How do you get the best price for a gaming monitor? When is the right time to buy a gaming monitor? Like an airline ticket, the best gaming monitor price trends vary over time, depending on factors such as season, supply, and demand. Gamers are faced with the challenge: buy the latest monitor at full price immediately to gain an edge, or wait for the best gaming monitor price tags to come down and level out.
Finding the sweet spot for the best gaming monitor price can get difficult if you don’t know how or where to look. These highly sought after products rarely hit rock bottom unless on holiday sales such as Black Friday and Christmas sales. But as always, there are windows of opportunity bargain hunters can rely on to get the best for the money. In this guide, we would like to share how you can get the most mileage out of every penny you are willing to spend, for that razor sharp bleeding-edge display you desire.
How to Track Gaming Monitor Price Trends
Gaming monitor prices vary daily, so it will be a tedious task to check retailers like Amazon regularly to see if the product your heart desires hits your budget limit. There are a lot of factors which can affect how much a product will sell for, such as exchange rates, supply, and demand, etc.
Fortunately, you can easily find tools or websites on the internet which include price comparisons and charts. PC building sites like www.pcpartpicker.com have a vast collection of peripherals and parts and costs, including the best gaming monitor price trends among its build guides, but our current favorite is www.camelcamelcamel.com. This website works with Amazon and its partners/resellers, and they record each jump or dip a product takes.
Camelcamelcamel.com also allows you to set a target price while registering your email or Twitter so you can track via their notifications and find the ideal time you can purchase a gaming monitor. They also present complete details regarding price history with the date of occurrence, plus low, average and high-cost levels for your specified product.
Monitornerd’s Best Gaming Monitor Price Trends
We have an extensive list of the best gaming monitors ever the gaming community has seen, and while we can guarantee their excellence, we can’t promise that they are always affordable. Some of our picks are already sold below their SRPs, but their costs regularly fluctuate so it can get frustrating at times.
Even if these displays provide a lot of performance value, buying them at full price isn’t practical. So to help you out with your hunt for the best screen you can get for your battle station, we conducted a detailed analysis of pricing trends of our favorite gaming monitors, so you don’t have to.
1. Asus ROG Swift PG278Q
The Asus ROG Swift PG278Q is our top-ranking gaming monitor with its excellent build quality, 144Hz refresh rate, virtually lag-free performance with results of less than 4ms. Along with the robust build quality detailed with the subtle ROG treatment, you also get G-Sync integrated into its innards which provide buttery-smooth gaming performance if you have a Nvidia card. Despite having a TN panel, the PG278Q is known to have improved vibrancy thanks to its real 8-bit interface. But even if you think about it, the current asking price for this offering is quite steep since it still is equipped with a TN panel with limited viewing angles and color definition.
Despite having a TN panel, the PG278Q is known to have improved vibrancy thanks to its actual 8-bit interface. But even if you think about it, the current asking price for this offering is quite steep since it still is equipped with a TN panel with limited viewing angles and color definition.
The Asus ROG Swift PG278Q launched for more or less $930, an amount which equates to what an IPS-equipped alternative is currently asking. At some points, this model even reached a peak of $920, but for the past six months, it has remained stable at around $700 with dips to $550 from time to time.
It’s difficult to recommend a perfect opportunity to purchase the Asus ROG Swift PG278Q since you can save more or less a hundred dollars in exchange for a bit of patience. This product is a solid monitor with superb features after all so at more or less $700, and it’s always a great buy. Check the latest price here.
2. AOC G2460PF
The AOC G2460PF is our favorite 1080p gaming monitor for its responsiveness and unbeatable specs at its best characteristic which is its affordability. Even if intended as a cost-effective alternative to expensive offerings from competitors, the time we spent testing this model proved that it could go head to head with the best there is in the market.
This display is capable of acceptable levels of color and excellent panel uniformity. Input lag sits well below 10ms so that you can expect tournament-grade performance from the G2460PF. This model also comes with Freesync compatibility, so your AMD rig can work to alleviate tears and stutters if your frames are unstable. You also get a plethora of input connectors which includes USB 3.0 ports, and a discrete, but robust exterior made to match any decent setup.
From its introductory price of $230 which is already ridiculously cheap for a 144Hz gaming monitor, the AOC G2460PF now sells anywhere from $200 to $210. The price trend has been that way for over six months, so it is safe to purchase at your convenience. We think it won’t go lower than these prices since it would be a crime to ask AOC to sell this for less.
The AOC G2460PF is an example of a buy anytime product. The manufacturer already set the best gaming monitor price bracket right from the get-go, so there is little reason to hold back. The only hindrance for this monitor is if you are quite budget-conscious and want to save the extra $10 or $20. After all, money saved is still good money. You can check the latest price on Amazon here.
3. LG 27UD68-P
The LG 27UD68-P is our best 4K monitor for the first quarter of the year for its excellence in balancing gaming and professional application via its fantastic color performance. The brand seldom makes tsunami-sized waves in the gamer communities, but we think this product commands a fair SRP of $500 for a 4K gaming display right from its launch.
The Korean tech giant, LG made sure that this product performs admirably, so they designed the LG27UD68-P’s panel to have a 10-bit interface which enables a gamut coverage of 99%. There are no proprietary adaptive sync techs involved with this product, but it does carry a Dynamic Action Sync which works quite well with the Black Stabilizer feature for a crisp, 4K output.
The LG 27UD68-P’s worst part for thrifty buyers is that it still regularly asks for $499 up to the time of this writing, with occasional fluctuations dipping as low as $400. This pattern is probably due to its consistently high rating on Amazon, plus the widely-known fact that LG makes high-quality displays with quality and durability in mind.
Unlike the previous entry, there is never a perfect time to purchase the LG 27UD68-P since its price trend still isn’t stable after a year of availability on the market. So it is if safe to say that you can buy.
4. Acer Predator XB271HU
The Acer Predator XB271HU is another highly-sought after G-Sync monitor for its excellent IPS panel, G-Sync functionality, and aggressively iconic black and red design. If you check around in the enthusiast communities, it’s either this product or its rivals from Asus’ ROG line, which it shares uncanny similarities with.
This model is faster by a fraction of a second than its Asus counterpart. That rarely matters in practice, but we can attribute the XB271HU’s excellent reputation to its improved color performance, panel uniformity, and quality control. Several owners back these facts in forums all over the web, but remember, the IPS lottery aspect still applies.
The Acer Predator XB271HU blasted through retailers with a peak price of $800 which makes it a bit affordable when compared it its premium competitors. For the past six months, the price trends for this product regularly vary between $750 to its full price, so it is safe to recommend purchase at any time.
We probably won’t see a deep dive for the Acer Predator XB271HU’s cost until its newer cousins like the Acer XB272-HDR and the Tobii Eye-Equipped versions reach the mainstream. The Acer Predator XB271HU is worthy of praise for its cutting-edge specs, so you can entrust your choice in pulling the trigger anytime, or decide if up to $50 of savings is worth an agonizing wait.
5. BenQ XL2430
The BenQ XL2430 is still an excellent E-Sports monitor despite the introduction of the 240Hz iteration, the XL2540. Even if this option only goes up to 144Hz, this display is still a superb choice if you want to hone your skills for the road to professional gaming.
The BenQ Zowie XL2430 is one of the fastest monitors around, with a peak input lag result of less than 4ms which averages to less than 10ms in some situations. Another favored feature from this monitor is BenQ’s proprietary Blur Reduction feature, which works to solve unwanted ghosting and image artifacts.
The best thing about having an upgraded replacement is a price reduction. The BenQ XL2430 became available for around $450 primarily. But for more than six months, this model has a stable price of more or less $360, with a reduction to around $310 during last year’s Black Friday sale. The former price makes this product one of the best gaming monitor price ratios we have seen, but waiting for our beloved holiday sale in November is enticing due to the $50 savings.
If waiting for a price drop or carefully guarding the monitor price trends isn’t your cup of tea, the BenQ XL2430 is the E-Sports monitor to get for its longevity at its current fair price. Buying this unit at any time is good for your peace of mind that you did not overpay for the gaming greatness it provides.
6. Dell S2417DG
The Dell S2417DG is a fantastic gaming monitor specimen since it features a 1440p resolution with G-Sync in a compact, 24-inch form factor. The pixel density of 122.38PPI increases sharpness and clarity for your media needs, while the 165Hz refresh rates provide users with a tear-free experience. These features are neatly wrapped in a discrete, borderless exterior which is widely preferred.
Its 1440p resolution enables users to enjoy a bigger virtual viewing space, but it does come with a performance hit to your GPU. Thankfully, this model comes with a G-Sync module to help solve stuttering issues, since most eye-candy filled titles will surely flex your graphics card’s muscles.
We love Dell’s products since their pricing masks the excellence they provide, turning models like the S2417DG into the sleepers of the gaming monitor world. This model started selling for around $570, but for the past few months, it has played around the ranges of $400 to $430. That price bracket is quite safe if you consider its native resolution and G-Sync feature, but for the past month and a half, it has dropped to more or less $390.
Based on the quarterly price trends of the Dell S2417DG, once it falls, the price approximately stays the same. It takes some time for this move to happen, so if you arrive at a point where the purchase becomes necessary, this entry is a safe and excellent buy.
7. Asus ROG Swift PG348Q
Ultra-wide gaming monitors are a luxury a lot of us mere mortals won’t be able to afford at this time, due to their steep pricing. The Asus ROG Swift PG348Q is currently one of the best options in this category, with its beautiful 3440 x 1440 IPS screen which can go up to 100Hz for silky-smooth video transitions.
The Asus ROG Swift PG348Q is one of the snappiest ultra-wides on the scene, with input lag average sitting at more or less, 10ms which ensures a delay-free experience. 3440 x 1440 is no easy feat even for the best GPUs we currently have, so thankfully, this model comes packed with G-Sync. The PG348Q may look gaudy or over-designed for some, but surprisingly, it is one of the most durable monitors we have ever tested, with a fantastic build quality which does not have any creaking or unwanted flexing in the plastic parts.
Starting at $1,300, the Asus PG348Q costs almost the same as a full-build gaming rig. But if you check its price trends for previous months, the costing plays around from $1,100 to more or less $1,200. The difference between the minimum and maximum is less than 10% of the total, so if you are considering to spend this much money on a monitor, that could be a small factor for you.
The Asus PG348Q has a relatively stable price trend since it is still in its first year of availability. Not to mention Ultra-wides are still not considered as mainstream, so the cost of ownership incurs a hefty premium. For big-ticket purchases like this product, it is always best to wait for big holiday sales.
Note: The Graph Screenshots were taken from www.camelcamelcamel.com. You can access what they have to offer for free, but you can also register for a free account.
Thoughts
Each product we listed has radically different patterns and price cuts, while some do not even get any. Apart from navigating the best gaming monitor price trends, your best bet to save money is to avoid buying during the holidays or wait for Black Friday sales. If you check the graphs, the latter is where the price dives by a huge margin, hinting at a perfect time to strike. You can also avail of the best gaming monitor price offers post-holiday, such as events after the 4th of July, although Black Friday still is your best bet.
Buying smart can save you a lot of money, especially for exorbitantly expensive items like the ultra-wide option we presented. Another reasonable option is to go for staple models like our favored three choices included in this guide, which have been available for some time. Our data indicate that the price tends to drop and stabilize three months after a release date.
Time-tested and proven track records can affect price, but usually, this aspect stabilizes costs at a limited range. Even if you’ve saved up enough cash to pay full price, carefully watching the current price trends is still an excellent way to get the most out of your budget and your soon to be gaming monitor.
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