With the rapid advance of monitors over the past few years, if you haven’t upgraded your monitor in a while, now is the time to do it. There are a lot of excellent deals out there that will likely net you a great monitor that’s probably better than what you have already, especially if you’re willing to spend a few hundred dollars on it. On the other hand, if you’re building a new PC setup, we’ve seen deals as low as $120 for curved FHD monitors. As you can see, there’s a lot of variability and price points for you to pick from.
My current monitor is a 27-inch QHD (quad HD, or 2,560×1,440-pixel resolution) monitor that I bought for $250. I nearly went with a 32-inch UHD (ultra HD or 3,840×2,160-pixel) display that would’ve offered more room and more pixels for only a bit more money. Between these two different sizes, you can easily find a screen to perfectly fit your desk space, your work needs and, most importantly, your budget. The world’s creatives, hobbyists and professional gamers who worry about color gamut and refresh rates might find they need a higher-end screen than you’ll find on our list, but these displays are big enough for most needs, and with sufficient pixel density to produce a sharp, quality image.
For more, be sure to check out CNET’s monitor buying guide and our rundown of how we test monitors. I’ll continue to keep this story updated as pricing fluctuates and I uncover better deals, so check back often.
Best 27-inch monitor deals
These 27-inch models feature QHD resolution and give you more screen real estate than a 24-inch, FHD (full HD or 1,920×1,080 pixel) display, and better resolution, too. And they give you all that for not too much more money. You might also come across 27-inch 4K displays in your search. Those displays offer a certain quality worth consideration, but in my experience, a QHD or 2K resolution is more than sufficient when stretched across a 27-inch panel.
It’s not often that we see really budget-oriented curved monitors, so if you’d like to snap one up, the 390C Series is pretty good for where it’s currently priced. It runs an FHD resolution and has a 60Hz refresh rate, both relatively basic but still good for a budget gaming computer or an Xbox Series S.
The Acer Nitro KG272U is probably one of the cheapest gaming monitors you can get that still has a ton of great features. It runs a 2,560×1,440 resolution but, more impressively, can also hit a 177Hz refresh rate, so if you’re big into action and esports games, the higher refresh rate is perfect. It also includes FreeSync Premium and HDR10, so it has quite a few advanced features at a budget price tag.
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This HP model is a 27-inch display with a QHD resolution for a sharper picture than an FHD display provides. At its sale price of only $200, it’s one of the most affordable 27-inch QHD monitors you’ll find. It lacks speakers, a webcam and DisplayPort connectivity but is rated for a sufficient 300 nits of brightness and offers an HDMI port and legacy VGA connection.
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This 27-inch Sceptre monitor features a sleek, nearly bezel-less design, which makes it a great choice if you’ve got a multimonitor setup, and it’s equipped with both DisplayPort and HDMI ports. It has an IPS display with a speedy 144Hz refresh rate. It’s also rated for 450 nits of brightness and runs at QHD, which is excellent for a monitor at this price.
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On the other hand, if you’d like a high-end gaming monitor that isn’t curved, you can’t go wrong with the Razer Raptor. It runs 2,560×1,440 resolution but is slightly slower than the Odyssey G6, with only a 165Hz refresh rate. On the other hand, it has both FreeSync Premium and G-Sync. It also has an IPS panel rather than the VA panel of the Odyssey, which some prefer for slightly better color reproduction and image quality.
Best 32-inch monitor deals
The next step up in size, resolution and price from a 27-inch QHD display is a 32-inch UHD display. Ultra HD is also commonly referred to as 4K.
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While still a bit pricey even after the deal, this Acer Nitro is still a pretty great monitor, running a 3,840×2,160 resolution and 144Hz refresh rate. It has an IPS panel, which is great for image fidelity, a 1ms response time, and supports FreeSync Premium, so it’s a very versatile monitor. It can also hit a peak brightness of 350 nits, which is good enough for a well-lit room or indirect sunlight.
