Looking for an affordable computer screen? We’ve picked out the best budget monitors including a few ultrawide and 4K options.

A monitor might not always seem like the most necessary thing. If you’re working on a laptop, you might already feel like you’ve got a good enough display. You might spend most of your time gaming on a 4K TV. With those two displays already available, a monitor can come across as pointless, but there’s actually a fair bit of value to get out of a decent monitor, and you won’t have to spend too much.There’s a wide variety of affordable monitors, and our top picks all offer at least a Full HD picture to ensure clarity for your work or games. The big perk is that most also deliver much more screen real estate than a laptop display to spread out multiple windows without shrinking text to illegible levels. They also can have an edge over TVs, with a tendency toward fast response times and better handling of fine print (think all the black text on white backgrounds). If you’ve got a lot of work to do, these perks can make a computer monitor absolutely worth having around, and our budget picks will make it easy to find one that gets the job done affordably.TL;DR These are the Best Budget Monitors:
1. Dell UltraSharp U2415
Best Budget Monitor
Screen size: 24.1″ Aspect ratio: 16:10 Resolution: 1,920 x 1,200 Panel type: IPS Brightness: 300cd/m2 Refresh rate: 60Hz Response time: 6ms Viewing angle: 178(H)/178(V) Contrast ratio: 1,000:1 Color support: 8-bit (6-bit + FRC) Inputs: 2 x HDMI 1.4, 1 x mini DisplayPort, 1 x DisplayPort Weight: 18.41 pounds Size: 21″ x 15.9″ x 8.07″
For many of us, a monitor is just a gadget we need but don’t really want to have to put a ton of thought into. Of course, we don’t want to get something that we’ll eventually come to find some serious faults in. That’s what makes the Dell UltraSharp U2415 a great choice. This monitor won’t leave you wanting for much when you need a monitor that just works. It has a 24.1-inch IPS panel with a 1,920 x 1,200 resolution. What does all that translate to? It’ll look clean and crisp regardless of what angle you’re looking at it from, and it’ll even provide some extra vertical workspace for you thanks to its 16:10 aspect ratio.Dell also earns itself a lot of credit for the stands it includes with many of its monitors. That’s no exception here, as the Dell UltraSharp U2415 features a highly adjustable stand that provides 115mm of height adjustability, the option to rotate the monitor into a vertical orientation, as well as vertical and horizontal tilt. It even has integrated cable management and a USB 3.0 hub to help tidy up your desk space.
2. Asus EyeCare VZ249HE
Ultra Cheap Monitor
Screen size: 23.8″ Aspect ratio: 16:9 Resolution: 1,920 x 1,080 Panel type: IPS Brightness: 250cd/m2 Refresh rate: 75Hz Response time: 5ms Viewing angle: 178(H)/178(V) Contrast ratio: 1,000:1 Color support: 8-bit (6-bit + FRC) Inputs: 1 x HDMI 1.4, 1 x D-sub Weight: 6.39 pounds Size: 21.3″ x 15.4″ x 8.31″
Need a super cheap display that can give you a ton of extra workspace for your laptop or make your desktop computer actually useful? Well, the Asus EyeCare V249HE is about as affordable as they come without some serious drawbacks likely to mar the experience, like flickering.The Asus EyeCare VZ249HE costs just a little over $100, but it offers up a 23.8-inch display with a Full HD resolution. That will offer effective clarity. And, since it’s using an IPS panel, you won’t have a hard time seeing it at off angles. That’s important because this monitor comes on a rather simple stand that won’t make for the most flexible setup. The monitor can connect to newer hardware over HDMI and older hardware over VGA, and it includes a 3.5mm audio port to conveniently connect headphones or computer speakers through. If you want to arrange multiple monitors together, the thin bezels at the sides of the display will make for a tidier setup, and that low price ensures it’ll be easier to afford a few of these monitors.
3. Philips P-Line 272P7VUBNB
Best Budget 4K Monitor
Screen size: 27″ Aspect ratio: 16:9 Resolution: 3,840 x 2,160 Panel type: IPS Brightness: 350cd/m2 Refresh Rate: 60Hz Response time: 4ms Viewing angle: 178(H)/178(V) Contrast ratio: 1,000:1 Color support: 1.07b, 8-bit (6-bit + FRC) Inputs: 1 x HDMI, 1 x DisplayPort, 1 x USB-C Weight: 16.9 pounds Size: 24.2″ x 21.6″ x 10.1″
The Philips 272P7VUBNB is one of the few monitors that let you max out your screen resolution without breaking the bank. This 27-inch monitor features an IPS panel with a 4K resolution and the ability to produce 1.07 billion colors. Its peak brightness only sits at 350-nits so it’s not a true HDR monitor but we have an option below if thats what youre looking for.
One other thing thats great about the Philips 272P7VUBNB is it comes with a built-in USB-C docking station. So if you have a laptop equipped with a USB-C port, you can plug in a single cable to carry the video signal, connect any USB peripherals you have connected to the monitor and power your laptop all at the same time. Note that the USB-C port can only supply up to 65W of power, so it can only recharge devices like Ultrabooks and Chromebooks.
4. AOC 27G2 Gaming Monitor
Best Budget Gaming Monitor
Screen size: 27″ Aspect ratio: 16:9 Resolution: 1,920 x 1,080 Panel type: IPS FreeSync, G-Sync Compatible Brightness: 250cd/m2 Refresh rate: 144Hz Response time: 1ms Viewing angle: 178(H)/178(V) Contrast ratio: 1,000:1 Color support: 118% sRGB, 88% Adobe RGB Inputs: 2 x HDMI 1.4, 1 x DisplayPort 1.2, 1 x D-Sub 3.0 Weight: 11.98 pounds Size: 24.11″ x 15.57″ x 8.95″
A lot of gaming equipment can be on the expensive side, but there are the occasional gems that land at a budget price. That’s the case with the AOC 27G2. This gaming monitor gives you an excellent 27 inches of screen, which is plenty to play on, and it uses an IPS panel rather than a cheaper TN panel. It’s limited to a 1080p resolution and isn’t the brightest at 250 nits, but that’s definitely acceptable for gaming if you can avoid sunlight shining directly on your screen.That 1080p resolution will also be easier for your system to drive, which means you can take better advantage of the 144Hz refresh rate for smooth gaming. And, if you’re not always hitting 144 frames per second, FreeSync or G-Sync can keep your games looking good. As a nice bonus, this affordable monitor even has a fairly adjustable stand with a slot for routing your cables.
5. Monoprice CrystalPro
Best Budget HDR Monitor
Screen size: 27″ Aspect ratio: 16:9 Resolution: 3,840 x 2,160 Panel type: IPS Brightness: 400cd/m2 HDR Compatibility: DisplayHDR 400 Refresh rate: 60Hz Response time: 4ms Viewing angle: 178(H)/178(V) Contrast ratio: 1,300:1 Color support: 1.07b, 10-bit (8-bit + FRC) Inputs: 2 x HDMI 2.0, 1 x DisplayPort 1.2 Weight: 15.9 pounds Size: 24.3″ x 21.7″ x 7.3″
Believe it or not, you can actually break into HDR on a budget. Monoprice’s CrystalPro monitor offers up a 4K UHD display at 27 inches, giving you a super sharp image, and it turns things up with DisplayHDR 400 certification. That means it’ll hit a peak brightness of 400 nits.
Color is another key feature here, as this monitor can display a 10-bit color depth (albeit using FRC). It covers 100% of the sRGB color space, so you’ll get rich colors when watching content or editing photos. And, as this monitor uses an IPS panel, you can count on the image to remain consist even when viewing it from off angles. To get the best color out of this monitor, you may have to run some color calibration first.
6. LG UltraWide 34WL750-B
Best Budget Ultrawide Monitor
Screen size: 34″ Aspect ratio: 16:9 Resolution: 3,440 x 1,440 Panel type: IPS, AMD FreeSync Brightness: 430cd/m2 HDR Compatibility: HDR10 Refresh rate: 60Hz Response time: 5ms Viewing angle: 178(H)/178(V) Contrast ratio: 1,000:1 Color support: 1.07b, 10-bit (8-bit + FRC) Inputs: 2 x HDMI 2.0, 1 x DisplayPort 1.2 Weight: 16.76 pounds Size: 32.5″ x 18.1″ x 8.58″
The LG UltraWide 34WL750-B sits right on the cusp of our self-imposed $500 budget but its all so worth it. This 34-inch ultrawide monitor sports a 21:9 monitor for the largest amount of screen real-estate on this list. Of course it doesnt hurt that the monitor sports a sharp 3440 x 1440 resolution that gives you plenty of room to work and play.
It also happens to meet the HDR10 spec with a color depth of 1.07 billion and a peak brightness of 430-nits. You can also use this monitor as a USB-C hub for any laptops or smartphones you plug into it.
7. Viotek LinQ Touch
Best Budget Portable Monitor
Screen size: 15.6″ Aspect ratio: 16:9 Resolution: 1,920 x 1,080 Panel type: IPS, AMD FreeSync Brightness: 250cd/m2 Refresh rate: 60Hz Response time: 4ms Viewing angle: 178(H)/178(V) Inputs: 1 x Mini HDMI, 2 x USB-C Weight: 1.43 pounds Size: 13.9″ x 8.8″ x 0.37″
The Viotek LinQ Touch is the perfect portable monitor if youre looking for a second screen you can tow along with your laptop. It might only weigh 1.7 pounds and measure less than a half-inch thick, but its a sizable 15.6-inch touchscreen you can take on the go.
The 15-inch IPS panel sports a 1,920 x 1,080 resolution and youll be able to use all 10 of your fingers on its capacitive touchscreen. The monitor also comes with a pair of integrated speakers, FreeSync support, and a magnetic folding leather cover that doubles as a stand.
More Expert Tech Roundups
Kevin Lee is IGN’s Hardware and Roundups Editor. Follow him on Twitter @baggingspam
Mark Knapp is a regular contributor to IGN and an irregular Tweeter on Twitter @Techn0Mark