Buying a Monitor (also, Homeworld Remastered - Lvl 4+)

i bought a new hp 24w last summer for 100€ and i'm really happy with that one.
my old screen was 'promoted' to second screen now. it's an age old benq g2220hd i bought used in my town two years ago for 25 bucks.

obviously the hp is way newer and better but at the same time you can burn through 4 used cheap ones for the same price and they will keep you supplied for about a decade.

If you can, shoot for a 144+hz one you will not regret it

I have not had issues with used monitors. If someone is selling it to you have them turn it on, let you see it, change the resolution on it, etc. and see if it is doing anything weird. My aunt many many many years ago bought a used computer with a used monitor and thought it looked fine. Then when she increased the resolution on it (to a glorious 1024x768) it started squealing badly. It was only silent in 800x600 which is what they had it running in when she bought it. (the Monitor's native res was 1024x768).
I'd likely have it display a nice plain white background and look for anything that stands out.

If you can stretch a bit LG 24MP59G-P is $150. Don't buy used unless you know how to check a monitor or get it checked by someone imo

Just get the cheapest one that doesn't suck, it's not worth investing in monitor unless it's 144 hz, and you have no possibility to get one within your price range.

I'd recommend something like BenQ GW2270H. It costs like 94 USD here (after conversion), very likely around 2/3 of that for you, has AMVA+ display (much better than TN), is 1080p and 21.5''. It's one of the best budget monitors you can get, although depending on your local market you might find better deals than the ones I have.

It's better to save the remaining money on something else rather than paying 2x as much for something like IPS display, freesync or 75 Hz. Those are really irrelevant things for a budget monitor. I still consider 144 Hz the best possible PC upgrade that you can get, but you need far bigger budget and hardware capable to render at that framerate. Since we do not consider 144 Hz panels to begin with, it's not worth it to pay extra, the cheapest 1080p will do, add a small extra for non-TN display and it's all you could want from one.

bump, try maybe some Eizo, monitor/display quality is important, i'm not fan of (dominating) lcd tech generally :P fps single player games for example can be so much better when playing on plasma/oled.

Thank you all for the information so far. It helps that I'm not in a rush to buy something so it gives me a chance to look for sales or for a used item that's just the right fit.

If you can add another 50 bucks, you could shoot for this for that 144hz goodness. I'm using it as my second monitor, was my primary previously and it works like a charm.

https://www.amazon.com/Acer-Monitor-Refresh-FREESYNC-Technology/dp/B07598HLB5?th=1

I wouldn't go for the used option on monitors, alot of things that can go wrong, capacitors that blow up, dead pixels which already can happen with new monitors, used ones just risk you getting them faster.

This is a very good screen. Have been using one myself for some years and some of my friends bought it, too. No complains yet - https://www.amazon.de/BenQ-GW2470ML-Monitor-Reaktionszeit-Lautsprecher/dp/B0752J4M8N/ref=dp_ob_title_ce

1280x1024 in 2019 ? Wow lol, i think any monitor would be a huge upgrade for you. Even my first LCD i got in the early 2000s had a better resolution.

I don't know for you but here i'm pretty sure for 20-30 bucks i can get a used FHD monitor. And for about 80 bucks for a brand new one.

This one seems like a good choice to me. 75hz, IPS and it even has freesync, only the size is a bit on the smaller side.

You should tell us what's the specs of your PC tho, and what kind of games are you playing ?

I've bought multiple used monitors on Facebook marketplace for about 20-25 bucks each, all 1080p. If you really want to go cheap then that is your best bet, but I don't recommend it because for $100 you can get a decent new monitor with a warranty.

All the same, if you do end up buying used make sure you meet somewhere you can plug the thing into your phone/laptop or something to check the pixels. It might look nice but if you get all the way home and plug it in to see some dead pixels you are going to be disappointed.

I've bought dozens of used monitors, and rarely had any issues. As others have said, test before you buy, to make sure it looks alright. Monitors are absolutely one of the best computer components to buy used, because they are:
-external,
-usually significantly cheaper than new,
-easy to check for functionality,
-rarely die from normal wear and tear (unlike, ex., HDD)
-There are often many on the market, due to businesses, etc., getting rid of them

I think it would be a mistake to buy a new monitor in almost all cases. The money is better spent upgrading memory, graphics card, etc. Used monitors work just as well, as long as you don't live somewhere like a small town, where you might not be able to find many.