung didn’t allow users to mount the CRG5.

In terms of connectivity, the Samsung CRG5 has two HDMI ports, one display port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Having multiple input options is nice for when you want to use this monitor for more than just your computer. That way, you won’t have to switch cables around every time you change devices.

On the back right side, you will find a joystick and button combo; this is where you will access the settings menu and change your display settings or turn the game mode on or off. In addition, the Samsung CRG5 has a low input lag mode. This setting will adjust the display to favor frame rate and response time over anything else, giving you the fastest performance for competitive gaming.

What’s more, there are settings for eye saver mode, which reduces flickering and lessens the amount of blue light emitted from your monitor. This is excellent news for your eye health, as these things cause eye fatigue and can leave you feeling strained after long gaming sessions.

You can also access Samsungs “Super Arena Gaming UX” which is a settings suite with all the functions typical gamers would want access to, which we found to be extremely helpful.

All in all, the Samsung CRG5 is another fantastic and cheap 144hz gaming monitor. It’s definitely not perfect, with some ghosting issues and limited stand articulation; however, it’s got a wide array of gaming features and a great VA panel display with strong gaming performance. For under $200, you will find it more than satisfying for your needs.

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8. BenQ Zowie XL2411K

”Most ergonomic 144hz monitor under $200”

Screen Size: 24″ | Resolution: FHD (1920 x1080) | Panel Type: TN | Aspect Ratio: 16:9 | Response Time: 1 ms | Refreshing rate: 144 Hz | Brightness: 320 cd/m2 | Contrast Rate: 1000:1 | Curved: No | I/O Ports: 1x DisplayPort 1.2, 2x HDMI 1.4, 1x HDMI 2.0, Audio

BenQ Zowie XL2411K

REASONS TO BUY

  • Highly ergonomic stand
  • Excellent for fast-paced games
  • Great motion blur reduction
  • Multiple input options
  • Small desk-friendly
  • Covered by a three-year warranty

REASONS TO AVOID

  • No Adaptive sync
  • Outdated panel technology
  • Poor color gamut and contrast
  • Narrow viewing angles
  • Thick bezels

Our Rating:   9.2/10

BenQ has delivered a budget monitor geared directly toward gamers that care about raw performance. Founded in 2001, BenQ is a relative newcomer to the game compared to other well-renowned manufacturers but has made its mark on the gaming industry nonetheless.

The Zowie XL2411K is one of the most ergonomic monitors on this list and comes with a few downsides; however, that could be considered deal-breakers to some, but for others, they may only be minor inconveniences.

The BenQ Zowie XL2411K is a 24”, 144hz monitor with a 1ms response time and a 1920×1080 resolution. Being a budget monitor, the case isn’t made out of high-end material, but it looks good. The casing is primarily black but on the neck of the stand is a hole accented in gamer red for cable management. While the BenQ Zowie XL2411K isn’t exactly frameless, the bezels around the screen are still relatively thin but could be distracting if you wanted to use this monitor in a multiscreen display.

On the back is a recessed area with three HDMI ports, a display port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. This is great for connecting your favorite console to the BenQ Zowie XL2411K, as it’s 120hz compatible with Playstation 5 and Xbox X consoles. Additionally, there is a sixth socket alongside the rest. This is for an optional controller, which we’ll go over later.

BenQ is proud to point out the stand’s new small base design meant to take up less desk space and more room for your mouse and keyboard. So if you have a limited about of room, then this will work great for you. And speaking of the stand, this monitor is fully adjustable.

This includes not only a tilt feature which is universal to most monitors, but it also swivels roughly 45° in either direction. It has an impressive height adjustment of up to 443mm and even allows you to pivot the monitor to 90° in either direction. What’s more, there are little red hashes near these adjustment points to fine-tune your positioning. There’s even a little metal handle on the stand for added convenience.

Now, the worst part of this monitor is the panel. It’s a TN panel, an outdated technology, which delivers by far the worst picture quality and viewing angles out of any other panel technology. It does, however, deliver great gaming performance, which, combined with the highly adjustable stand, may be a worthy sacrifice for some gamers.

However, viewing angles are also atrocious with TN panels. Unless you are looking at it from straight on within arms reach, it looks okay, but still not great. But after some adjustments in the picture settings, which you’ll probably be doing quite a bit of anyways, you can get it to a tolerable level.

While we’re on the subject of settings, this monitor has an interesting feature called XL Setting to Share. This lets you customize and upload or download settings to and from other users. So you will be able to share your settings with friends or download your favorite streamer’s settings if they have them available.

Now back to the socket we talked about earlier. BenQ has made what they call an S-Switch controller (sold separately on their website) that connects to the back of the monitor. This switch is a programable quick access controller to change picture settings on the fly. We highly recommend this controller due to the fact that the BenQ Zowie XL2411K does not have adaptive sync.

Surprisingly there are no Freesync or Gsync capabilities. This could be a problem for some of you. If you’re looking for a competitive edge and rely on a monitor’s ability to sync to your GPU, this one won’t cut it. However, with the highly customizable settings and preset built-in, you’ll be able to compensate for this to an extent.

The screen itself is rather typical of TN panels, maybe even less than that in some aspects. With a coverage of 72% of the DCI-P3 and 93% of the sRGB gamuts, the BenQ Zowie XL2411K isn’t very impressive, even for a TN panel. This won’t matter much if you’re using it for gaming, but if you need a monitor for practically any other reason, this monitor is not the best option.

An important feature of the XL2411K is BenQ’s DyAc settings. DyAc (Dynamic Accuracy) is BenQ’s fancy name for backlight strobing. This is a motion blur reduction feature and does exceptionally well. Backlight strobing is a technique to highlight an image to make it more visible and reduces motion blur by blackening an image as the pixels change.

The BenQ Zowie XL2411K does this well, and we highly recommend using this feature in fast-paced games. Keep in mind, however, the strobing effect isn’t noticeable to the naked eye, but it can cause headaches and dizziness to some people, so user beware.

For just under $200, the BenQ Zowie XL2411K is a decent gaming monitor with outstanding ergonomics and lightning-fast response times. By far the biggest drawback of this monitor is its outdated panel technology which brings down the picture quality and reduces the viewing angles. But still, at this price point, there’s a lot to like about this monitor.

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9. Acer KG251Q Fbmidpx

”Honorable mention”

Screen Size: 24.5″ | Resolution: FHD (1920 x1080) | Panel Type: TN | Aspect Ratio: 16:9 | Response Time: 1 ms | Refreshing rate: 144 Hz | Brightness: 400 cd/m2 | Contrast Rate: 1000:1 | Curved: No | I/O Ports: 1x DisplayPort, 2x HDMI, 1x VGA, Audio

Acer KG251Q Fbmidpx

REASONS TO BUY

  • Frameless design
  • Great gaming performance
  • built-in speakers
  • Good motion blur reduction
  • Covered by a three-year warranty
  • Lots of connection ports

REASONS TO AVOID

  • Colors need adjusting out of the box
  • Adaptive contrast technology needs work
  • Poor color accuracy
  • Yellow tint

Our Rating:   9.1/10

Acer typically does a great job with budget gaming monitors, but for some reason, the KG251Q has a few noticeable shortcomings. This monitor may be second-to-last on our list, but it is, by no means, a bad monitor. There are just too many significant flaws that make it fall short of being the best budget 144hz monitor of 2023.

Right off the bat, the Acer KG251Q surprises with some great features– It’s a frameless 144hz monitor with a response time of 1ms. That makes it ideal for gaming as input lag and response time will be low enough for the competitive scene. And with a frameless design, it will work well in a multi-display setup.

While to be expected from a TN panel, the contrast of the Acer KG251Q is low, only 929:1. This is due to, what Acer calls, adaptive contrast. It’s supposed to adjust your setting automatically on the fly, but it seems to be just a gimmick. Additionally, the backlight uniformity is surprisingly poor as well.

While not a huge deal for gamers, this could be an issue when watching movies or playing cinematic games. However, motion blur and ghosting are minimal and even more so when the overdrive setting is turned on, further decreasing the amount of motion blur.

Although not overly noticeable, there is a slight yellow tint to everything that just couldn’t be fixed in the settings. This could be due to the differences in panels, so your results may vary.

If you’re a gamer, you may know that most players prefer TN panels like the Acer KG251Q due to their ability to deliver fast response times and refresh rates, which are marginally better than VA and even more so compared to IPS panels. However, TN panels do have their drawbacks, like viewing angles and contrast ratios.

Unless you sit straight on, the Acer KG251Q’s color, contrast, and brightness will change and become darker and more saturated the further from the center you go. But for most people, this isn’t an issue, as you’ll be sitting directly in front of it anyways.

We found the colors of the Acer KG251Q to be a little dull but easily corrected with some adjustments. Acer has made sure they included their VisionCare technology package with the KG251Q. That’s their term for the flicker-free and low blue light filter suite included in the settings menu, which is easily accessed using the buttons on the front right of the monitor.

Quality-wise, the black plastic seems flimsy, but it’s actually pretty solid. This also goes for the base, which has that gamer red on the feet. Being frameless, the bezels are ultra-thin and will look nice in a multiscreen setup.

On the back, you will find the display port, an HDMI port, as well as a DVI port, giving you a few different options for connecting to your favorite devices. Moving on to the stand, the only adjustment feature available is tilt, which is disappointing but not that big of a deal.

For the price, the Acer KG251Q does well and is overall a good monitor for gaming, but not so much anything else. Compared to VA and especially IPS panels, the color and crispness are lacking. The gaming performance is good, but in comparison to other monitors, there isn’t anything that would make it stand out from the crowd.

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10. Philips 242E1GSJ

”Honorable mention #2”

Screen Size: 23.8″ | Resolution: FHD (1920 x1080) | Panel Type: VA | Aspect Ratio: 16:9 | Response Time: 4 ms | Refreshing rate: 144 Hz | Brightness: 350 cd/m2 | Contrast Rate: 3500:1 | Curved: No | I/O Ports: 1x DisplayPort, 1x HDMI, Audio

Philips 242E1GSJ

REASONS TO BUY

  • Good visual presets
  • Good gaming performance
  • Wide viewing angles
  • Adaptive Sync (Freesync)
  • Great contrast ratio
  • Four-year warranty

REASONS TO AVOID

  • Lower build quality
  • Only two inputs
  • Low response time

Our Rating:   9.0/10

As far as budget 144hz gaming monitors go, the Philips 242E1GSJ is what you would expect. However, something you wouldn’t expect is a low quality vs. performance ratio from a well-known brand like Philips.

The Philips 242E1GSJ is a VA panel wrapped in black plastic with the metallic Philips logo at the bottom center. It has a brushed steel look on the back, and right in the center is the input panel. This is a problem. The Philips 242E1GSJ has only one display port and one HDMI port placed horizontally, which will make your input cable just stick right out of your monitor like a tail.

This is problematic because not everyone has a lot of space, and those cables will bump walls and take up space. Also, it just looks sloppy. In addition to the graphical inputs, there is a 3.5mm headphone jack, seeing as there are no built-in speakers. That way, you can plug in your earbuds or headphones that use such a jack. But most people use a USB pair of headphones plugged into their computers.

The screen is relatively good, with a contrast ratio of 3500:1, a 1ms response time, and Philips’ SmartImage technology, a fancy term Philips uses for the game mode settings. (These include Racing, FPS, RTS, and more) This means that the Philips 242E1GSJ can handle some of the fastest games. However, there are a few reports of some panels having terrible ghosting problems, so your mileage may vary.

To further enhance your experience, the Philips 242E1GSJ has all the vision-safe features, such as flicker-free technology and a low blue light feature to reduce strain on your eyes. Allowing you to play longer with less eye fatigue.

Equipped with AMD Freesync, the Philips 242E1GSJ can sync with your AMD graphics card right away. This will help reduce screen tearing and smearing, producing smoother gameplay. Although it’s equipped with AMD Freesync, an Nvidia card will be able to take advantage of this feature using compatibility mode.

Additionally, you can save your own presets, so customizing your display couldn’t be easier. But to tell the truth, the factory presets are pretty good. And with a decent sRGB color gamut of 126%, the colors will be great for gaming and casual viewing. But like most VA panels, the color accuracy isn’t the best.

Overall, the price point for the Philips 242E1GSJ is a little high. Yeah, it’s a 144hz VA panel with a 1ms response time in 1080p, but it just seems cheap. The input panel isn’t placed well, and any cables you stick in there will be sticking right back out. For barely missing the $200 mark, you could do better. But in the end, it’s not a bad monitor if you don’t mind a few downsides build-wise.

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Final Words

There you go; these were the top 10 best 144hz monitors you’ll be able to find on the market under $200 in 2023.

If you found this article helpful, make sure to share it with your friends on your favorite social media.

Besides that, if you have any additional questions or are still not sure which monitor is best for your needs, feel free to reach out to us, and we’ll be more than happy to help you out.

We love hearing from you!

About Richard Gamin 232 Articles
My name's Richard and over the years, I have personally built many PCs for myself and my friends. I love gaming, programming, graphics designing and basically anything that has to do with computers and technology. If you ever need a hand with anything, feel free to contact me and I will be more than happy to help you out.

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