When looking for a budget gaming monitor you might find you have to sacrifice either speed or size to fit the budget you're working with. You might get a 144Hz refresh rate, if you're lucky, but it's probably on a smaller 24-inch panel. That's not the case here, however.
This Asus TUF Gaming VG27VQ monitor comes with a 165Hz refresh rate but retains a larger 27-inch frame. And now it's only $219 over at Newegg. While still not a massive monitor, that's probably helpful for pixel pitch as it offers only a 1080p resolution. At 27-inches corner to corner, you're not spreading that 1080p image out over too wide an area, and that means this screen will retain the clarity we're after for gaming.
There's another benefit to that smaller resolution, if you're building a budget rig to go with it: the VG27VQ's 165Hz refresh rate is actually attainable for an entry-level GPU in some games, namely competitive shooters or MOBAs.
The VG27VQ has other gaming credentials, anyways: it comes with AMD FreeSync support, a 1ms MPRT response time, and Asus' Extreme Low Motion Blur mode (ELMB).
It's a curved screen, too, which is said to be more immersive though personally I never really feel that makes any difference. It looks neat, though. It's also loaded onto a height, swivel and tilt adjustable stand, which is a decent get on a monitor in this price bracket.
We've not tested the 27-inch model, but my colleague Kizzy has taken the 32-inch model for a spin and liked what he saw. The panel's may differ a little from this one, as that particular model offers a 1440p picture, but Kizzy rated the punchy, vibrant colour on offer and felt the ELMB was a genuinely decent feature.
The VG27VQ is also on offer at Amazon for just 99 cents more than Newegg. So feel free to choose your poison. At $219, this is effectively a tie for the cheapest this monitor has ever been; it was $218.99 around Black Friday last year.
But whoever you buy it from, it's a solid budget gaming monitor from a trusted brand that we like a lot. It's not completely up-to-date with the current generation of high-speed gaming panels, but at this price it's understandable why. Just a solid all-rounder that won't be wasted on a similarly affordable gaming PC.
