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Best Monitor Under $200 You Can Get for 2023

Monitors are necessary for a large number of employees and students to work efficiently, and you don’t need to spend a fortune to get a good one from LG, Samsung, or Dell.

For remote workers, gamers and creatives, a good monitor is a critical piece of your workstation. Even if you usually work on a laptop, adding a second screen to your setup can make a huge difference in your productivity. And fortunately, you don’t have to drop $500 or more to get your hands on a decent display. We’ve rounded up some of the best monitors on the market right now that you can pick up for less than $200 below. 

There are a few things to keep in mind: When buying a budget monitor, you should check out the listing to see what’s included. Make sure it’s not missing items that you would have to purchase separately and that would drive the price above that «cheap monitor» threshold, like a stand or cables. The stand might not be an issue if you’re planning to use the VESA mount to put it on a wall or arm. But in that case, you should ensure the mount screws on the back of the monitor match yours: The bulk of these have 100×100-millimeter mounts, but in some cases, they have 200x200mm or 75x75mm mounts — or they don’t support a VESA mount at all.

Got a Mac? If it’s an old MacBook Pro with an HDMI port, or an iMac or Mac Mini, you won’t have a problem. MacBooks with USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 connections will require an adapter or cable with conversion built-in because they won’t have a dedicated display port. You may also need to fiddle with the resolution and scaling settings in Mac OS, since it natively prefers a 16:10 aspect ratio, not the 16:9 aspect ratio that’s much more popular on Windows.

Read more: How to Buy a Monitor for Gaming or Working From Home

Unless you’re a hardcore gamer or creative professional, many of the most technical specs — latency and color gamut, for example — won’t really matter to you (though many of these could serve as a budget gaming monitor). You should always take them with a grain of salt, anyway.

For less than $200, you can generally expect to get:

  • A maximum of 1,920×1,080-pixel screen resolution (dubbed by marketers as «Full HD resolution» and also referred to as 1080p or 2K for its roughly 2,000 pixels across). Below 27 inches, that’s fine. At 27 inches or larger, it’s not great except in one important case. Essentially, the reason you buy a 27-inch monitor over a 24-inch is usually because you want to fit more on to it. But if it’s using the same number of pixels, it just makes everything bigger — it doesn’t put more on the screen. And because it’s spreading them across a bigger screen, some people (like me) may get annoyed at seeing the pixel grid. I find a pixel density (the number of pixels per inch, or ppi) of at least 90 a good balance, but YMMV. The exception? If you actually need things like text to be bigger, such as if you have impaired vision.
  • A stand that lets you tilt the computer monitor, not raise or lower it. We want to reduce eye strain and optimize ergonomics wherever possible.
  • While there might be one or two larger, the monitors go mostly up to 27 inches.
  • Between 250 and 350 nits of brightness. That should be fine for most uses.
  • Up to 75Hz refresh rate for an IPS (which stands for in-plane switching) monitor or 144Hz refresh rate for a TN (twisted nematic). A high refresh rate matters if you’re planning to play a lot of FPS, racing, fighting or other motion-sensitive gaming. An IPS monitor is better for general-purpose use, since it’s superior for off-angle viewing and typically has better color. But the fastest IPS monitor you’ll find for the money is 75Hz. A TN monitor is better for fast gaming and a better gaming experience; it has a higher contrast ratio, but poorer viewing angle — color accuracy and contrast changes as you move further from looking straight-on. 
  • If it comes with built-in speakers, don’t assume they’re a replacement for real standalone versions. They’re occasionally better than expected, but think of the speakers as a nice perk for basic system sounds or videoconferencing and consider it a windfall if they’re satisfactory for entertainment. (I’ve been relatively impressed with the speakers in BenQ’s EW series.)
  • A lot of these cheap monitors support AMD’s adaptive refresh FreeSync technology, which works with AMD’s graphics processors for syncing game frame rates with the display.
  • A curved monitor, which can make a wide display fit into your field of view without requiring you to sit too far back, isn’t worth paying more for in monitors 27 inches or smaller; then the bezels are too far within your field of view. One potential exception is if you plan to span across three identical monitors for gameplay. Then they wrap around you better than three flat screens.

Upping your budget to between $200 and $300 will bring more 32-inch screen size options and 2,560×1,440 resolution. And, of course, the more you’re willing to spend, the more you’re likely to find something in stock and ready to ship.

Read more: Best Speakerphone for Working From Home

Samsung

If you are looking for budget gaming monitors, this budget FHD monitor’s 75Hz refresh gives you a little latitude for gaming and has an IPS panel for better color and viewing angle in the sea of VA competitors; plus, this cheap gaming monitor option is pretty attractive with thin bezels and a stand that’s less clunky-looking than some. You’ll get an HDMI cable in the box, and it has a 100×100 VESA mount. There are some drawbacks, such as some backlight bleed that buyers have noticed, and it has an HDMI 1.4 connection instead of 2.0 (if you care), plus the stand only allows the screen to tilt, not raise or lower.

You’re receiving price alerts for Samsung T35F 27-inch FHD IPS Monitor

LG

The LG is a solid, attractive general-purpose choice with some gaming perks. Though I’d hardly call it a gaming monitor, it has features for a good gaming experience, such as AMD FreeSync support, the ability to overdrive the response time, a 1ms motion-blur reduction mode and an optional center crosshair. It’s slightly brighter than most, and there’s a Photo mode that seems to improve the color accuracy. It’s got a VGA connector in addition to the two HDMIs (though that’s not uncommon in this price range) if you’ve got a really old device to connect. The 24-inch is a smaller version of the 27-inch monitor we tested which has since been discontinued (though still available in places at a much higher price).

LG

This looks to be a more recent follow-up to the 27MK600M-B we tested, with a different stand and a DisplayPort connection instead of the second HDMI. Like that one, it’s got some gaming perks, identical to the 24-inch LG I mentioned above. 

LG

This big ‘un doesn’t have ultraskinny bezels or a curved screen — it’s four years old — but when you consider its size, a 75Hz refresh rate and USB-C DisplayPort connector (as well as two HDMI 1.4 ports), you get a lot for the money. It often lists for closer to $300, but right now you can snag it for less than $200 at Amazon and Walmart, making it a pretty good value for the features.  There’s a slightly more game-oriented model for $200, the 29WP60G-B, with FreeSync support, thinner bezels and a slightly sleeker design, but don’t get FOMO over the «HDR» you’ll see in the name; it has the same color and brightness specs as the cheaper model. LG has simply added decoding hardware that lets it more-or-less intelligently cram real HDR content to the dim, small gamut display, which is never pretty.

$177 at Amazon

You’re receiving price alerts for LG 29-inch UltraWide FHD FreeSync Monitor (29UM59A-P)

Gigabyte

I don’t like curved 27-inch monitors or VA panels much, but in a sea of 75Hz options, the Gigabyte is a refreshing 165Hz. That makes it a lot more suited to gaming than all the 75Hz models. It also has a greater-than-sRGB color gamut, low-power stereo speakers and a USB hub, which you rarely find together in this price class. The lowest price you’ll find on this monitor right now is $230, but we’re keeping it on this list for the moment as we’ve often seen it discounted to $200 or even lower.

You’re receiving price alerts for Gigabyte G27FC A 27-inch 1080p 165 Hz Curved Gaming Monitor

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Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Friday, July 18

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for July 18.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.


Kudos to today’s Mini Crossword for being both complex and clever. There are layers upon layers in the clues. It took me a few minutes to sort it all out. Need a helping hand with today’s Mini Crossword? Read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

The Mini Crossword is just one of many games in the Times’ games collection. If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Appropriate word that can precede 7-/8-Across and 3-/10-Down
Answer: HALF

5A clue: Remy’s brother in «Ratatouille»
Answer: EMILE

7A clue: Missouri’s postal abbreviation
Answer: MO

8A clue: Light switch position
Answer: ON

9A clue: Done for laughs
Answer: INFUN

11A clue: Richard of «Pretty Woman»
Answer: GERE

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Prefix that means 1-Across
Answer: HEMI

2D clue: In the midst of
Answer: AMONG

3D clue: Super Bowl that featured a 28-3 comeback win by the Patriots
Answer: LI

4D clue: Baker’s powder
Answer: FLOUR

6D clue: Dated feminine suffix
Answer: ENNE

10D clue: Iron, on the periodic table
Answer: FE

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Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for July 18, #298

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for July 18, No. 298.

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.


The purple group for today’s Connections: Sports Edition might be a tough one. If you like baseball, have been paying attention to big games and know some famous sports names, then you’ll do just fine with the rest of the puzzle. Read on for more hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is out of beta now, making its debut on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 9. That’s a sign that the game has earned enough loyal players that The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times, will continue to publish it. It doesn’t show up in the NYT Games app but now appears in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can continue to play it free online.  

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Check the score.

Green group hint: Defeated.

Blue group hint: A memorable name.

Purple group hint: Not DC, but the other one.

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: MLB teams, on scoreboards.

Green group: Teams to lose their respective championships in 2025.

Blue group: Famous Jackies.

Purple group: Teams and players who shares nicknames with Marvel characters.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is MLB teams, on scoreboards. The four answers are LAD, MIL, PIT and TEX.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is teams to lose their respective championships in 2025. The four answers are Edmonton, Indiana, Kansas City and Notre Dame.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is famous Jackies. The four answers are Bradley, Joyner-Kersee, Robinson and Young.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is teams and players who shares nicknames with Marvel characters. The four answers are Iowa, Michigan, Pulisic and Ripken.

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