Black Friday deals season is upon us, give us some of the best gaming monitor deals on the best gaming monitors. Now is a great time to buy, with some monitors discounted by hundreds of dollars compared to their usual asking price.
The great thing about monitors is that everyone can find a product that fits their budget and performance needs. If you want something on the smaller side, plenty of 24.5-inch options are available. If you have deep pockets and want one of the largest gaming-centric monitors available, you can throw down on a 57-inch Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 for around $2,000 (just ensure that you have ample desk and/or wall space).
And size is far from the only consideration: You’ll find refresh rates ranging from 120 Hz to 500 Hz, flat or curved panels, various panel technologies (IPS, VA, OLED, etc.), and countless resolutions (Full HD to Dual 4K).
There’s a lot to consider, but there’s never been a better time to buy a new monitor. Below are a few things to consider as you look for the best gaming monitor deal for you. We also have some deals we’ve identified.
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- Screen resolution: We’ve broken up our recommendations below by screen resolution as this is arguably your most important spec, even more important than size. The cheapest monitors operate at 1080p (1920 x 1080) and so do those with super-high refresh rates. However, 1440p (2560 x 1440) seems to be the sweet spot between price and image quality with 4K resolutions (3840 x 2160) costing more but offering greater detail.
- Refresh rate: Refresh rate refers to the number of times your monitor updates with new information per second — stated in hertz (Hz) — and, therefore, how many frames per second (fps) the monitor can display (provided that your graphics card can output them). Higher numbers translate to smoother images, with 500Hz being the high watermark for today’s best gaming monitors. However, for most people, 120, 144 or 165 Hz is fine as most graphics cards on most games can’t surpass that.
- Nvidia G-Sync or AMD FreeSync? G-Sync and FreeSync are Nvidia and AMD’s flavors of Adaptive-Sync, respectively. G-Sync will only work with PCs using an Nvidia graphics card, and FreeSync likewise applies to AMD graphics cards. While it’s possible to run G-Sync on a monitor that’s only FreeSync-certified, your mileage may vary depending on the brand and model.
- Graphics card muscle needed for 4K and above: Previous generation options like the GeForce RTX 3080 or Radeon RX 6900 XT are great for 4K gaming if you don’t want to pay top dollar for bleeding-edge silicon. However, 4K gaming at the highest frame rates with the best quality settings is best experienced on a flagship graphics card, with the current best being the GeForce RTX 4090 and Radeon RX 7900 XTX. These would be our only choices for gaming on the mammoth Dual 4K panels that are starting to creep into the marketplace.
- IPS, VA, and OLED panels: IPS displays have slightly slower response times but better color and viewing angles than VA monitors. However, VA panels can offer a significant advantage in contrast ratio and black levels compared to IPS panels. Displays with OLED panels are the most expensive but the most colorful by far. They have inky blacks (without blooming around bright objects), lightning-fast response times, and great viewing angles.
Full HD (1920 x 1080) Black Friday Gaming Monitor Deals
If you want the fastest gaming monitors for your money, your best option is FHD (1920 x 1080) resolution. The lower resolution means that in the case of the Alienware AW2524H, you’re looking at up to a 480Hz native refresh rate (500Hz overclocked). When we tested it, we raved about this monitor for its overall performance, responsiveness, and the typical excellent build quality we expect from Alienware.
One of the few knocks we had against the monitor was its high price tag, but today’s Black Friday $250 off deal makes it a much better buy for gamers who want the ultimate performance. If you don’t have over $500 to spend, the Acer Nitro XZ270 Xbmiipx is a more reasonable option at just under $159, with a 240Hz refresh rate.
QHD (2560 x 1440) Black Friday Gaming Monitor Deals
When it comes to bang for the buck, 1440p resolution is ideal for gamers looking to push high framerates with mid-range graphics cards. We’ve seen great deals on QHD monitors with refresh rates ranging from 165Hz to 240Hz.
Our favorite gaming monitor, the Dell S3222DGM, is currently on sale for an all-time low price of $239 at Dell, the best Black Friday gaming monitor deal we’ve seen this year. It features incredibly high contrast, thanks to its VA panel and generous 32-inches of curved screen real estate. It’s 165 Hz refresh rate provides smooth gaming.
The AOPEN 27HC5UR (AOPEN is a subsidiary of Acer) is particularly interesting because of its insanely low price. Acer is offering the 165 Hz monitor for half off, with a price tag of just $139.99. It features a curved VA panel (1500R) with an impressive 4,000:1 contrast ratio and AMD FreeSync support.
UWQHD (3440 x 1440) Black Friday Gaming Monitor Deals
The Ultra-Wide QHD (3440 x 1440) category is one of the hottest in the gaming monitor segment, and there is no shortage of outstanding options available to eager gamers. The sweet spot for these monitors is 34 inches, with one of the most popular entries being the Alienware AW3423DWF.
We gave the AW3423DWF our highest honor with 5 out of 5 stars and an Editor’s Choice badge. The monitor stuns with its colorful QD-OLED anel, 1800R curvature and 165Hz refresh rate with Adaptive-Sync support. When we reviewed it last year, the monitor had a street price of around $1,100, but it is now selling for about $800 for Black Friday.
Another great option is the Zero-G from Monoprice, which features a 35-inch 120Hz curved (1800R) VA panel with AMD FreeSync Support. This Black Friday week it’s available for $279.99, which is $120 off its regular asking price.
Dual QHD (5120 x 1440) Black Friday Gaming Monitor Deals
Dual QHD (5120 x 1440) monitors are a niche category, with Samsung and LG being the most prominent players in this space. DQHD is the equivalent of having two QHD (2560 x 1440) monitors side-by-side. Monitors with this resolution typically have refresh rates ranging from 120Hz to 240Hz and are available with IPS, VA or OLED panels.
One of the standouts in this field is the 49-inch Samsung Odyssey G9, which boasts a QLED panel, 240Hz refresh rate and support for both AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync. The monitor typically retails for $1,399, but is currently priced at just under $900 as a Black Friday gaming monitor deal.
Dual 4K (7680 x 2160) Black Friday Gaming Monitor Deals
The most punishing gaming resolution for current generation flagship graphics cards (i.e., the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 or the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX) is no doubt Dual 4K (7680 x 2160). With these monitors, you genuinely get an unmatched amount of screen real estate for games and productivity tasks.
The posterchild for Dual 4K is the Samsung Odyssey Neo G9, which features an 1800R curve, supports DisplayPort 2.1 (a first in this segment), and a 57-inch Mini LED panel with a generous 240Hz refresh rate. The monitor has a list price of $2,499 but is currently on sale for just $1,999 for Black Friday direct from Samsung. However, remember that if you want to max out the potential of the Odyssey Neo G9 at Dual 4K resolution and a 240Hz refresh rate, you’ll need a Radeon RX 7000 Series graphics card.
