The best budget 1080p monitor will have all your work, whatever you're watching, or your favourite video games looking great, all without emptying your bank account.
While you can go for a great 1440p or even a budget 4K display, there is a strong argument to be made about a 1080p option actually being better, depending, of course, on your needs.
For starters, 1080p tends to be innately cheaper than those with higher resolutions. You might also find screens of this quality have higher refresh rates and response times too, which is a huge boon if you're into gaming where every millisecond counts.
With this in mind, most of the monitors we've selected are some of the best gaming monitors around. However, there are plenty here that work well as great screens for work or whatever else you get up to in your free time.
So, based on the aforementioned specs as well as general reviews, price, and any other features that we feel stand out from the crowd, our list is the place to be if a 1080p monitor is what you're after without breaking the bank.
Best budget 1080p monitor
1. LG 27GL650F-B
Best budget 1080p monitor overall
This LG monitor looks to be an impressive bit of kit that we feel would suit both gaming and everyday use.
It comes with HDR10 to produce 1000 nits of peak brightness, a 144hz refresh rate for more fluid visuals, a 1ms response time to ensure inputs happen almost instantaneously, plus 99% sRGB colour coverage and an IPS panel for more consistent image quality across wider viewing angles.
Moreover, it features AMD Radeon FreeSync technology which, according to AMD, will help eliminate stuttering and/or tearing in games and videos by locking the refresh rate to the frame rate of your graphics card.
It's also worth noting this monitor is G-SYNC compatible. So, with an NVIDIA graphics card, you should find screen tearing and stuttering a thing of the past. When it comes to games like Warzone, this can come in particularly useful as a touch of lag at the wrong time could result in you losing a gunfight.
Ultimately, we feel this 27-inch monitor is well worth checking out, especially as it shouldn't break the bank with its price tag either.
Read more: Best monitors for home working
2. ASUS TUF Gaming VG258QM
Best budget 1080p monitor for gaming
With a refresh rate of up to 280Hz and its impressively low 0.5ms response time, this ASUS TUF monitor looks like an excellent pick for gaming.
The refresh rate and response time combination should result in ultra-smooth, fluid visuals, with any inputs you make happening almost instantaneously to ensure you have a competitive edge against your opposition.
Furthermore, this monitor features Extreme Low Motion Blur Sync and Adaptive Sync technologies which, as touched on previously, should eliminate screen tearing and stuttering.
So, during crucial moments in Battle Royale games, you shouldn't have to worry about on-screen lag preventing you from picking up a win, especially as it's G-SYNC compatible as well.
In terms of image quality, the monitor's HDR400 allows you to choose from multiple HDR modes to adjust the brightness to suit whatever it is you're viewing. For darker games, for instance, you can turn the brightness up to ensure you don't miss any of the action.
Also, because this screen measures just 24.5 inches, you should find all the action remains in your field of view. As a result, you shouldn't have to constantly move your gaze from one side of the screen to the other to keep on top of your in-game surroundings.
Read more: Best gaming monitors under 200
3. Sceptre IPS E275W-FPT
Best budget IPS 1080p monitor
Unlike previous entries, we feel this Sceptre monitor is best suited for design work and editing thanks to its IPS panel and 99% sRGB colour coverage for excellent tonal accuracy.
This monitor also features anti-flicker technology, which can prevent the backlight from flickering periodically, plus a blue light shift allowing you to switch to warmer tones to reduce the risk of eye strain.
It's also worth noting that the display produces up to 320 nits of brightness. So, if you're looking to illuminate your work to help showcase darker areas of your work, this monitor has you covered.
While we'd argue this monitor is most suitable for designing, there are a few features that make it a good choice for gaming as well.
Although you'll probably want something a little higher for competitive gaming, this monitor's 75hz refresh rate should be more than enough for offline gameplay, ensuring fast, smooth visuals with minimal screen tearing.
Moreover, it comes with FPS and RTS display settings, allowing you to adjust the image quality and refresh rate according to the style of the game you're playing.
Read more: Best 75hz monitors
4. Samsung Odyssey G3 Series
Best budget 24" 1080p monitor
The 24-inch Samsung Odyssey G3 looks to be a great pick for both gaming and everyday use as it comes with several video game-related features as well as a ton of customisation to make it comfortable to use for work.
For instance, you can raise or lower the height on it, tilt it, plus swivel it to make sure it's right for your eye level. You can even pivot it and turn it into a vertical monitor if, for example, you're a graphic designer working on a portrait piece.
On the gaming side, the 144hz refresh rate coupled with the 1ms response time certainly stands out. As mentioned, these specs should keep gameplay smooth and ensure any inputs on your controller or keyboard happen almost immediately.
It also features AMD FreeSync Premium which, alongside the high refresh rate and response time, should make gameplay even more fluid by eliminating screen tearing and stuttering.
At just 24 inches as well, all the action will be taking place right in front of you rather than in your peripheral vision. As a result, you should find you're able to react to your in-game surroundings faster as you only have to focus on what's going on right in front of you.
It's also worth mentioning that, if you find yourself playing video games for long periods of time, then this monitor's Eye Saver Mode and Flicker Free technology should help minimise eye strain so you can play for longer.
Read more: Best vertical monitors
5. Acer KB272HL
Best budget widescreen 1080p monitor
Acer boasts its KB272HL monitor is a great pick for everyday use, especially if you spend most of your day in front of a screen as part of your job.
To combat eye strain, it features Acer's very own AcerVisionCare technology. This technology combines BlueLightShield Pro, which reduces blue light emissions by 30%, a ComfyView anti-glare matte finish, Flickerless to eliminate potentially harmful flashing, and Low Dimming for 15% darker brightness levels.
It also comes with a VA panel delivering a high contrast ratio of 3,000:1. Considering its price, this looks pretty impressive and should help you showcase any design work, for example, with deeper black tones for more vivid detail in darker areas such as shadows.
On the gaming side, it has AMD Radeon FreeSync technology to help it eliminate stuttering and/or tearing.
It also features a 75hz refresh rate. This may not be up to competitive standards, but should still suit more casual, perhaps even offline, gameplay.
So, if you're looking for a widescreen 1080p display to upgrade your setup, make sure you check out this Acer monitor as we think it's well worth considering.
Read more: Best budget 240hz monitors
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
You're bound to still have some queries concerning budget 1080p monitors, so we've answered some of the most frequently asked questions below.
What size monitor is best for 1080p?
We'd say that a 24-inch monitor is best for 1080p. 27 inches should also work well for this resolution, but we wouldn't recommend going for anything bigger than that as the FHD may start to lose its detail the larger you go.
Although you can also find 32-inch monitors available in 1080p, you should find a smaller screen gives you a sharper image quality. This is because it will possess a higher pixel density, which means it can hold more pixels per inch (PPI) than a bigger screen can.
Essentially, the higher the PPI, the better. According to BenQ, a 24-inch monitor with a 1080p resolution will have 92 PPI, whereas a 32-inch screen will only have 69 PPI.
Keep in mind though that elements and text on the screen can become unreadable if a monitor's PPI is too high. As a result, we wouldn't recommend going much smaller than a 24-inch monitor either.
Is 1080p good for a gaming monitor?
As touched on, a 1080p monitor is perhaps best suited to gaming as it can offer a detailed picture, but shouldn't be so detailed that your PC struggles to keep up with the processing of 1440p or even full 4K images.
They also tend to feature higher refresh rates and lower response times, which are necessities for competitive gaming as they allow the monitor in question to keep up with your reaction times and, therefore, give you the edge online.
Generally speaking, they're also slightly cheaper as well, making them good budget options to consider if you're looking to upgrade your gaming setup for less.
Can 1080p run 144hz?
Yes, 1080p can run 144hz. This is thanks to the fact that 144hz cables support almost all resolutions.
Most monitors feature at least one HDMI 1.4 port, which can run 144hz at 1080p. This is important to keep in mind if you're looking to get a 1080p monitor because, comparatively, this type of port can only run 75hz at 1440p and 30hz at 4K.
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