No matter what you are purchasing there are always going to be key things to consider to ensure you get the right product for your needs. Whether the product is a gaming monitor under $100 or a new gaming mouse, it is crucial to understand what makes each model the best, so you don’t waste your hard-earned cash.
Below, we are going to go over a few key factors for you to take into consideration before buying a new gaming monitor. This will help you in the selection process and ultimately make sure you walk away with the best product for your specific needs.
Refresh Rates
A monitors refresh rate is highly important to gamers. The rate is measured in hertz and is a way of seeing how fast a monitor can refresh the image on the screen. Refresh rates vary from 60Hz all the way up to 240Hz and beyond but when dealing with gaming monitors under $100, the vast majority are running at 60Hz.
60Hz is ideal for everyday usage and not favored among gamers but when we have strict budgets there are always going to be compromises and refresh rates are one of these. 60Hz is fine for competitive gaming, although most competitive players would consider this too low. That being said if you enjoy single-player games, this refresh rate is going to be better suited to you.
Screen Resolution
A screens resolution can have a direct impact on your PC’s performance but when dealing with monitors under $100, they are often going to be 1080p. 1080p full HD monitors are the kings of budget gaming monitors, with 1440p and 4K options out of reach. If you have a high-end gaming PC, buying a budget sub-$100 gaming monitor with 1080p resolution is considered a waste as you could be getting much more out of your hardware.
We understand not everyone has extra money to spare on extravagant monitor upgrades but you should definitely consider going for monitors over at least $150, to get more use out of them and of course, more enjoyment.
Panel Types
There are many different types of panel technologies, with most modern monitors being manufactured using TFT-LCD (thin-film transistor-liquid crystal display) technology. Each different technology has its own pros and cons and perform differently in specific scenarios. Some types are more responsive, while others are better for wide viewing angles and color reproduction.
The main panel types are TN (twisted nematic), VA (vertical alignment), and IPS (in-plane switching). To better understand the positives and negatives take a look at the table below.
Consider Refurbished Monitors
The main reason to consider a refurbished product is simply down to cash. you’re going to get really good deals on used displays, a number of which will be better than either of the options that we’ve offered above and you can still take advantage of a gaming monitor that comes under $100!
While it may be a tough sell for many to buy monitors that aren’t brand new, compromising with refurbished monitors on a budget can often pay off by granting you access to higher refresh rates, lower response times and lower prices for acceptable 1080p monitors.
Where To Buy
If you’re in the market for refurbished monitors, some places to check out are Microcenter and BenQDirect. These outlets provide the best deals you’ll find on refurbished monitors, with BenQDirect offering high-end BenQ monitors with a 1-year warranty.
For those more familiar with Amazon you can see a wide range of refurbished stock for multiple different monitor options. Simply find the product you want and click on ‘Used & New’ to see the various buying options and graded stock.
What To Look For
When shopping for refurbished monitors, try to find ones with better specs than new monitors in the same price range. If you’re settling for refurbished, you should get something to compensate for that even if it is just a lower price.
One thing to look for is a 144Hz refresh rate. This will make your games feel smoother and more responsive than they would otherwise.
Another thing to look for is 1ms response times. These are surprisingly common for refurbs under $100 and will minimize input latency between you and your monitor. Do bear in mind gaming still feels responsive up to 5ms but you would expect a better quality of panel for this compromise like IPS.
Other things you may appreciate from a refurb are 24 inch+ monitor sizes, more adjustable features, or just a monitor that is visually pleasing on the eye.
Issues To Look For
Buying refurbs is normally fine and covered under warranty for any on-arrival problems. Used monitors, however, typically have at least a few issues. From tiny to most severe, here’s what to look out for:
- Mild Cosmetic Damage – Mild scratches to the bezels and screen, or a dirty screen. These can be ignored or cleaned, respectively.
- Dead Pixels – Dead pixels refer to pixels that are stuck on one color, like white, and do not change in accordance with the rest of the screen. Typically there will only be one or two dead pixels on a screen since it’s a manufacturing defect, and while it can mostly be ignored it can drive you crazy if you pay attention to it.
- Backlight Bleed – Backlight bleed occurs when either a backlight is too powerful, or other parts of the monitor are starting to fail. This will result in weird differences in brightness on different sections of the screen, especially noticeable in dark rooms.
- Flickering – Flickering is a common reality of CRT monitors, but it can happen to LCD monitors too. Not only is flickering annoying, but in the long-term, it can cause headaches or nausea to those who are particularly sensitive to it.
- Burn-In – When an image is simply burned into the screen. Usually manifests as an afterimage on the screen, most often seen in common taskbar locations at the top, bottom or sides of a display.
- Major Damage – Cracks in the screen, loose power connectors, etc. If you notice any of these issues, do not buy.
What to expect when buying a gaming monitor under $100
With the average price of gaming monitors starting to fall, we’ll be looking at the realistic expectations of buying a monitor under $100.
At this price point, you’ll struggle to find a monitor with high-end specifications.
That said, you’ll still be able to get 100Hz (maybe 144Hz on sale) refresh rates and 1ms response times.
You can also expect a 1080p FHD screen resolution and 24-inch screen – with HDR rare at this price point.
Build materials will likely be of lower quality, with stand adjustments limited.
