A standout offer is the $129.99 ASUS TUF Gaming 27-inch VG279QE5A, which brings esports-level speed and pleasant surprises down to truly budget prices.
The discount, part of a limited-time offer at a major retailer with an automatic reduction at checkout, is one of the best prices that we’ve seen for this model based on recent price history.
What Makes This ASUS TUF Gaming Deal Stand Out
Below this range you start to get into the albatross territory of sub-$130 monitors: 24-inch panels that max out at 60–75Hz, with poor color reproduction and simple stands. This TUF version subverts that playbook with such goodies as a 27-inch IPS display, a 146Hz refresh rate, and a 1ms response claim, along with features you’d normally pay a class tier or two higher to get. It’s the kind of deal that makes sense for first-time PC builders, students, and those upgrading from a dated 60Hz screen without planning to build out an entirely new system.
Crucially, the value isn’t just in raw specs. Stereo speakers and an included remote are unusual at this price, which lowers the accessory tax for a desk setup and helps it be taken more seriously as a dorm room or secondary gaming-station one-box solution.
Key Specs for Gamers on the ASUS TUF VG279QE5A
The VG279QE5A’s 146Hz refresh rate is the star of the show, providing an enormous leap in motion smoothness compared to 60Hz and even 75Hz panels. Combined with a promoted 1ms response time and ASUS Extreme Low Motion Blur Sync, it aims for the kind of snappy feel that competitive shooters and MOBAs crave. ELMB Sync promises to minimize perceived blur without disabling variable refresh behavior, while Variable Overdrive can improve the transitions of pixels when frame rates vary.
Input lag stats and response numbers can be quoted differently by brands, but in real-world terms this puts the TUF soundly into “fast enough for esports” territory. Shadow Boost allows for fast detection of enemies hidden inside dense, dark areas such as jungles; Flicker-Free technology helps reduce on-screen flicker, which is helpful in reducing eye strain after long gaming sessions. You also receive built-in speakers for quick audio and a remote you can use to tweak the OSD on the fly—two unexpected conveniences at this price.
Color and image quality on this budget gaming monitor
Color performance is another curveball: ASUS says the panel reaches a wide-ranging 125 percent of the sRGB color gamut; that’s significantly wider than what you’ll find on most cheap gaming displays. That wider coverage delivers the kind of punchy, saturated visuals that many players like. IPS technology also provides uniform viewing angles that all but trump those of TN panels, which are prevalent in budget monitors.
There are trade-offs to understand. Wide-gamut panels are liable to oversaturate standard sRGB content if you do not engage a built-in sRGB mode or calibration and, for creators requiring accurate SDR color, you may wish to clamp the gamut through the OSD or software. You’re not going to get premium HDR at this price point, but for SDR gaming and general use, its blend of speed with so much color depth is quite compelling.
Why 1080p still makes sense for gamers right now
1440p and 4K are veritably on the rise, but 1080p still reigns supreme, based on Valve’s Steam Hardware Survey. That’s important because 146Hz is much easier to drive at 1080p on mainstream GPUs. A well-tuned midrange rig can drive high frame rates in competitive games, fully utilizing the panel’s speed. It’s also great for console players—many modern systems will push games in 1080p right up to 120Hz, so it’ll be a flexible screen when paired with multiplatform setups.
At 27 inches, 1080p on a physical screen area yields a lower pixel density than that of 24-inch models, and text can look less crisp up close as a result.
If fast and fluid gameplay is more important to you than razor-sharp desktop text, the trade-off should be an easy one to make—particularly when you factor in the refresh rate and price.
Who should (and shouldn’t) get this ASUS TUF monitor
This deal is a slam dunk for the frugal gamer, students looking to deck out a small room, and anyone seeking butterier motion without upgrading their GPU. It’s also a good call as a secondary display for fast action games, freeing up your higher-resolution primary monitor for other creative tasks.
A few practical notes: strobe-based blur reduction modes, like ELMB, can reduce brightness—so you’ll probably be toggling them based on the game and room lighting. Speakers built into the unit are convenient but won’t replace plugging in your decent-quality external audio. And like any limited-time price, stock is unpredictable—as is the timing. When the automatic discount lifts, the risk becomes commensurately higher.
Bottom line: At $129.99, the ASUS TUF Gaming VG279QE5A is an easy choice if you need to prioritize speed, color, and extras that typically cost extra. For gamers who compete for a living or are just very discriminating about play, and want something markedly smoother than 60Hz, this is one of the few times that you can step up without paying a major premium.
