Best Cheap 144 Hz Monitors

1. ViewSonic XG2402 (Best Pick)

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Editor’s Rating: 4.4/5.0

Widely considered one of the best budget gaming monitors under $300, the ViewSonic XG2402 is the best cheap 144 Hz monitor you can get today. It’s a 24-inch TN monitor with a solid build quality, an excellent response time, and AMD FreeSync support. It sells for about $250, which makes it one of the higher priced products on this list.

Although the XG2402 is almost completely made of plastic, it doesn’t feel cheap. It’s a well-built monitor, featuring a simple but sturdy stand that easily supports the screen. The screen position is easy to adjust, with options to adjust the height, swivel and tilt the screen, and pivot to portrait mode. While it isn’t distracting during regular use, the bezel is rather thick, which makes this unit unsuitable for a dual monitor setup.

The XG2402 has a stylish back panel. All connection ports are positioned at the rear and are easy enough to access. The ports include a couple of HDMI ports, a DisplayPort, an audio out, and a USB hub with two USB 3.0 ports. For cable management, there is a small loop on the stand; it’s adequate enough, but ViewSonic should have gone for a more effective cable management.

Speaking of not-too-effective designs, changing the monitor settings can be difficult. The control buttons, which are located on the bottom-right edge, are easy enough to use. But what makes things difficult is the on-screen menu. While there are a lot of options to choose from, the display itself is not that great, which makes navigating it confusing.

For a budget TN monitor, the XG2402 has a fairly good picture quality, but it has a poor native contrast ratio and is not suitable in a dark room. Additionally, it has sub par viewing angles, as expected from a monitor with a TN panel, which means you need to be always in front of it to get the best viewing experience. The XG2402 is good enough for office work and internet browsing, but for photo/video editing, it’s not an ideal choice due to its resolution.

The XG2402 is best used as a gaming monitor. It has a high native refresh rate and AMD FreeSync support, translating to a buttery smooth performance during fast-paced games like Overwatch and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. It’s got a very low input lag, too, which makes it ideal for games in which quick reactions are crucial, such as fighting games. Because of its excellent refresh rate, response time, and input lag, the XG2402 is a recommended monitor for competitive multiplayer gaming.

Overall, the XG2402 is a superb budget 144 Hz monitor for gaming and is good enough for regular office work. It’s a well-built monitor with good ergonomics and boasts an excellent response time and a low input lag. If you can’t afford to spend more than $300 on a 144 Hz monitor, the XG2402 is currently the best option on the market.

2. AOC G2460PF (Best Budget)

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Editor’s Rating: 4.1/5.0

The AOC G2460PF is a ridiculously affordable monitor that works really well, not only for serious gaming but also for web surfing and light office work. You can get it for less than $200, easily making it one of the cheapest 144 Hz monitors out there.

Like almost all the other products listed here, the G2460PF is a TN monitor, featuring a 24-inch screen and a native 1920 x 1080 resolution. It’s got a very basic design, with a well-built stand and a fairly thick bezel, which makes it not a good candidate for a multi-monitor setup. The stand, which has a round base, is easy to adjust, with the option to switch to portrait mode.

The G2460PF’s back panel is clean and unsophisticated, with none of those stylish curves and lighting system to make it more eye-catching. It’s just a regular-looking unit, so don’t expect to impress anyone with its aesthetics. Almost all of its connection ports – which include a VGA, an HDMI, and a DisplayPort, among others – are at the rear, positioned downward.

There are four USB ports on this monitor, divided into pairs: one pair is near the other main input ports while the other pair is positioned sideward on the edge for quick access. One of the ports on the monitor’s edge has a fast-charging function, which is convenient but not exactly something to write home about.

Unlike many budget monitors, G2460PF has integrated speakers, which sounds awesome until you actually use them. Honestly, the speakers suck. Whether you’re playing games or watching video clips, you’ll have a much better experience with external speakers or headphones. This isn’t a problem unique to the G2460PF, though, as monitor speakers tend to be poor in quality, even the ones in more expensive monitors.

The G2460PF is best used for gaming, considering its very high native refresh rate, low input lag, and extremely fast response time. It works great for competitive multiplayer games, especially first-person shooter games. Its excellent input lag makes it ideal for games that require quick reactions while its high native refresh rate makes it great for fast-paced games.

This AOC product is also good for simulations and MOBAs. But like other TN monitors, the G2460PF is not recommended for RPGs and single-player games with fantastic visuals, with The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt being a great example. Such games are best experienced on an IPS monitor with a much higher resolution, preferably a 4K monitor or if the game supports 21:9 format, an ultrawide monitor.

For non-gaming, the G2460PF is capable enough. It’s a fairly decent monitor for web browsing and some office work. But if you’re a professional photographer or a graphic designer, this monitor is not a recommended option due to its subpar color reproduction and poor viewing angles – an IPS monitor will be more suitable for you.

It’s worth noting that the G2460PF is poorly calibrated out of the box, especially with regard to brightness, so don’t expect great settings at the onset. You’ll have to tinker with the settings to get the calibration right. Fortunately, navigating the menu is easy enough, courtesy of the responsive buttons and the well-designed interface.

All in all, the G2460PF is a solid 144 Hz monitor with a nice build quality, featuring an easily adjustable stand, multiple USB ports, and support for AMD FreeSync technology. It’s a great option for gamers who can’t spend a fortune on a 144 Hz monitor.

3. MSI Optix MAG24C (Best Value)

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Editor’s Rating: 4.2/5.0

Selling for just around $220, the MSI Optix MAG24C is a slightly improved G24C, with the most notable changes being on the aesthetics side. It’s a 24-inch curved monitor with variable refresh rate support (AMD FreeSync) and a good native contrast.

Unlike all the other products here, the MAG24C has a VA panel. This means it has significantly better color accuracy and viewing angles than a TN monitor – but don’t expect it to be on the same level as an IPS monitor, which boasts the best picture quality among the three panel types.

The MAG24C works best when deployed for gaming. It has a high native refresh rate and low input lag, making it a suitable unit for action-packed games, such as racing simulations or first-person shooters. You will have no issues reacting on time during competitive multiplayer games with this monitor, courtesy of its gaming-friendly specs, but that’s assuming you already have good timing and map awareness in the first place.

While it’s definitely better than budget 144 Hz monitors with TN panel tech, the MAG24C’s overall picture quality isn’t exactly stellar. It’s good for a cheap monitor, but don’t expect to be blown away by vibrant and extremely accurate colors, even with optimized settings. It’s great for both casual and serious gaming as well as internet surfing and simple documents processing. But for tasks such as photo editing, this monitor is not suitable.

Concerning design and build quality, the MAG24C is good. It’s a lot more stylish than our budget pick, featuring a frame with a lighting system, which is cool. It has a sturdy stand with multiple adjustment options and an intuitive joystick control for navigating the on-screen menu, similar to LG monitors. It has multiple input options, including HDMI, with cable management on the stand.

As mentioned, the MAG24C is a curved monitor, which is another feature that easily separates it from the rest of the products in this guide to the best budget 144 Hz monitors. However, the curve is kind of useless, considering the 24-inch screen. You won’t get that immersive experience normally associated with curved monitors. If you want that kind of experience, we suggest that you increase your budget and consider curved ultrawide monitors instead.

If you want a cheap 144 Hz monitor with considerably better picture quality than a regular TN monitor, get the MAG24C. It’s a well-designed VA monitor that sells for less than $250, featuring good build quality, low input lag, and an intuitive menu control. It offers good value for the price.

4. Acer XFA240

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Editor’s Rating: 4.0/5.0

Of the brands represented in this guide, Acer is the most recognizable. The Taiwanese company is known for its good selection of monitors. For those in the market for a cheap 144 Hz monitor, check out the Acer XFA240, a 24-inch monitor with a TN panel. You can get it for just around $200, making it the second-most affordable item on this list.

In terms of aesthetics, the XFA240 follows the template of most cheap monitors. It has a very basic design, with a fairly thick bezel and a sturdy stand with a round base. Its thick bezel means it isn’t a recommended monitor for a dual monitor setup; there are better options for that. The XFA240’s well-built stand is easy to adjust, with options to swivel, tilt, pivot, and adjust the height.

But be mindful of the power light indicator when adjusting the screen position, as it’s too bright and can be irritating and distracting, especially when playing games and reading documents. We recommend that you cover up the power light indicator with a tape or something to remove it from the equation.

The XFA240’s back panel is good, with no eyebrow-raising design choices. The vents are on the top edge while the main connection ports are at the bottom. For cable management, the XFA240’s stand has a small hole near the base. You can also go for a wall-mounted setup, courtesy of the VESA mount at the back. And unlike with the MSI Optix MAG24C, it’s a lot easier to connect the XFA240 to a VESA mount.

Acer equipped the XFA240 with speakers, which appears to be a real bonus, considering the price. Unfortunately, the speakers are trash and are not worth using for anything, most especially for gaming. It’s best to simply use wired headphones or external speakers.

Since the XFA240 is a TN monitor, you shouldn’t expect too much with regard to picture quality and viewing angles. It’s not that great on both fronts. So if you want to be wowed with gorgeous visuals while playing games such as Final Fantasy XV, NieR: Automata, and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, you’re not going get that with this cheap monitor.

As with other monitors with a very high 144 Hz refresh rate, the XFA240 is best used for fast-paced games, such as first-person shooter games. It has a fast response time, low input lag, and support for AMD FreeSync tech. It’s also good for real-time strategy games, life simulations like The Sims 4, and platformers. On the other side of the fence, the XFA240 is also decent for non-gaming use, such as internet surfing and editing spreadsheets. But like other TN monitors, it’s not suitable for graphic designing, video editing, and other similar tasks.

Overall, the XFA240 is a good monitor for the price. It has good build quality, offers multiple input ports, and is excellent for competitive gaming. If our budget pick isn’t your cup of tea, the XFA240, which sells for a similar price, is a great alternative.

5. BenQ Zowie XL2411P

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Editor’s Rating: 3.9/5.0

The BenQ Zowie XL2411P is a monitor that sells for almost the same price as our topic pick. But compared to ViewSonic’s offering, this product is a few steps behind in overall quality. Still, it’s a great monitor for competitive gaming and works well for non-gaming use.

A 24-inch monitor, the XL2411P has a very ordinary design and doesn’t come off as flashy, unlike most other gaming-focused monitors. Its bezel is quite thick, which means it’s not a good option for a dual monitor setup – unless you don’t mind that black bar in the middle. It has a very sturdy stand with a small footprint and offers options for adjusting the screen position and orientation, including height adjustment.

There are multiple input ports at the back, with the DisplayPort being the most notable because the older version of this product didn’t have one, which got a lot of complaints. The XL2411P’s back panel is clean and straightforward with no significant design issues. You can easily mount it on the wall, courtesy of the VESA mount.

The XL2411P’s on-screen display is simple and easy to navigate. That’s the good news. The bad news is that it comes with poor calibration out of the box, so be prepared to spend a fair amount of time getting acquainted with the control buttons and the menu at the onset. The monitor’s brightness level is especially way off the mark out of the box.

Being a TN monitor, the XL2411P suffers from the same issues associated with such monitors – like subpar native contrast and bad viewing angles. And don’t expect to experience jaw-dropping picture quality, either, as it’s decent at best on that front. Like other TN monitors, the XL2411P shines the most when used for gaming. It has an exceptional response time, low input lag, and a high native refresh rate – all of which translate to a better gaming experience, especially during competitive multiplayer games like Fortnite, Overwatch, and PUBG.

For non-gaming use like internet surfing and office work, the XL2411P also works well, but don’t use it for photo and video editing. As with all the other monitors in this guide, the XL2411P has a 1920 x 1080 resolution, which is disappointing for a lot of people.

Wrapping up, the XL2411P is a nice budget monitor with gaming-friendly features and specs. It has a simple and functional design, boasts an exceptional response time, and supports AMD FreeSync technology. It’s one of the best cheap 144 Hz monitors currently out on the market, selling for just around $250.