It seems gaming monitors are one of the only bits of PC hardware still available at reasonable prices, with the memory crisis taking so many components down with it. The silver lining here is that 1440p gaming monitors are finally starting to approach 1080 prices.
If you have been looking to make the upgrade for yourself, the 1440p Acer KA272U is down to a strikingly cheap $110 at Best Buy right now. That's even cheaper than its recent Prime Day price.
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Naturally, given it's at the low end of the 1440p market in regard to price, you aren't getting top-of-the-line specs here, but they certainly aren't bad either. The 27-inch size is serviceable as a main monitor and perfect in my eyes as a second screen.
The 100 Hz refresh rate is on the lower end for a gaming panel, but it's by no means bad, and the 1 ms response time is super solid too. It won't noticeably lag behind other gaming panels.
But let's face it, the reason you would pick this monitor is for its resolution, and 1440p IPS panels sit in an excellent sweet spot right now, being relatively rig-friendly, yet providing enough visual clarity to make games pop.
4K is nice to have, but it's a resource hog, and sometimes not worth the extra effort. And 1080p is only something I'd really recommend if you're on a super low-end rig or have a very tight budget.
This Acer monitor is a bit of a steal at nearly half its original price. I check our roundup of the best gaming monitor deals every week, and this Acer monitor is no stranger there, but I can't remember the last time I saw it dip down to such a reasonable price. It's so reasonable, in fact, that there's not a single 1440p monitor for cheaper that I would recommend right now.
It does, unfortunately, have a rather low 250 nits of full-screen brightness, so I wouldn't recommend putting it against a window, but that's a common compromise monitors make at this price point, and well worth it here. It's not a whole pile of money to make your games sing just that little bit more.
1. Best overall / 4K:
MSI MPG 321URX
2. Best budget 4K:
Asus ROG Strix XG27UCG
3. Best 1440p:
MSI MPG 271QRX
4. Best budget 1440p:
KTC H27T22C-3
5. Best 1080p:
AOC Gaming C27G4ZXE
6. Best Ultrawide:
Gigabyte MO34WQC2
7. Best budget ultrawide:
Xiaomi G34WQi
8. Best 32:9:
Samsung Odyssey OLED G9
9. Best dual-mode:
Alienware AW2725QF
