Best Monitors under $200

[AsianManiax]

I've been looking up decent monitors under 200 USD for the past hour and while I found some decent options, I wanted some additional advice before making a final decision. Are there any monitors that you can attest for that is under 200 dollars?

[dizmo]

8 minutes ago, AsianManiax said:

I've been looking up decent monitors under 200 USD for the past hour and while I found some decent options, I wanted some additional advice before making a final decision. Are there any monitors that you can attest for that is under 200 dollars?

If you live in the US (or to a lesser extent Canada) you can get killer monitors on eBay for that.

[RONOTHAN##]

Just now, dizmo said:

If you live in the US (or to a lesser extent Canada) you can get killer monitors on eBay for that.

I would recommend going local instead of eBay personally, in my experience no one on eBay actually knows how to ship a monitor (I've had 2 different ones arrive cracked because they were improperly packaged) and it sucks having to go through the eBay appeals process because it arrived broken.

[dizmo]

9 minutes ago, RONOTHAN## said:

I would recommend going local instead of eBay personally, in my experience no one on eBay actually knows how to ship a monitor (I've had 2 different ones arrive cracked because they were improperly packaged) and it sucks having to go through the eBay appeals process because it arrived broken.

You're covered 100% by eBay though, so damage isn't really a concern. You can also find a ton that are in the original box, which is exactly how any large retailer will ship the monitor to you. eBay appeals are extremely easy, they're just time consuming.

[RONOTHAN##]

2 minutes ago, dizmo said:

You're covered 100% by eBay though, so damage isn't really a concern. You can also find a ton that are in the original box, which is exactly how any large retailer will ship the monitor to you. eBay appeals are extremely easy, they're just time consuming.

It's time I'd rather not have to spend on getting a monitor appealed. If you can confirm it's shipping in the original box and packaging it's probably fine, but it's still probably a good idea to go local listing instead since a) you don't have to risk the person not shipping it properly (I.E. forgetting to put the foam back in the box) and b) shipping a monitor is pretty expensive so it can be quite a bit cheaper get one on Craigslist/FB Marketplace/OfferUp/wherever. 

[TheDankKoosh]

52 minutes ago, AsianManiax said:

I've been looking up decent monitors under 200 USD for the past hour and while I found some decent options, I wanted some additional advice before making a final decision. Are there any monitors that you can attest for that is under 200 dollars?

I would say that the AOC 24g2 is the defacto choice for most use cases under the 200 dollar mark

[Dogzilla07]

@TheDankKooshMSI G241/G242 (same panel as AOC 24G2 just lacks ergonomics, can't change height etc). Asus TUF Gaming VG249Q also has the same panel, but HardwareUnboxed mentioned he doesn't recommend it anymore in his last video (double check why).

[Stahlmann]

5 hours ago, TheDankKoosh said:

I would say that the AOC 24g2 is the defacto choice for most use cases under the 200 dollar mark

In the last roundup from Hardware Unboxed Tim again chose the AOC 24G2 as the best 1080p value monitor. He reviewed a lot of monitors, including cheap ones. But he never managed to find one that is so good for it's price.

 

So yes, if the budget is around $200 US then the AOC 24G2 is as good as it gets.

[Dogzilla07]

@AsianManiax @Stahlmann MSI G241 is actually better calibrated out of factory than the AOC 24G2. The reason HardwareUnboxed doesn't mention it is because:

 

1. No ergonomic adjustments and large inefficient base

2. Power brick/power delivery not integrated in the monitor

 

For me personally both of those ended up being a pro instead of a con due to:

 

1. Me already having a monitor arm

2. Having the power brick on the table meant the monitor was lighter, ergo more synergy with no.1

 

As for the other stuff like I said color calibration wise, the MSI is better than the AOC from the little time I had with both, and the Interface is fine with both.