Best gaming monitors under $100 2023 – our top picks
We find the best gaming monitor under 100!
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Gaming monitors are starting to fall in price thanks to the arrival of new tech, meaning you can get a fantastic gaming monitor for under $100 right now.
For individuals that reside in the lower end of the budget spectrum, the best gaming monitor under $100 is the perfect place to start your display search. Mind you, if you fancy spending a little more you can always check out our top monitor picks under $150 too.
Whilst sub $100 monitors do fall short of the mark in terms of gaming, that doesn’t mean they’re beneath your consideration. There are plenty of options in today’s market that provide adequate colors, refresh rates, and response times – making them perfectly acceptable for both console and PC gaming.
In this guide, we’ll be taking a look at the best gaming monitors under $100 the market has to offer. Let’s take a look at what’s out there.
Best monitor under $100 video
Best Gaming monitor under $100: Our top picks
How We Choose
Whether we’re reviewing the best gaming monitors under $100 or the best GPUs on the market, choosing the right hardware can always be a tricky task.
It requires hours of product research, performance benchmarking, and reviewing user feedback to get anywhere close to a definitive conclusion on what to recommend.
If you aren’t tech-savvy and struggle to put the time aside to go through the above requirements, you may end up purchasing a gaming monitor that isn’t right for you.
Fear not though, friends! Here at WePC, we like to take the stress of research away, and transform the whole process into an easy-to-follow, complete buyers guide. That’s right, our team of PC enthusiasts has done all the hard work for you!
How We Test
Testing the products we recommend is a huge part of the overall selection process in our best of guides. It’s a way to make sure what we recommend is, without a doubt, the best option in its specific category.
To be sure a gaming monitor is “the best,” it must show excellent performance in our tests, and display better qualities and features than the competition it faces.
Most of the products we recommend here at WePC have gone through a strict testing process that involves everything from the price and performance, to build quality, efficiency, and aesthetics. Each product is pushed to the limit to see how it performs under intense stress to make sure it warrants our coveted top spot.
Doing this enables us to provide you with the most accurate review of how the product performs and, ultimately, whether it’s worth your hard-earned cash.
Things To Consider
No matter what you are purchasing there are always going to be key things to consider to ensure you get the right product for your needs. Whether the product is a gaming monitor under $100 or a new gaming mouse, it is crucial to understand what makes each model the best, so you don’t waste your hard-earned cash.
Below, we are going to go over a few key factors for you to take into consideration before buying a new gaming monitor. This will help you in the selection process and ultimately make sure you walk away with the best product for your specific needs.
Refresh Rates
A monitors refresh rate is highly important to gamers. The rate is measured in hertz and is a way of seeing how fast a monitor can refresh the image on the screen. Refresh rates vary from 60Hz all the way up to 240Hz and beyond but when dealing with gaming monitors under $100, the vast majority are running at 60Hz.
60Hz is ideal for everyday usage and not favored among gamers but when we have strict budgets there are always going to be compromises and refresh rates are one of these. 60Hz is fine for competitive gaming, although most competitive players would consider this too low. That being said if you enjoy single-player games, this refresh rate is going to be better suited to you.
Screen Resolution
A screens resolution can have a direct impact on your PC’s performance but when dealing with monitors under $100, they are often going to be 1080p. 1080p full HD monitors are the kings of budget gaming monitors, with 1440p and 4K options out of reach. If you have a high-end gaming PC, buying a budget sub-$100 gaming monitor with 1080p resolution is considered a waste as you could be getting much more out of your hardware.
We understand not everyone has extra money to spare on extravagant monitor upgrades but you should definitely consider going for monitors over at least $150, to get more use out of them and of course, more enjoyment.
Panel Types
There are many different types of panel technologies, with most modern monitors being manufactured using TFT-LCD (thin-film transistor-liquid crystal display) technology. Each different technology has its own pros and cons and perform differently in specific scenarios. Some types are more responsive, while others are better for wide viewing angles and color reproduction.
The main panel types are TN (twisted nematic), VA (vertical alignment), and IPS (in-plane switching). To better understand the positives and negatives take a look at the table below.
Consider Refurbished Monitors
The main reason to consider a refurbished product is simply down to cash. you’re going to get really good deals on used displays, a number of which will be better than either of the options that we’ve offered above and you can still take advantage of a gaming monitor that comes under $100!
While it may be a tough sell for many to buy monitors that aren’t brand new, compromising with refurbished monitors on a budget can often pay off by granting you access to higher refresh rates, lower response times and lower prices for acceptable 1080p monitors.
Where To Buy
If you’re in the market for refurbished monitors, some places to check out are Microcenter and BenQDirect. These outlets provide the best deals you’ll find on refurbished monitors, with BenQDirect offering high-end BenQ monitors with a 1-year warranty.
For those more familiar with Amazon you can see a wide range of refurbished stock for multiple different monitor options. Simply find the product you want and click on ‘Used & New’ to see the various buying options and graded stock.
What To Look For
When shopping for refurbished monitors, try to find ones with better specs than new monitors in the same price range. If you’re settling for refurbished, you should get something to compensate for that even if it is just a lower price.
One thing to look for is a 144Hz refresh rate. This will make your games feel smoother and more responsive than they would otherwise.
Another thing to look for is 1ms response times. These are surprisingly common for refurbs under $100 and will minimize input latency between you and your monitor. Do bear in mind gaming still feels responsive up to 5ms but you would expect a better quality of panel for this compromise like IPS.
Other things you may appreciate from a refurb are 24 inch+ monitor sizes, more adjustable features, or just a monitor that is visually pleasing on the eye.
Issues To Look For
Buying refurbs is normally fine and covered under warranty for any on-arrival problems. Used monitors, however, typically have at least a few issues. From tiny to most severe, here’s what to look out for:
- Mild Cosmetic Damage – Mild scratches to the bezels and screen, or a dirty screen. These can be ignored or cleaned, respectively.
- Dead Pixels – Dead pixels refer to pixels that are stuck on one color, like white, and do not change in accordance with the rest of the screen. Typically there will only be one or two dead pixels on a screen since it’s a manufacturing defect, and while it can mostly be ignored it can drive you crazy if you pay attention to it.
- Backlight Bleed – Backlight bleed occurs when either a backlight is too powerful, or other parts of the monitor are starting to fail. This will result in weird differences in brightness on different sections of the screen, especially noticeable in dark rooms.
- Flickering – Flickering is a common reality of CRT monitors, but it can happen to LCD monitors too. Not only is flickering annoying, but in the long-term, it can cause headaches or nausea to those who are particularly sensitive to it.
- Burn-In – When an image is simply burned into the screen. Usually manifests as an afterimage on the screen, most often seen in common taskbar locations at the top, bottom or sides of a display.
- Major Damage – Cracks in the screen, loose power connectors, etc. If you notice any of these issues, do not buy.
What to expect when buying a gaming monitor under $100
With the average price of gaming monitors starting to fall, we’ll be looking at the realistic expectations of buying a monitor under $100.
At this price point, you’ll struggle to find a monitor with high-end specifications.
That said, you’ll still be able to get 100Hz (maybe 144Hz on sale) refresh rates and 1ms response times.
You can also expect a 1080p FHD screen resolution and 24-inch screen – with HDR rare at this price point.
Build materials will likely be of lower quality, with stand adjustments limited.
Best gaming monitor under $100: in-depth reviews
Acer-VG220Q
- Fast response rate
- With Adaptive/FreeSync technology
- IPS display
- Thin bezels
- User friendly OSD
- Not VESA compatible
- Colour accuracy isn’t the best
The Acer Nitro VG220Q is part of a very affordable range from Acer that will definitely not break the bank. This zero frame gaming monitor boasts an IPS display in full HD with a seriously quick response time of just 1ms. This is an entry-level monitor so for this price you won’t tend to find monitors with all the bells and whistles but you can find the odd bargain that could be perfectly suited to your needs!
The monitors IPS display means you don’t have to worry about viewing angles and you could use this without issues for entertainment but do bear in mind the color accuracy isn’t as good as more expensive options, so if that is an important factor you may want to adjust your budget slightly.
There is little to no movement from the stand on this monitor but it does give you a front and back tilt which is enough to get a good position and you can’t ask for much more at this price point. The design as a whole is quite nice with the ‘zero frame’ feature which is basically just a thin bezel edge. From the picture the red stand didn’t look the most appealing but out of the box it works and looks brilliant on the desk.
This monitor may be slightly over budget but you are getting a high amount of useful gaming features at a very reasonable price. The full HD IPS display for this price could be enough to entice a lot of gamers in but it also features an incredibly low 1ms response time and Freesync making this near-perfect for gamers in the under $100 price range.
AOC – G2260VWQ6
- Fast response rate
- With Adaptive/FreeSync technology
- DisplayPort connection available
- Thin bezels
- VESA compatible
- looks like a buget monitor
- Colour accuracy isn’t the best
Like the Acer Nitro monitor, the AOC G2260VWQ6 falls in the same price bracket and shares a similar set of features. This monitor comes just under the desired $100 budget and is a reliable bit of kit for something this cheap. This would be considered an entry-level monitor that boasts a response time of just 1ms.
The monitor features a TN panel type, so the viewing angle may be limited on this monitor but for gaming when you are going to be sat directly in front of the display, it shouldn’t be an issue.
The monitor comes with Freesync out of the box and when paired with the 75Hz refresh rate it makes for some really smooth tear-free gaming experiences. The design is fairly straight forward, with no real points to discuss but it comes with a stand and there is a small amount of red on the bottom bezel. What’s great about this little monitor is that you can take the stand off and mount it to a VESA compatible bracket if you desired, for more elaborate setups.
This monitor may lack those key features that some gamers are after but it ticks the boxes and does it on a budget. That being said you are getting enough useful gaming features at a very reasonable price with anti-blue light and flicker-free technology making this near-perfect for gamers in the under $100 price range.
Acer-SB220Q
- FreeSync technology
- IPS display
- Thin bezels
- VESA compatible
- Average response time
- Not the best colour accuracy
The Acer SB220Q may be the cheapest recommendation we make for the monitors but it’s by no means a slouch. This monitor not only comes way under budget but it sports an IPS display with a reasonable response time of 4ms, which is a good middle ground for a lot of gamers.
This low profile monitor sits at just under $90 and looks and feels like a quality display. The IPS panel may not be the best but in this price category, it’s a welcomed feature to have and it does a fantastic job for gaming. Response times sometimes suffer from this panel type as we see here but anything under 5ms should still be considered as its very hard to notice. It is worth noting if this had a quicker response time then it would probably be a bit higher in the list
You are getting Freesync technology with this monitor too which should be a bare minimum, even in budget monitors these days. The monitors refresh rate is also capable of 75Hz which when you game with Freesync on, it eliminates input lag and any stuttering issues you may face. So the features of this monitor aren’t too bad but the main thing to talk about here is the ultra-thin profile to this, from the side it’s near invisible. The ultra-thin display is great and the thin bezel edge only adds to this sleek design making this one of the more attractive monitors in the under $100 price bracket.
Unfortunately, this isn’t compatible with VESA so you are limited in that regard. Overall for a budget monitor, it has to be taken seriously and thanks to a good amount of features this monitor can please a variety of gamers across the board!
ViewSonic VX2252MH
- Low Response time
- Features ViewSonic’s ‘game mode’
- No Freesync
- TN panel
The next budget-busting monitor on the list is this 22″ from ViewSonic. As Standard, you will be getting ViewSonics ‘game mode’ feature which can enhance colors such as darks whilst in-game. Along with this, you get a fast enough response time of 2ms but it’s a bit disappointing this isn’t 1ms considering the fact it is a TN panel, however, 1 extra millisecond isn’t noticeable.
It is worth noting with this rage of monitors if you have an extra $30 you can afford to grab the 24″ version for those that require a large display for gaming/ television. This monitor may not have the same features as some of the others but ViewSonic produces lots of gaming monitors and its a brand that you can trust. Despite the lack of features, it does have a good enough response time to consider this for competitive gaming and the display is actually quite crisp.
The monitor may not have the best panel type or feature Freesync but it does have built-in speakers and can be used as a multimedia monitor if needed. Although the speakers in these sized/priced monitors are never that good this still has to be considered.
Sceptre E248W
- Biggest screen size out of recommendations
- VESA compatible
- Slim and sleek
- Decent refresh rate
- No Freesync
- TN panel
- Average response time
Lastly but by no means least is the Sceptre E248W and its 24″ display.
The response time could be quicker seeing as it is a budget TN panel monitor but its not so slow you’d notice all that much anyway. It is worth noting that these Sceptre displays are quite popular budget monitors and their range does vary in price leading to some bargains for those on the hunt for a good deal. You can even pick up the smaller 22″ version of this for under $80 making it one of the best for value available at this size.
This doesn’t feature Freesync or indeed a lightning-fast response time but it does provide a nice display to enjoy games in full HD. It uses a TN panel, which unfortunately isn’t as bright as your IPS panels but this still does a brilliant job.
The design is stylish and the overall look of the monitor is brilliant. It features really thin bezel edges all the way around the screen and it has a very thin profile too which means this monitor wouldn’t look out of place in even the most advanced setups.
This budget pick is for those on a budget looking to get a slightly bigger screen. If you are after anything more than that it may be worth checking out what’s available in the under $150 price bracket but all things considered this is still a solid monitor for the price.
The Best Gaming Monitors Under $100 frequently asked questions
What is the best gaming monitor under $100?
Right now, the Acer VG220Q is one of the best gaming monitors on the market.
It features an entry-level 75Hz refresh rate, 1080p screen resolution, and 21.5″ display size. Better yet, it delivers a smooth gaming experience thanks to its quick 1ms response time – and all for under $100.
What to expect when buying a gaming monitor under $100
With the average price of gaming monitors starting to fall, we’ll be looking at the realistic expectations of buying a monitor under $100.
At this price point, you’ll struggle to find a monitor with high-end specifications.
That said, you’ll still be able to get 100Hz (maybe 144Hz on sale) refresh rates and 1ms response times.
You can also expect a 1080p FHD screen resolution and 24-inch screen – with HDR rare at this price point.
Build materials will likely be of lower quality, with stand adjustments limited.
Related monitor pages
- Best gaming monitor under $150
- Best gaming monitor under $200
- Best gaming monitor under $300
- Best gaming monitor under $400
- Best gaming monitor under $500
Final Word
It is important to know the best gaming monitors under $100 are considered entry-level. If you are in possession of a great system or you are planning on building a decent gaming PC, it may be worth saving for a little longer and going for a better investment. Of course, you can get a lot more for under $300 and even $200 but this may not be exactly what you are looking for so it is worth checking out our best monitor recommendations first!
As far as new monitors go, the Acer VG220Q is the best gaming monitor under $100. It offers a standard size and refresh rate for this price range, however, it is highly responsive and it comes from a reliable manufacturer.
So there you have it, our breakdown of the best gaming monitors for under $100. Have you ever bought an entry-level monitor before? Which model served you well over the years? Head over to the WePC community and share with the ever-growing bunch of gaming enthusiasts!
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