Welp MagazineThe cost of gaming monitors can get extremely high – so the best gaming monitor under $500 might seem like an impossibility right? Wrong! Achieving your dream gaming setup can be a costly thing to do before you even get to the monitor. You have to select the perfect ergonomic mouse, the most stunning RGB backlit custom mechanical keyboard, and the ideal mood lighting to get that spot at the top of the leaderboard. But what about the monitor? The most important part of your setup is a reliable high-quality gaming monitor.
A supreme-quality gaming monitor needs to excel in several different categories. It’s got to have the killer lag-free speed of a ninja, the steller colour range of a refracting rainbow, and the eagle-eyed blur-free sharpness of the keenest sniper. And that’s not to mention ergonomics – or the price tag! All things considered, we’ve put together our list of candidates for the best gaming monitor under $500. Ready player one!
Product Comparison Table: Best Gaming Monitor Under $500
| Title | Price | Rating (Amazon) | Best in class | Buy | |
 | Sceptre Curved 24.5-inch Gaming Monitor | $ | 4.5 stars | Best Under $200 | Amazon |
 | ASUS TUF Gaming 27″ 1440P HDR Curved Monitor | $$ | 4.5 stars | Best Under $300 | Amazon |
 | Acer Nitro XF273 27″ Full HD IPS Gaming Monitor | $$$ | 4.5 stars | Best Under $400 | Amazon |
 | Dell Curved 34 Inch Gaming Monitor | $$$$ | 4.7 stars | Best Under $500 | Amazon |
 | SAMSUNG Odyssey G7 Series 32-Inch WQHD Gaming Monitor | $$$$ | 4.4 stars | Best Around $500 | Amazon |
Sceptre Curved 24.5-inch Gaming Monitor
Our cheapest entry in our best gaming monitor under $500 list – the Sceptre Curved 24.5-inch Gaming Monitor – is ideal for those gamers most conscious of their pockets. Let’s take a look at what we’re getting for this modest chunk of money. Refresh rate? We’ve got an eSports-grade 240Hz with AMD FreeSync Premium. Response time? We’ve got a 1ms response with no lag or ghosting. All this means games look crisp and smooth despite the competitive price tag!
Best of all, the Sceptre Curved 24.5-inch Gaming Monitor accomplishes all of this on a bright, vibrant 1500R degree curved design screen – at a killer sub-$200 price! It might not be quite as capable as the more expensive models on this list, but you can’t argue with a price like that (or built-in speakers).
Pros
- 240Hz refresh rate & 1ms response
- Competitively priced
- Runs well for what it is
Cons
- Not a huge screen
- May struggle with more visually intensive games
Verdict
Much much more functional than the price would suggest, the Sceptre Curved 24.5-inch Gaming Monitor is a neat little package for any gamer with shallow pockets but an eye for a bargain. With quality this decent at such a low price, it’s hard not to put this handy laptop on our list of best gaming monitors under $500 in 2023!
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ASUS TUF Gaming 27″ 1440P HDR Curved Monitor
World of Warcraft plays beautifully on the ASUS TUF Gaming 27″ 1440P HDR Curved Monitor, even on the highest graphics settings. This powerful 27-inch WQHD 1500R curved gaming monitor with a sparkly 300nits of brightness well and truly earned its place as the best gaming laptop under $500 (in this particular price bracket).
There’s several features that put the TUF Gaming monitor on our list. One, ASUS Extreme Low Motion Blur (ELMB) that assists the 1ms response time with Adaptive-Sync – that means no ghosting and tearing. Two, FreeSync Premium technology through DP and HDMI ports for low latency and no stuttering either. Three, Shadow Boost that brightens dark scenes without over-exposing bright areas. There’s even more, but we’ll stop there for now!
Pros
- 165Hz refresh rate & 1ms response
- ASUS Eye Care technology
- Bright and accurate colors
Cons
- Not a huge screen
- Refresh rate could be even faster
Verdict
One thing we noticed while gaming on the ASUS TUF Gaming 27″ 1440P HDR Curved Monitor is never needing to worry about every gamer’s worst nightmare – tired eyes. Our best gaming monitor under $500 in the sub-$300 category boasts ASUS Eye Care technology: this TUV Rheinland Certified flicker-free and Low Blue Light technology minimizes eye fatigue and maximizes comfort.
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Acer Nitro XF273 27″ Full HD IPS Gaming Monitor
The Acer Nitro XF273 27″ Full HD IPS Gaming Monitor promises extreme performance – we think it delivers. As we get to the mid-point of our best gaming monitor under $500 list, it becomes clearer that we get what we pay for when it comes to performance!
Everything about this model is just… better. Refresh rate-wise, the Acer Nitro XF273’s 280Hz overclock-to potential matches impressively with a lightning-fast 0.5ms Gray-to-Gray refresh rate. There’s no need to mention the 400 nits brightness, 99% sRGB color gamut or HDR capability; when you’re playing, the superiority of models like these as you go up the price brackets is obvious!
Pros
- 280Hz refresh rate & 0.5ms response
- Crisp, clear display
- Multiple gaming and non-gaming modes
Cons
- Speakers could be better
Verdict
The Acer Nitro XF273 27″ Full HD IPS Gaming Monitor ranks among our best gaming monitors under $500 for its killer performance. One feature cinched it for us. The Acer Nitro XF273’s system lets you switch between a range of gaming and non-gaming modes depending on your mood: action, racing, sports, each with their own tailored color profile!
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Dell Curved 34 Inch Gaming Monitor
Words can’t really do justice to the Dell Curved 34 Inch Gaming Monitor as the best gaming monitor under $500 in the $400 stakes, so we’ll let this one speak for itself. This 1800R curved Dell model has a brilliance and clarity that makes even the most demanding visuals shine.
The 144Hz refresh rate is quick and feels faster – AMD FreeSync premium eliminates any stuttering beautifully. But the most important part is the graphical standards Dell are working to here: VESA DisplayHDR 400-certified VA panel technology delivers a 3000:1 contrast ratio and a 90% DCI-P3 color coverage with 16.7 million colors. Like the Acer Nitro, this one also offers personalization options through Timer, FPS Counter and Dark Stabilizer controls.
Pros
- 144Hz refresh rate & 1ms response
- VESA Certified widescreen visuals
- Customisation options
Cons
- Relatively high price tag (but we think it’s justified!)
Verdict
If you’re into the Elden Rings and Red Dead Redemption IIs of this world, the Dell Curved 34 Inch Gaming Monitor is the best gaming monitor under $500 you can buy. The WQHD display is immersive enough to make you feel as though you’re really in the world of the most graphically-stunning games, uninterrupted by lag or juddering. It’s a treat to play!
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SAMSUNG Odyssey G7 Series 32-Inch WQHD Gaming Monitor
It’s time to present our best gaming monitor under $500… that’s a little bit over! If you’re looking to spend *around* $500 as opposed to strictly *under*, we couldn’t help sharing with you the SAMSUNG Odyssey G7 Series 32-Inch WQHD Gaming Monitor. It’s worth breaking the rules for. Sleek, slick and suave, the Odyssey is the more affordable WQHD cousin to the OLED powerhouse of the legendary Odyssey family!
Let’s compare the Odyssey G7’s stats to a regular monitor. The 1000R panel (which exactly matches the curvature of the human eye) features 1.7 times the pixel density of even Full HD, along with a massive 240hz refresh rate (4x the speed of a regular screen), G-SYNC AND FreeSync Premium Pro, and Samsung’s Quantum Dot QLED tech with 125% more color space compared to sRGB. The Creator eats cheaper monitors for breakfast.
Pros
- Unbeatable performance
- Infinity Core lighting
- The legendary Odyssey family
Cons
- Might break the bank
Verdict
It’s cheeky of us to include the over-$500 SAMSUNG Odyssey G7 Series 32-Inch WQHD Gaming Monitor as our best gaming monitor under $500, but we just couldn’t resist. Gaming on this bad boy honestly feels like a privilege. If you’re in the mood to splash the cash, the Odyssey G7 should be a serious consideration. You’ll see the results on the leaderboard.
