The right monitor can turn any intermediate setup into one you’ll love using day after day, and you won’t have to pay a lot for it. Whether you’re looking for an additional display for your multi-monitor workstation or just want to boost your budget 1080p to 1440p on a budget, this Asus TUF gaming monitor is a solid choice. You can pick it up now for $199 on Amazon, down from its usual $269 and just a few dollars higher than its all-time lowest price.
The Asus TUF VG27AQM5A has a modest 27-inch diagonal with a sharp 2560×1440 resolution, which is a big improvement over the blurry 1080p displays of yesteryear. Even better is the 300Hz refresh rate, which lets you experience up to 300 frames per second for ultra-smooth motion. And with the 0.3ms response time and Nvidia G-Sync support, you’ll get razor-sharp, razor-sharp gaming images.
Just keep in mind that you’ll need a machine capable of outputting that many frames per second to get the most out of the refresh rate. But even if you can only handle the 100s, this monitor is still a solid choice – those bezels will look great, and you’ll have room if you ever upgrade.
Other tradeoffs to consider with this monitor: The original stand only supports basic tilt and swivel with no height adjustments, so you’ll probably want to mount it on a VESA 100×100 arm; the built-in 2W speakers are small and terrible; Brightness is weak at 300 nits and color depth is not impressive; and takes a long time to wake up from sleep.
If none of that bothers you, this 1440p/300Hz monitor for just $199 is a great deal. If you’re not completely convinced, check out our picks for the best gaming monitors for more options.
