When even the crappiest Nvidia GPU costs about $400-plus, I can't get my head around the fact that you can now snag a 27-inch high-refresh 1440p gaming monitor from a proper brand for just over $150. Oh it's got an IPS panel, too.
Heck, even OLED monitors are coming down in price and can be had for sub-$500, while 4K panels go for about the same as 1440p used to just a few years ago. In fact, there are remarkable value propositions across the whole gaming monitor market.
Quick links
- Acer Predator X27U X1 27-inch OLED Gaming Monitor | $499.99 at Newegg
- Acer Nitro EDA343CUR 34-inch Ultrawide Gaming Monitor | $289.99 at Amazon
- ASRock Phantom Gaming PG27QFT1B 27-inch 1440p Gaming Monitor | $152.77 at Newegg
- Samsung Odyssey G95C 49-inch OLED plus free 27-inch 1440p panel | $800 at Samsung
Acer Predator X27U X1
It wasn't very long ago that even the cheapest OLED gaming monitors commanded four-figure price tags. Now we're down to a whisker under half that with the Acer Predator X27U.
It's a 27-inch 1440p model using Samsung QD-OLED tech, which means you get the most vibrant and accurate colours of any OLED panel. MSRP'ed at $599, it's now just squeaking in under $500 and offers 240 Hz refreesh and those crazy low OLED response times, not to mention perfect per-pixel lighting. Yes please!
Acer Nitro EDA343CUR
To get similar specs to this from an OLED monitor, you'd be looking at more than double the money. But you won't be getting double the experience.
The resolution, pixel density, refresh rate, size and aspect ratio will all be the same. For sure, OLED kills when it comes to contrast, HDR performance and pixel response. But this monitor is good for 1ms GtG response, which is pretty nippy for a conventional LCD monitor. Really, only the 300 nit brightness disappoints. But that's still better than nearly every OLED monitor when it comes to [[link]] full-screen brightness.
ASRock Phantom Gaming PG27QFT1B
That you can now buy a 27-inch 1440p gaming monitor with 180 Hz refresh for this little money is remarkable enough. That it offers IPS panel tech with superior colours, viewing angles and response just clinches the deal.
It even has DisplayHDR 400 certification and thus offers minimum 400 nits brightness. There really are no obvious shortcomings, which is incredible given you're paying barely more than $150 bucks.
Samsung 49-inch OLED plus free 27-inch 1440p panel
$800 for a 49-inch crazy-wide OLED monitor isn't a bad deal. Not when Samsung was originally charging about twice as much. But this deal is even more bananas when you consider that they're also throwing in a Samsung Odyssey G5 in, for free. That's a 27-inch 1440p model that usually goes for about $300.
So, while I'm not normally a huge fan of combo deals, this one is a bit special. The 49-inch OLED, incidentally, delivers probably the most immersive gaming experience currently available. It's also great for multi-tasking.