There’s more than a few curved gaming monitors out there with outrageous specs and equally outrageous price tags—displays that test the limit of what the human eye can perceive! Enormous panels that cost more than a new car! Huge ultrawide multi-monitor setups!

You, uh, aren’t going to find those in this article.

Instead, this list aims to stretch your dollar to its breaking point, focusing on curved monitors that provide a premium experience with a sub-premium price tag of less than $400. None of them are powered by nuclear fission or display 600 frames per second, but they’ll be enough to satisfy the average consumer without the need for a second mortgage.

Let’s begin!

Best Value 1080p Monitor: Asus TUF VG24VQ ($180)

An appealing $180 price tag paired with a high refresh rate, colorful curved 24” screen, and FreeSync support make this an excellent choice when looking for a curved 1920×1080 gaming monitor. The VA panel makes no sacrifice on color accuracy (provided you do a little tuning out-of-the-box), and combined with its 144hz refresh rate it creates an excellent, smooth picture at 1080p for a great value. It comes with a host of settings and options as well, like “Extremely Low Motion Blur” to help balance out the innate ghosting characteristic of VA panels, and an “ultra-low blue light” setting to give your eyeballs a rest during long days at the home office. It even comes with a pair of built-in speakers, to blast Rick Astley for the pleasure of your friends and family!

The stand is chunky, with no real usable space within its footprint; the upside of the stand design, though, is it remains quite stable during small earthquakes (and gentle bumps when you get up for a drink, too). The stand also features a full range of ergonomic options, including tilt and height adjustment as well as swivel and pivot options. That being said, pivot a curved screen at your own risk! I can only imagine the resulting vertigo. You can even pop the fancy stand off and make use of the 100×100 VESA plate on the back for more adjustment options.

Best 32” 1080p Monitor: AOC C32G2 ($240)

The AOC C32G2 is a reasonably priced 1920×1080 monitor that packs features you’d expect from a much higher price tag. In particular, its especially vibrant 32” VA panel displays 123% of the sRGB gamut and runs at up to 165hz for an ultra-smooth gaming experience. Like the other monitors here, it sports a 1500R curvature to enhance immersion in media without being suffocatingly narrow. And it comes with AOC’s excellent trio of warranties: 3-year zero bright dot/dead pixel, 3-year advanced replacement, and 1-year (one-time) accidental damage replacement. That’s excellent news for the accident prone! (Just be sure to only break it once…)

The stand doesn’t impede desk space too much, and can be removed for VESA mounting on the 100×100 plate. Otherwise, you can make use of the tilt, swivel, and height adjustments built into the stand to set it to the perfect position. At 250 nits of brightness, this display may be a better fit for darker rooms or offices, rather than a big sunny living room. And, once again, it’s backed by a comforting 3-year limited warranty and 3-year zero-dead pixel guarantee, too.

Best Value 1440p Monitor: Monoprice 27in Zero-G ($250)

Smack dab in the middle of this article is my personal favorite option on the list: the Monoprice 27in Zero-G. It’s an amazing middle-ground monitor that combines a host of specs that extend well beyond its $249.99 MSRP. Sporting a curved 27-inch 2560×1440 Samsung VA panel with a high refresh rate of 144hz, this monitor punches leagues ahead of its own weight class. Its superb contrast ratio at 400 nits produces a vibrant, rich image in both everyday tasks and during gameplay. The built-in support for FreeSync is an added plus that helps to stabilize framerate when your rig suffers from a temporary hiccup. In addition, you can rest easy knowing that it won’t be ruined by a small imperfection after a few months, since its warranty includes a 1-year zero dead pixel guarantee.

The ergonomics in the stand are decent enough, incorporating full tilt control but lacking any height adjustment. This can be remedied by using the 75×75 VESA mount on the back; its 9.6 pound weight is well below the max weight of most monitor arms. The 1500R curvature is easy on the eyes and provides a more enveloping gaming experience without frying your retinas during everyday tasks and web browsing. If this monitor is out-of-stock when you go to make your purchase, I’d recommend looking into this similar alternative.

Best 32” 1440p Monitor: Gigabyte G32QC ($360)

A big screen for a comparably small price, the Gigabyte G32QC is a great pick for when you want to turn your desk into a high-res home theater for just $360. Featuring a curved 2560×1440 screen stretched to 32”, this large colorful display is powered by a 165hz VA panel with a beautiful color range equivalent to ~124% sRGB. The moderate 1500R curvature works to surround your desk space for the most immersive MineSweeper experience you’ll ever have.

It comes with a whole host of ports on the back, including two USB 3.0 (great for a wireless charging pad to keep your phone and flux capacitors juiced up). The stand’s ridiculously wide feet look like they could keep this monitor standing even in the middle of a tornado, but they take up useful desk space in the process. Despite this, it has decent ergonomic support by possessing both tilt and height adjustments. Removing the clown-shoed stand allows for VESA mounting on it’s 100×100 plate. Without the stand, it weighs just 12 pounds, which is relatively light for a curved 32-inch screen; this makes it an excellent candidate for those who already have VESA mounts installed.

AMD FreeSync support works to smooth out framerates when the action gets too intense, while HDR400 looks spectacular across all kinds of media. Do note that older versions are only HDR10, while newer models are HDR400; make sure you’re getting the HDR400 model when checking out! Colors are one of this monitor’s strengths, making HDR400 even more of a must.

Best Ultrawide 1440p Monitor: Viotek GNV34DB ($350)

Ultrawide monitors are multimedia powerhouses, and the Viotek GNV34DB is no exception. This super-sized 34” 3440×1440 screen will easily span across the entirety of most desks, providing a multi-monitor amount of screen real estate for just $350. The 1500R curvature gives the screen an enveloping feel while the 100hz refresh rate ups the immersion even more. The VA panel delivers a rich color experience, but brightness leaves something to be desired at 300 nits. Placed in an appropriately lit room, however, the colors will still easily shine through.

The stand looks identical to the Monoprice Zero-G’s stand, which has a wide base but with very thin feet that don’t demand a blood sacrifice from your precious desk space. Removing it allows for VESA mounting using the 75×75 pattern on the back. Like the Monoprice option above, the stand is capable of only tilt with no height or rotational adjustment, so it may not be the best purchase for those of Giraffe-like proportions. FreeSync and GSync support help smooth out those rough moments while gaming. The extra headphone clip on the back of the stand could be functional, but it seems like an inconvenience to use unless you’re ultra-tight on desk space.

But wait! What about its sibling, the GNV34DBE? Its normal price on Amazon is $430! So why mention it here? The answer is simple: this model, which features a 144hz panel instead of 100hz, is on sale frequently for $399. If you can pick this display up for $30 off MSRP, it’s a fantastic value (you’re paying 14% more for a 44% faster refresh rate!). But if it’s at the MSRP of $429, you might be better off with the $349 GNV34DB listed here, depending on your needs for the screen.

Wrap-Up

And there you have it! Five great monitors for five great prices; what’s not to like? If you think you have your heart set on one or more, make sure to weigh in the demand of these displays. Especially with the uncertainty going on in the computer parts world as of late, stock of these monitors may come and go as shortages in internal parts do the same.

Know of another great, well-priced curved monitor that isn’t featured here? Let us (and everyone else) know in the comment section!