We'd all love a megabucks OLED panel but I'd happily have one of these cheap Prime Day gaming monitors on my desk from just $89
The sky-high cost of the best OLED gaming monitors versus OLED TVs is something of a conundrum, what with 27-inch 1440p OLED monitors being priced up with 48-inch 4K OLED TVs. But here's the thing. LCD monitors are still very good and can be had a startlingly low prices.
For proof, consider this quartet of extremely affordable gaming panels for Amazon Prime Day. Pricing kicks off at just $90 and even the most expensive option is $250. They're all high refresh with at least 144 Hz and you get a choice of resolutions and form factors from plain old 1080p up through 34-inch ultrawide.
Acer Nitro XV271U M3bmiiprx | 27-inch | 180Hz | 1440p | 0.5 ms G2G resposne | IPS | $289.99 $169.99 at Amazon (save $120)
This Acer monitor is a steal for all you prospective competitive gamers, hitting a high refresh rate and low response time sweet spot (0.5-1 ms gray-to-gray). It's the same price as the Odyssey G5 below but is better for those of you who prefer an IPS panel to a VA.
Price check: Newegg $281.99
MSI MAG342CQR Curved Gaming | 34-inch | 3440 x 1440 | 144Hz | VA | $299.99$249.99 at Amazon (save $50)
At first glance, this looks like a dead reinger for the MSI ultrawide we already have listed. But this one ups the refresh to 144Hz from 100Hz and the brightness from 250 nits to 300 nits. In both cases, that lifts this screen from slightly skanky to much more acceptable all round. Oh, and it's slightly cheaper. It's still VA, of course, but it's an awful lot of screen for $250.
Price check: Newegg $423
Acer Nitro KC241Y | 23.8-inch | 1080p | 165Hz | VA | FreeSync | $172.99$89.99 at Amazon (save $83)
Why do monitor model names need to be so confusing? It's an eternal mystery. But if you can decode this Acer, you'll find it's a cracking deal. A 165Hz gaming monitor for just $90. Yes, it's VA, but at this price point, something's gotta give.
Price check: Newegg $176.99
Acer Nitro XF243Y | 23.8-inch | 1080p | 180Hz | IPS | FreeSync | $199.99$109.99 at Best Buy (save $90)
If you
