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The short answer
144Hz at 1080p on a 24 inch screen is the sweet spot for budget gaming, because your graphics card can actually sustain that frame rate. Choose IPS for colour and viewing angles unless you specifically want the contrast of a VA panel. Adaptive sync support is essential and now standard.
Monitors are one of the few components where a modest budget buys something genuinely good, provided you pick the right combination of size, resolution and refresh rate. The mistake at this end of the market is buying a resolution your graphics card cannot drive at the refresh rate you paid for.
The three decisions
Refresh rate
The jump from 60Hz to 144Hz is the most noticeable upgrade in this category, and not only in games: the whole system feels more responsive. Beyond 144Hz the returns diminish sharply for most people, and the frame rates required become demanding.
Resolution and size
- 1080p at 24 inches: sharp enough at normal viewing distance, and easy for a mid-range card to drive at high frame rates. The budget sweet spot.
- 1080p at 27 inches: noticeably less sharp. Many people are fine with it, and it is a real step down in pixel density.
- 1440p at 27 inches: the ideal combination, and it needs considerably more graphics power to maintain high frame rates.
- 4K: beautiful and beyond a budget graphics card at high frame rates.
Panel type
- IPS: best colour and viewing angles, good response times now, weaker contrast and some backlight glow in dark scenes.
- VA: much better contrast and black levels, and slower transitions that can smear in fast motion.
- TN: fastest and cheapest, with poor colour and viewing angles. Largely superseded.
For mixed use, IPS is the right default. For dark-room single-player gaming and films, VA’s contrast is genuinely appealing.
Response time figures quoted as 1ms are measured under specific conditions with overdrive settings that often introduce visible overshoot. Treat them as marketing. Panel type and refresh rate tell you far more about how motion will actually look.
Monitors worth considering
Dell 24 monitor SE2426H, 23.8 inch FHD 144Hz
This is the configuration to buy if you are not sure: the resolution a mid-range card can drive at high frame rates, at a size where 1080p still looks sharp, from a brand whose dead-pixel and warranty policies are clear. For most budget gaming setups this is the correct answer.
Dell 27 Plus QHD monitor S2725DSM, 27 inch 1440p 144Hz
If your graphics card can sustain high frame rates at 1440p, this is the configuration that will still feel good in five years. The pixel density at 27 inches is right, and the extra desktop space is useful outside games too. Check your card’s performance at 1440p before committing.
Samsung Odyssey G5 27 inch QHD gaming monitor
VA panels produce noticeably deeper blacks than IPS, which transforms dark scenes in games and films. The trade is slower pixel transitions, which can smear slightly in very fast motion. For single-player gaming in a dim room, many people prefer it.
Sceptre 22 inch gaming monitor, FHD up to 144Hz
Worth considering when the budget is tight or the desk is small. Twenty-two inches at 1080p is dense and sharp, and 144Hz is the feature that actually changes the experience. Expect basic stand adjustment, which a monitor arm resolves cheaply.
MSI PRO MP243L 24 inch IPS 1080p monitor
Not every setup needs high refresh rate. If the monitor is mainly for work with occasional gaming, a good IPS panel with accurate colour serves better than a fast panel with mediocre colour. Be honest about which you actually do more of.
What we liked
- 144Hz is a transformative upgrade over 60Hz
- 1080p at 24 inches is easy to drive and still sharp
- IPS colour is excellent at budget prices now
- Adaptive sync is standard and works well
What we didn't
- 1080p at 27 inches looks soft
- 1440p needs considerably more graphics power
- Response time figures are unreliable marketing
- Budget stands are often poor
Setting it up
Enable the high refresh rate in display settings
Monitors frequently default to 60Hz. This is the single most common setup mistake and people play for months without noticing.
Turn on adaptive sync
In the monitor’s menu and in the graphics driver control panel. Both need it enabled.
Use DisplayPort where possible
It supports higher refresh rates than older HDMI versions, and the supplied cable is usually the right one.
Set overdrive to the middle setting
Maximum overdrive introduces visible overshoot artefacts that look worse than a little blur.
Turn the brightness down
Factory settings are showroom-bright and cause eye strain in a normal room.
Check the pixel policy and inspect it early
Test for dead pixels within the retailer’s return window rather than after it.
Is 144Hz worth it over 60Hz?
It is the most noticeable upgrade available in this category, in games and in general desktop use. The difference is immediately obvious and hard to give up afterwards.
1080p or 1440p?
1080p at 24 inches if your graphics card is mid-range, because you will actually reach high frame rates. 1440p at 27 inches if your card can sustain it, since it is a better long-term configuration.
IPS or VA?
IPS for colour, viewing angles and mixed use. VA for contrast and dark scenes, accepting slightly slower motion. Both are good at budget prices now.
Does response time matter?
Less than the marketing suggests, because the quoted figures are measured under favourable conditions. Panel type and refresh rate are better predictors of how motion looks.
Why does my new monitor still look like 60Hz?
Because it probably is. Monitors default to 60Hz and the higher rate must be selected in the display settings and confirmed in the graphics driver.
How to choose
Buy 1080p at 24 inches with 144Hz unless your graphics card can comfortably drive 1440p, in which case buy 27 inches at 1440p. Choose IPS unless you want VA’s contrast for dark rooms. Then remember to actually enable the refresh rate in display settings, because that is the step most people forget.
