The entry tier has improved quietly. A few years ago it meant 60Hz and a TN panel; the floor now sits at a 21.5 to 24-inch Full HD screen running 75Hz or 100Hz, built on VA or IPS, and adaptive sync is usually included rather than charged for separately.

The compromises land in places a specification table does not show. Stands here tilt and do nothing else, so screen height depends on what you stack underneath. Brightness sits somewhere around 250 to 300 nits, which is comfortable indoors and struggles directly opposite a window. HDR appears on some boxes at this level and means very little at these backlight figures.

Panel technology is the one decision with a lasting consequence. VA holds far more contrast, so dark games keep their depth, but its dark-to-light transitions are slow enough to leave a faint trail behind movement. IPS is the cleaner mover and keeps its colour when you look from an angle, at the cost of blacks that read as dark grey. Which one wins depends on whether you play in a dim room or share the screen sideways.

Two things are worth confirming before you order. Check that the monitor carries a 75mm or 100mm VESA pattern if you might mount it later, and check that its inputs match what your graphics card offers. VGA still turns up on some budget models, and it is the one connection to disregard.