Hold up, I'm about to say something controversial: Not everyone needs an OLED—just ignore the 27-inch, 1440p screen I happen to be rocking. Cards on the table, I wouldn't have such a thing were it not for my job, because paying at least a grand for any hardware is too rich for my blood. So, let's take a look at some more budget friendly gaming monitors.
Most recently, KTC has proven particularly outstanding in this field. Take the recently reviewed KTC 25M1 24.1-inch gaming monitor, for instance. Sure, it's a TN panel, so don't expect outstanding colour or plenty of viewing angles. That said, it's still a decently fast screen with a 400 Hz refresh rate and an advertised 0.5 ms response time. If you're a fiend for the competitive gaming scene, you could do much worse than the KTC 25M1—especially as it's squeaking under $333 from Amazon right now.
Quick list
- KTC 25M1 | 24.1-inches | 1080p | 400 Hz | $333 @ Amazon
- KTC M27T6S | 27-inches | 1440p | 210 Hz | $300 @ Amazon
Gaming monitor deals
Now, to be clear, the KTC 25M1 is just a 1080p monitor, and if the thought of paying $300+ on a 1080p TN then you are not the target market for this panel. But if you are seriously into the competitive shooter scene and understand the 400 Hz sweet spot for monitor refresh rates, then this will be like cat nip to you.
Our Jacob (back in his latest Counter-Strike epoch) has recently tested the screen and gave it a heady 89% score.
"KTC has managed to deliver an outstanding monitor for competitive shooters here at a very reasonable price," he says. "It's not the best for casual gaming, but if games like Counter-Strike or Valorant are your go-to, you'll struggle to hit this sweet spot refresh rate in a nice panel for a better price."
If you only have a need for speed, this TN panel will have you more than covered for the money. However, if becoming an esports pro doesn't happen to be your dream, I've got a 1440p option for you too.
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The KTC M27T6S is a 27-inch, 1440p IPS panel you can scoop up right now for $300 (provided you remember to tick the tricksy ticky box for the $50 off coupon on Amazon). Our Jeremy isn't usually a fan of LCD panels with full-array local dimming, but really rated this mini-LED gaming monitor; he wrote in his KTC M27T6S review, "It's definitely a surprise to discover that one of, if not the best mini-LED monitors I've yet seen is this new budget-priced model."
Now, as an IPS panel, it's not as fast as the TN option; alongside a 200 Hz refresh rate, it also enjoys the "rather pointless" option to overclock up to 210 Hz, plus a comparatively slower pixel response of 1 ms. But like I said before, this is the option for those with a much less pressing need for speed.
"Where the KTC M27T6S really delivers is with HDR content," Jeremy explains, "There are all kinds of drawbacks to local dimming technology applied to LCD panels. You get blooming around bright objects, dimming zones visibly popping on and off, the inability to light up smaller bright objects on a dark background, weird brightness gradients across the screen, and so on. The KTC M27T6S doesn't solve or avoid all of those issues. But the algorithm KTC has come up with to control the zones does it as well, or better than any other monitor with a full-array mini-LED backlight that I've yet seen. At this price point, that's remarkable."
To put it another way, not everyone needs a swish OLED when the KTC M27T6S manages to "really light up your retinas" at such an affordable price point. Sure, an OLED still has this IPS panel when it comes to rendering deep inky blacks, and lighting precision. But if you're looking for a budget gaming monitor with full-screen brightness performance that's "on another planet, and one awfully near its host star," the KTC M27T6S steals the spotlight.
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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
