Monitor

Can you really purchase a decent monitor under $100?

It is not a shame to be on a low budget. And even tough people would want to buy the newest tech, sometimes this is not possible. Sometimes we need to make compromises. But should we make a compromise on quality? Certainly NOT, but let’s find out what options do we have when we want to buy ourselves a monitor. In this article you will find 5 recommended monitors under $100 for tight budgets that you should take into account. Although there might be other great products on the market, this is my personal picking. Also feel free to purchase any product you like.  This article wants to help on those who are undecided and have no clue where to start.

The selected models are mainly monitors with a screen size up to 22 inches and a maximum resolution of 1920 x 1080. Nevertheless, this resolution is more ore less the minimum requirement for a monitor. Even though there are monitors with lower resolutions I don’t think that you should pick one of these. Another aspect that I took into consideration when selecting these 5 models was the LCD panel type. TN panels have improved greatly in the past years, but the market is dominated by IPS panels. These have the benefit of improved viewing angles and great response time. If you want to find more about LCD panel technologies read the article where I deal with the advantages and disadvantages of each one.

So let’s find out who the contenders are:

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HP – 22cwa


What I really like about this is the design of the product. It has a really stylish look and will be a pleasure to watch. It is a 21.5 inch full HD monitor with an IPS backlit panel. Additionally the dynamic contrast is 8,000,000:1 with a response time of 7 ms gray to gray which is quite good. Viewing angles are great both horizontal and vertical of 178°. Related connectivity the HP- 22cwa has 1 VGA and 1 HDMI port which will be compatible with older generation PC’s as well.

The price of this monitor is $89.99 and if you are curious you can check it out here: http://amzn.to/2viydDv

BrandHP
Model22cwa
Price89.99
Screen size21.5 in
Aspect ratio16:9
Maximum display resolution1920x1080
Display typeLED
Panel typeIPS/LED Backlit
Contrast8,000,000:1
Brightness250 cd/m2
Response time7 ms G2G
Input connectors1 VGA, 1 HDMI
Viewing angles178° horizontal and vertical

AOC – I2267FW


Our second contender is an AOC monitor. The slim bezels of this monitor and the metal finish in the bottom of the screen make this monitor really sexy. It will look great on any desk you will put it and nobody will tell that this monitor has a price below $100. The price is exactly the same as of the HP from above. For this price range you will get a higher dynamic contrast of 50,000,000:1 and a 5ms response time. Related connectivity you will not have an HDMI port. Instead you will get 1 VGA and 1 DVI-D port which can be connected to HDMI using an adapter. The viewing angles are 178° horizontal and vertical.

This monitor sells for $89.99 and you can take a look at yourself following this link: http://amzn.to/2viGCqv

BrandAOC
ModelI2267FW
Price89.99
Screen size21.5 in
Aspect ratio16:9
Maximum display resolution1920x1080
Display typeLED
Panel typeAH-IPS/ LED Backlit
Contrast50,000,000:1
Brightness250 cd/m2
Response time5 ms
Input connectors1 VGA, 1 DVI-D with HDCP
Viewing angles178° horizontal and vertical

AOC – I2269vw


If you don’t like the silver and would go with black then AOC – I2269vw is a good choice. With the exact same specifications like the previous model. Unfortunately the price tag is a little bit higher. You will need to pull out $10 extra if you want to purchase this model. However, spec wise I don’t see differences between this AOC and I2267FW. The decision is in your hands.

This monitor sells for $89.99 and you can take a look at yourself following this link: http://amzn.to/2vAZiNj

BrandAOC
ModelI2269vw
Price99.99
Screen size21.5 in
Aspect ratio16:9
Maximum display resolution1920x1080
Display typeLED
Panel typeIPS/LED Backlit
Contrast50,000,000:1
Brightness250 cd/m2
Response time5 ms
Input connectors1 VGA, 1 DVI
Viewing angles178° horizontal and vertical

ACER – HA220Q


The next monitor on the list is an ACER. Model name is HA220Q. Although it is a black shiny monitor thanks to the really thin bezels this looks really nice. What are its strong points? Well it has a marketed dynamic contrast of 100,000,000:1 which is a really huge number. Also the responsiveness is the best from all 5 presented products. With a response time of 4 ms this monitor will be a good option for beginner gamers as well. From connectivity point of view for the price payed you will get 1 VGA and 1 HDMI ports which will make it compatible with older PC’s as well.

This monitor sells for $99.99 and you can take a look at yourself following this link: http://amzn.to/2wg6Dnx

BrandACER
ModelHA220Q
Price99.99
Screen size21.5 in
Aspect ratio16:9
Maximum display resolution1920x1080
Display typeLED
Panel typeIPS
Contrast100,000,000:1
Brightness250 cd/m2
Response time4 ms
Input connectors1 VGA, 1 HDMI
Viewing angles178° horizontal and vertical

ASUS – VS228T-P



Our last contender is an ASUS. I know that there are a lot of ASUS lovers out there. No wonder as this brand is synonym with quality. Although this monitor sells for $99, unfortunately for this price you will not get an IPS panel. But instead the panel used on this monitor is a TN. Consequently this translates into narrower viewing angles of 170° horizontal and 160° vertical. If you are not making any photo or video editing you will fine. The response time of this monitor is 5 ms and a dynamic contrast of 50,0000,000:1.

This monitor sells for $99 and you can take a look at yourself following this link: http://amzn.to/2viR5lJ

BrandASUS
ModelVS228T-P
Price99
Screen size21.5 in
Aspect ratio16:9
Maximum display resolution1920x1080
Display typeLED
Panel typeTN
Contrast50,000,000:1
Brightness250 cd/m2
Response time5 ms
Input connectors1 VGA, 1 DVI
Viewing angles170° horizontal, 160° vertical

Conclusions

The fact that you are on a tight budget doesn’t mean that you need to make compromises regarding quality. Even though you will not get a larger screen than 22 inches and the maximum resolution is on full HD with 1920 x 1080 pixels you have a lot of options to pick one. Therefore this article presented only 5 models. For sure there are other models out there which spec wise or as good as the presented ones. I chose taken into account all day usage. This means productivity and gaming purposes. Although the price tag is below $100, I think that the picked models are quite nice from specs point of view.

Below you can find a comparison between all 5 presented models:

BrandHPAOCAOCACERASUS
Model22cwaI2267FWI2269vwHA220QVS228T-P
Price89.9989.9999.9999.9999
Screen size21.5 in21.5 in21.5 in21.5 in21.5 in
Aspect ratio16:916:916:916:916:9
Maximum display resolution1920x10801920x10801920x10801920x10801920x1080
Display typeLEDLEDLEDLEDLED
Panel typeIPS/LED BacklitAH-IPS/ LED BacklitIPS/LED BacklitIPSTN
Contrast8,000,000:150,000,000:150,000,000:1100,000,000:150,000,000:1
Brightness250 cd/m2250 cd/m2250 cd/m2250 cd/m2250 cd/m2
Response time7 ms G2G5 ms5 ms4 ms5 ms
Input connectors1 VGA, 1 HDMI1 VGA, 1 DVI-D with HDCP1 VGA, 1 DVI1 VGA, 1 HDMI1 VGA, 1 DVI
Viewing angles178° horizontal and vertical178° horizontal and vertical178° horizontal and vertical178° horizontal and vertical170° horizontal, 160° vertical

If you are interested in purchasing one of the models here are the links to order:

Finally I invite you to share your opinion in the comment section. Would you buy one of the presented models if you were on a tight budget?

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