For the small budget
Finding a cheap monitor that also delivers good performance is not always easy. It is easier to choose a cheap monitor for the office than to find something suitable for gaming, for example. However, there are monitors under the magic limit of $200, which we have compiled here and which deliver a solid performance in various areas.
Our test winner is the Acer Nitro XF243Y, which is a great entry-level monitor for gamers and convinces with its features. The HP X24ih is the best budget alternative for the office, with good ergonomics and faster response time. Our second alternative is the Samsung C27F396FHU, which impresses with its incredibly high contrast, which makes it especially suitable for multimedia content.
Best Monitor under 200 Dollar: Asus VA24DQLB
The best monitor under 200 Dollar for us is the ASUS VA24DQLB, which can be used in many ways. Although it only has a Full HD resolution with 1920 x 1080 pixels, it functions as a good secondary monitor, especially because of its smaller size. After all, 24 inches are a bit small for office work.
Since it supports FreeSync and has a 75Hz display, it can also be used as a gaming monitor, although you should rather fall back on casual games here. The IPS panel also offers a wide viewing angle and rich colors, and it can be aligned well with the user due to good ergonomics. However, the contrast is not quite as good and the black levels are also negative when used in dark rooms.
Good for the office: HP X24ih
- 144 Hz
- Low input lag
- Good ergonomics
- Few connection options
- No HDR
The HP X24ih is the best monitor under 200 Dollar for office use. It has similar features to the Acer Nitro XF243YP, but is also very suitable for office use. It comes with a fairly ergonomic stand that lets you adjust the height and rotate it to portrait mode, but you can’t swivel it.
The very wide color gamut in SDR and good coverage of the Adobe RGB color space is particularly suitable when editing photos and videos. In bright rooms, the HP performs well as it handles reflections well and gets bright enough to display a good image in most environments.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t support HDR, which was to be expected for a budget monitor. It also doesn’t have additional features like integrated speakers or a USB hub, but you can add a virtual crosshair to help with gaming. At 144 Hz, it has a very good response time, so movements look smooth, and the low input lag makes for a responsive gaming experience.
Multimedia all-rounder: Samsung C27F396FHU
- High contrast
- Energy efficiency
- Few connection options
The Samsung C27F396FHU also provides a good overall picture among the curved screens, which is especially beneficial for gaming. The high-contrast VA panel is most impressive, even though the monitor lacks a bit of brightness with only 250 cd/m². However, this is quite sufficient for a normal environment, which is why the monitor is especially suitable for multimedia content. For gaming, the monitor has a response time of 4 ms and Adaptive Sync at 60 Hz, which will satisfy the casual gamer. Unfortunately, you have to make concessions in terms of ergonomics and connectivity, which could have been a bit more diverse.
Monitors under 200 Dollars in comparison
| Best Monitor under 200 Dollar  Asus VA24DQLB |  HP X24ih |  Samsung C27F396FHU | |
| Size | 24 Inch | 24 Inch | 27 Inch |
| Resolution | FHD (1920x1080px) | HD (1920x1080px) | FHD (1920 x 1080px) |
| Format | 16:9 | 16:9 | 16:9 |
| Panel | IPS | IPS | VA |
| Refresh rate | 75Hz | 144Hz | 60Hz |
| Response time | 5ms | 1ms | 4ms |
| Display type | Flat | Flat | Curved |
| HDR | |||
| G Sync | |||
| FreeSync | |||
| Contrast | 1000:1 | 1000:1 | 3000:1 |
| Jack 3.5mm | |||
