Question Recommended Monitor?

[Ethonodon]

I'm looking to buy a new monitor as I'm moving into my college dorm for the semester and don't want to have to lug all of my peripherals back and forth between my dorm and my house whenever I'm on break or visiting home. I've been using an MSI MAG241C for the past few years and have been very satisfied with it.

That being said, I know next to nothing about monitors. I know that I want a 1080p, 144hz monitor, but I'm not sure what I should be looking for as far as all of the other specs go.

I'm looking to buy something within the $100-200 price range, preferably a curved monitor too as that's what I'm used to. Any recommendations? I ask because I don't recognize many of the monitor brands I've seen, so I don't know what's reputable and what isn't. Thanks!

 

[turtletarget111]

If you're okay with a refurbished product, I would strongly consider the Acer Predator XB273. It's a 27 inch 1080p monitor with 240Hz refresh rate. At 200 dollars, it's a steal of a deal. This monitor has excellent response times, meaning fast moving objects will not look blurry or leave a trail as noticeable as cheaper options. It also boasts low input lag, HDR 400 Certification, and comes with a one year warranty.

If you prefer a new product, there are still some decent options, but you will be making sacrifices like lower build quality and less performant hardware. The Asus TUF VG249Q1A punches above the price tag with an 144Hz, IPS panel for less than 200 dollars. It's only 24 inches, and does not handle fast moving objects as well as more premium displays, but it's a decent option and will serve you well for gaming.

For me personally, I would spend the extra twenty or so dollars to get the Acer Predator, as it completely blows the Asus TUF monitor out of the water, but if you are looking to save as much money as possible, go with the Asus.

 

[Ethonodon]

If you're okay with a refurbished product, I would strongly consider the Acer Predator XB273. It's a 27 inch 1080p monitor with 240Hz refresh rate. At 200 dollars, it's a steal of a deal. This monitor has excellent response times, meaning fast moving objects will not look blurry or leave a trail as noticeable as cheaper options. It also boasts low input lag, HDR 400 Certification, and comes with a one year warranty.

If you prefer a new product, there are still some decent options, but you will be making sacrifices like lower build quality and less performant hardware. The Asus TUF VG249Q1A punches above the price tag with an 144Hz, IPS panel for less than 200 dollars. It's only 24 inches, and does not handle fast moving objects as well as more premium displays, but it's a decent option and will serve you well for gaming.

For me personally, I would spend the extra twenty or so dollars to get the Acer Predator, as it completely blows the Asus TUF monitor out of the water, but if you are looking to save as much money as possible, go with the Asus.

Hey, thanks for the recommendations. I prefer to shop Newegg or Amazon as those are sites I trust, and I try to stick with new unless that's not an option.

I did actually research the VG249Q1A a bit beforehand, but unless I'm mistaken it's not curved and I was reading that a lot of people were not satisfied with the product.

What about the Gigabyte GS27FC? I know I have used some Gigabyte products in the past and have been generally satisfied with them, but are there any issues with that specific monitor to your knowledge?

 

[turtletarget111]

The G2S27FC is decent for gaming. It's a VA panel, which, will typically have better contrast ratios over IPS panels; however, they generally have worse motion handling, making fast moving objects, especially dark ones, look blurry. If you're set on strictly gaming, IPS's more poppy colors and faster response times at different refresh rates may be preferred over better blacks.

 

[Ethonodon]

The G2S27FC is decent for gaming. It's a VA panel, which, will typically have better contrast ratios over IPS panels; however, they generally have worse motion handling, making fast moving objects, especially dark ones, look blurry. If you're set on strictly gaming, IPS's more poppy colors and faster response times at different refresh rates may be preferred over better blacks.

That's what I've heard, but apparently the MAG241C is also VA and I've never really thought the image looks bad for gaming. So I think if there's no other issues with the GS27FC, that might be the best option for me. Thank you for your advice!