If you’re looking for the best budget 144hz monitor to enhance your gaming or everyday work experience for an affordable price, then you’re in the right place.
If you’re into gaming on your PC, one of the best 144hz monitors can be a great addition to your setup and, luckily for you, you don’t necessarily have to break the bank if you want to invest in one.
The main benefit of owning a 144hz monitor is that it has a high refresh rate, making the picture on your display much smoother.
This can give you an upper hand when playing games in general, and you might even find it’ll give you a teeny advantage when playing against friends who use 60hz monitors or 75hz monitors...however small that advantage may be!
The ideal price range for a good quality affordable 144hz monitor is generally anywhere from $160 to just under $300, which is great considering you can still get good response times between 1ms and 3ms and display sizes that range between 24 and 27 inches.
As you can see from our list, we’ve had to skip out on products with 4K resolution, as a 144hz and 4K pairing tend to be the best HDMI 2.1 monitors on the market. Most of the products we’ve selected are either full HD or QHD, which at these screen sizes should look great.
But if having a 4K display is more essential to you than a higher refresh rate, it might be worth checking out our best budget 4K monitors instead.
With all of this in mind, we’ve picked out these monitors based on specs, general reviews and features that we think make them worth buying.
So, without further ado, let's take a look at our top picks of budget 144hz monitors.
Best budget 144hz monitor
- LG 27GN800-B
- Samsung Odyssey G3 Series
- ASUS VG248QE
- BenQ ZOWIE XL2411P
- Sceptre C248B-144R
- Philips 242E1GSJ
Best budget 1440p 144hz monitor - LG 27GN800-B
This LG Ultragear 27GN800-B comes with Quad HD (otherwise known as 2K) resolution, which will provide you with excellent screen quality and a great gaming experience when paired with a 144hz refresh rate.
Although it may not be as cheap as some of the other options on the list that come with a 1080p resolution, it’s still a very decent price considering it also has HDR 10. This will ensure you get a bright, vibrant picture.
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Plus, at 27 inches, the 27GN800-B is a great size, which will allow you to immerse yourself into the world of whichever game you’re playing even further.
It also has a 1ms response time, again adding to your viewing quality and ensuring there won’t be any lag distracting you from defeating your on-screen enemies.
Technologies such as AMD FreeSYnc Premium and Dynamic Action Sync also help to improve your gaming experience, as they ensure peak responsiveness and minimal screen stuttering and tearing.
Best budget 27-inch 144hz monitor - Samsung Odyssey G3 Series
Samsung Odyssey is an extremely well-known range of monitors and, fortunately, you can now pick up this G3 series for a very decent price.
At 27 inches, the screen size is on the larger end of the scale, which means it offers a great visual effect and is more immersive, especially if you’re into gaming.
With a 1ms response time, the Odyssey G3 is very fast and you won’t have to worry about any unwanted lagging whilst you’re trying to fight your enemies on Halo Infinite or catch your suspect on Need For Speed Hot Pursuit.
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One of the most impressive points about it is that you can actually set up the screen any which way you please, whether you want to swivel it, tilt it or pivot it vertically. This allows you to use it in whichever way you find most comfortable.
It also comes with great technologies to enhance your experience, such as FreeSync Premium - which reduces screen tearing and stuttering - and eye saver mode - which minimises blue light, as it has the potential to strain your eyes.
Best budget gaming 144hz monitor - ASUS VG248QE
The ASUS VG248QE is an ideal monitor for gaming as it comes with an exclusive GamePlus hotkey that offers four different crosshairs to help you defeat your enemy and timer functions to keep track of your spawn and build times.
It’s not just the GamePlus feature that makes this monitor great for gaming; it also has 3D LightBoost technology to increase the brightness of the LED backlight, and it does this without increasing the total amount of energy consumption.
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Alongside all of this, a fast response rate of 1ms and a full HD display means your gaming experience will be both smooth and visually engaging.
You can also adjust the screen of the VG248QE by changing the height, tilting or pivoting it to an angle that suits you best, and you have the option to mount it to the wall if you want to, as it’s VESA compatible.
Best budget curved 144hz monitor - Sceptre C248B-144R
Due to its 1500R degree curved design, the Sceptre C248B-144R looks grand in its appearance and is particularly great for immersing yourself even further into your gaming experience.
This is because curved monitors use the advantage of ocular perception, allowing you to see the world you’re immersing yourself into in three dimensions (length, width and height), whilst also expanding your peripheral vision.
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The C248B-144R also has anti-flicker technology to further enhance your game experience by preventing the backlight from flickering, therefore providing a crisper and smoother picture.
It also helps avoid potential eye strain because its Blue Light Shift reduces blue light, which means you can spend longer looking at the screen.
Best budget frameless 144hz monitor - Philips 242E1GSJ
A frameless design makes the Philips 242E1GSJ look seriously sleek, and not having a frame around the monitor also allows for a better overall immersive experience, whether you’re gaming or watching videos.
It does happen to be a good monitor for gaming, as it comes with two technologies called SmartImage and SmartContrast.
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The former comes with three modes - FPS, Racing and RTS - that optimise your gaming experience, whilst the latter analyses the display contents and automatically adjusts colours and controls backlight intensity to aid your play.
The 24E1GSJ also has a 1ms response time, making the visuals very smooth and therefore making it easier to game on.
Best budget BenQ 144hz monitor - BenQ Zowie XL2411P
Providing you with flicker-free technology and an LCD frame specially designed to reduce the amount of light reflection on its screen, the BenQ ZOWIE XL2411P monitor is a great choice if you love playing games all day non-stop.
These features allow you to concentrate better, so you can play your chosen game with complete focus.
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It also comes with a Black eQualizer technology that allows you to see better during particularly dark scenes when you’re gaming and 20 Colour Vibrance settings allows you to handily fine tune the screen to whichever colour tone you’d prefer.
And with a fast 1ms response time, there won’t be any lag, therefore enhancing your overall screen experience.
The height of the ZOWIE XL2411P can also be adjusted and the screen tilted to whatever angle is most comfortable for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a 144hz monitor worth it?
Yes, a 144hz monitor is worth it, especially if you’re wanting to play competitive games and have an overall smoother and more responsive experience. It could even give you an advantage if you’re playing against friends that have a 60hz or 75hz monitor.
And, as you can see from our list, an added bonus is that you can still get a good quality 144hz monitor for a fairly decent price.
Is 144hz much better than 60hz?
Essentially, yes, because having a 144hz means that the screen can show you 144 pictures in a single second, where as a 60hz monitor can only show you 60 in a second. Therefore, a 144hz monitor should noticeably improve your gaming experience by granting you an overall smoother picture.