Best Cheap 144Hz Gaming Monitor In 2023
Taking a look at some of the best budget-tailored 144hz monitors in today's market
Over time, refresh rates have become increasingly important for both casual and competitive gamers. And whilst monitors now boast refresh rates of up to 360Hz, the humble 144Hz gaming monitor still holds a place in today’s market.
There’s plenty to like about 144Hz monitors – they offer good gaming performance for cheaper gaming PCs, they often come with good response time, and they are much less costly than 240Hz and 360Hz monitors.
In today’s article, we’ll be taking a closer look at some of the best cheap 144Hz monitors for gaming in 2023. We’ll be comparing gaming performance, picture quality, color accuracy, and general features – concluding with which is best and why.
So, with plenty to get through, let’s waste no further time and dive straight into the best cheap 144Hz gaming monitors.
Best 144Hz gaming monitor video
Check out our best gaming monitor guide here.
Our Top Picks
How We Choose And Test
Physically testing the products we recommend here at WePC is one of the fundamental factors that has helped us secure your trust over the years.
For the best cheap 144Hz monitor for gaming article, we spent hours testing each monitor we recommended, using high-end equipment and testing methodology to conclude which are the best for your gaming needs.
We have a comprehensive article and how to test and choose our monitors, explaining many of the testing processes that occur during our selection process.
You can check out how we test monitors here.
Refresh rates: 144Hz Vs 60Hz
If you’re in the market for a cheap gaming monitor, chances are you’ll have likely come across 60hz monitors and 144hz monitors. But, what is the difference between the two? and is it actually worth going for a 144hz monitor?
Well, the resounding answer is yes, absolutely. The refresh rate of your monitor is one of the most performance-affecting factors it comes equipped with. It’s a measurement that lets us know how often the screen refreshes the image it’s displaying, having a direct impact on the overall smoothness of the gameplay.
But what does that mean for 144Hz vs 60Hz? Well, it means a lot. The jump from 60Hz to 144Hz is almost two and half times, meaning you’re effectively getting a monitor that’s over twice as smooth.
The difference between 60Hz and 144Hz is one of the most obvious – mainly because 60Hz monitors provide such a mediocre gaming experience. At 144Hz, you’ll be able to enjoy smoother gameplay, especially when paired with good VRR technology.
Cheap 144Hz Monitor For Gaming: Buying Tips
For those new to buying monitors for gaming, below we have listed some of the most important buying tips for newcomers.
This will hopefully make your next purchasing decision that little bit easier:
Get The Highest Refresh Rate Possible: When it comes to gaming monitors, we should always look for the highest refresh rate possible. As we said earlier, this is one of the most impactful specifications when it comes to the smoothness of your gameplay.
Low Response Times: Another important area to always consider is response time. This is how quickly your pixels change color – mainly using the GTG transition. Having a low response time will reduce screen artifacts like ghosting and smearing.
What Is Considered Cheap: So, what exactly is a cheap 144hz gaming monitor in today’s market. Well, anything under $200 is considered relatively cheap. As you can see from the selection above, we’ve tried to stick around this area as going any lower will reduce performance exponentially.
Expect Poor Build Quality: When you’re buying from the lower end of the price spectrum, build quality is often an area that is compromised to save on cost. Whilst this isn’t too problematic, it can increase the chance of instability and faults down the line.
The Best Cheap 144hz Monitor For Gaming In 2021
In-depth Review
- 1ms response time
- Frameless bezels
- IPS color accuracy
- Peak brightness isn't great
At 165hz, the AOC C24G2 is one of the fastest monitors in this guide. It pairs the quick refresh rate with an equally impressive 1ms response time that reduces screen artifacts to a minimum.
The 23.6″ monitor comes equipped with a VA 1500R curved panel, adaptive sync technology, and a decent contrast ratio. The VA panel offers good blacks that help with accuracy when playing games or watching movies. That said, it doesn’t offer any form of local dimming, so haloing can be problematic.
The 1500R curvature not only helps create immersion, but also provides greater viewing angles when using this panel. It offers HDMI and DisplayPort compatibility, allowing users to hook several devices up to this monitor at any given moment.
- High contrast ratio
- Deep blacks
- Limited smearing
- 1ms response time
- Max brightness is limited to 250 nits
The Samsung Odyssey lineup of monitors has been hugely popular since its release a couple of years ago. The latest monitor to arrive in that series is the G3 – offering up a flat-screen gaming experience that was lacking from the original lineup.
The G3 is another great monitor that provides smooth gameplay and limited screen artifacts. Whilst its peak brightness is considered low, it still makes for a great dark-room gaming monitor. It offers a 3000:1 native contrast ratio, deep blacks, and a competitive 1080p screen resolution that allows you to reach 144 frames per second.
The colors for this monitor aren’t spectacular – however, as far as smearing and blurring are concerned, it performs incredibly well when compared to other VA alternatives.
- Optimized for esports gamers
- Impressive 0.5ms response time
- G-Sync and FreeSync compatible
- 165Hz refresh rate
- Color accuracy is poor
- Viewing angles aren't great
The second 165Hz monitor in this guide comes in the shape of ASUS’ VG248QG, a 24″ TN panel that offers up excellent gaming performance and responsiveness.
Despite this monitor not offering up the best viewing angles or color accuracy, it more than makes up for it in general response and general gaming performance. Users can expect a peak brightness of 350 nits and a native contrast ratio of 1000:1. Most impressive, however, is the monitor’s 1ms GTG response time, reducing most blurring and ghosting issues.
Users can enable features like ELMB in the OSD, further improving on perceived blur when viewing fast-moving objects.
- Excellent value for money
- 1ms response time
- Black Equalizer feature
- Doesn't support 120Hz for console
The BenQ is hugely popular amongst budget-restricted users, mainly thanks to the excellent value it comes equipped with. For under $150, it’s by far the cheapest monitor in this guide – yet still offering plenty of the same performance-tailored features.
At the heart of this monitor lies a capable TN panel that showcases excellent response. It has been optimized for esports gaming, utilizing a 1080p screen resolution to make the 144 framerate threshold easily achievable. The 144Hz refresh rate pairs nicely with the 1ms response time to help reduce screen artifacts to a minimum. Whilst the peak brightness of 350 nits is a little lacking, it still makes for a very capable dark-room gaming monitor.
Color accuracy and viewing angles are of course problematic thanks to the TN panel it boasts. That being said, the monitor is tailored towards esports and high levels of response – colors aren’t the priority here.
- quick 1ms response time
- Zero frame design
- IPS panel technology
- Limited stand ergonomics
- Poor peak brightness
The last monitor in this guide is the Acer Nitro VG240Y, a decent little gaming monitor that packs that dream combination of 144Hz refresh rate with 1ms response time.
Whilst the Nitro is one of the worst-built monitors in this guide, it makes up for it in general gameplay and value. The 144Hz refresh rate makes for a fluid gaming experience, with a 1ms response time reducing ghosting and smearing exponentially. Colors aren’t the best for this monitor, neither is the native contrast ratio. However, at under $200, you can’t really argue with the performance this screen provides.
Final Word
So, there you have it, our complete guide to the best Cheap 144Hz monitors for gaming in 2021. For us, the best monitor for goes to the hugely impressive AOC C24G2. Not only does it offer the highest refresh rate in this guide, but it also comes packed with a bunch of features that make tailoring your visual experience that much easier.
That being said, every monitor in this guide offers up its own unique set of pros and cons. Ultimately, it all comes down to your needs. We will be keeping this page up to date with any new releases, so be sure to bookmark this page if you are in the market for a cheaper 144Hz panel.
Any questions, feel free to drop us a comment in the section below.
WePC is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more
