I’ll be honest. Testing out the latest OLED gaming monitor or eye-popping 6K monitor is a lot more fun than the cheap stuff. But I’m not delusional. I know that when it comes to computer monitors, most people just want something affordable that gets the job done. Not miserable to look at or use. But also not expensive.
The truth is, I don’t come across as many affordable monitors as I’d like. They’re not the hottest and most exciting thing that monitor manufacturers want to talk about. So I had to do a bit of hunting to find cheap monitors that are actually good.
The Best Monitors Under $200
When you’re shopping in the “budget” tier for monitors, you’re looking at anything under $200. And in today’s landscape, monitors under $100 will still always be 1920 x 1080 resolution. These are usually 23.8-inch or 27-inch size options, while even the cheapest 32-inch monitors will cost you over $100. (For more information, check out our How to Choose a Monitor guide.)
I will get to this lower price point in a second, but I think most people should aim to start slightly higher. Here’s where you find lots of different options that give you flexibility to trade higher resolution for a USB-C hub or higher refresh rate or better adjustability. Here are a few options in $100-$200 range that I was really impressed by.
I have to start with the Dell 27 Plus (S2725HSM). I had a feeling I would like this monitor, as I’m a big fan of the 4K model, which remains at the top of my list for best overall monitor. This cheaper version has everything I liked about that model, including the highly adjustable stand, the sleek white design, and the really solid image quality.
For $175 (or sometimes on sale as low as $140), it has really solid color performance and hits 300 nits of brightness. The most important feature the Dell 27 Plus has is its stand. You can adjust the height and swivel, with a built-in VESA mount, which would make it a very practical addition to your current workstation. The biggest thing it’s missing is ports. It only has two HDMI ports, so you’ll need to plug accessories directly into your laptops or into a USB hub. Still, when it comes to full-featured 1080p monitors, the Dell 27 Plus ranks among the best for the price.
The one monitor that compares to the Dell 27 Plus, only with a built-in USB hub, is the Samsung Essential Monitor S4. I haven’t seen it in person yet, but it’s also 1080p and has height adjustability at the same price. It has a lower claimed brightness as the Dell 27 Plus, though, at only 250 nits.
But like I said, if you’re shopping between $150 and $200, you’re not necessarily stuck with 1080p. I tested out the MSI Pro 27 (MP273QW E14), which has a 2560 x 1440 resolution and sells for $190. Not only does this MSI monitor offer more pixels per inch, it also has really fantastic image quality, almost so good it could be used for content creators and photographers. For a monitor of this price, that’s pretty incredible. It’s also brighter than any other monitor I’ve tested in this range, reaching all the way up to 427 nits.
The main drawback is the adjustability and ports. No built-in USB ports for connecting peripherals and no ability to adjust the height or swivel. The built-in stand is in a static position, so if the height isn’t perfectly suited for your desk, chair, and body, you’ll need a monitor stand. And while it technically supports VESA to connect it to a monitor arm, it doesn’t come with an included mount.
The Best Cheap Gaming Monitor
Another monitor I came across in my journey through cheap displays was the Lenovo Legion R27fc-30. This would my pick for the best budget gaming monitor and really surprised me with its image quality. I’m used to having to complain about the janky screens on cheap gaming laptops, but this far exceeded my expectations. Brightness is over 300 nits, and color performance is just as good as the MSI Pro 27.
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#Cheap #Monitors #Wont #Eyes #Ache #Workday #Worse
![‘Lee Cronin’s The Mummy’ Originally Had a Much Bleaker Ending
Lee Cronin’s The Mummy wasn’t our favorite mummy movie, but it did have some recommendable qualities, including its high levels of gruesome gore. We also approved of the ending, which offered a satisfying twist to the agony that came before. And while The Mummy‘s test screenings were targeted by some since-debunked negative rumors (look, James Wan just wanted more snacks, that’s all!), apparently those same early showings helped writer-director Cronin figure out that all-important final note for his film. Star Jack Reynor talked about the original ending and the changes that were made, and we’ll add one of these in case you haven’t yet seen Lee Cronin’s The Mummy. At the end of Lee Cronin’s The Mummy, the characters have all realized that young Katie is possessed by a ferocious demon. She was kidnapped years earlier by her friend’s mother, a character the film calls “the Magician,” for the sole purpose of becoming the next containment vessel for this demon over a period of years.
The sarcophagus and wrappings covered in ancient writing she’s entombed in are meant to trap the demon as part of an obligation upheld by the Magician’s family for generations upon generations. The demon starts to escape when the sarcophagus is moved out of necessity from the Magician’s farm. Instead of relocating safely, the sarcophagus breaks open in a plane crash, and Katie—still alive, albeit mummified and barely clinging to her human soul—is sent from Egypt to New Mexico to reunite with her surprised and thankful mother, father, and two siblings.
The bulk of Lee Cronin’s The Mummy follows the creature formerly known as Katie causing horrifying, escalating chaos, while an Egyptian detective pokes into the case overseas, and Katie’s father, Charlie, played by Reynor, does his own research in a desperate attempt to figure out what’s wrong with his daughter.
At the end of the movie, the detective comes to New Mexico and helps Charlie manipulate the demon into leaping out of Katie and into Charlie. He saves his daughter, but dooms himself. That’s where the movie ended originally, apparently. The version that made it into theaters has an additional scene where the Magician, who’s been jailed for kidnapping Katie, gets a visit from a mummified Charlie. Again with the detective’s help, the demon makes another leap between bodies—this time, freeing Charlie and taking over the Magician’s soul instead.
That was a reshoot, Reynor told the Hollywood Reporter. “We came back and picked it up, which was cool because it was the one day where I actually got to be the Mummy. It’s fun to get into the makeup and get to be part of that legacy,” Reynor said, name-checking the Boris Karloff and Christopher Lee versions of the character. Even beyond becoming part of horror history, though, he understood the reason for the change.
“You make these decisions because you want to give the audience what they want, and I understand that. Is it a better movie, objectively speaking? I don’t know. I did like Lee’s original ending,” Reynor admitted. “But I also understand that if I went to see that movie with my teenage kids and they were bummed out because it was so fucking bleak at the end, maybe I’d be [more in favor of the new ending]. So I get it both ways. I see the merits of both for different reasons.” The new ending is cathartic; after all, the Magician was the one who singled Katie out for years of unimaginable torture, not to mention inflicting torment on her family. She deserves some payback other than prison time. But it also left another lingering question: what happens next?
The Magician was the person in charge of handing down the knowledge of how to contain the demon to the next generation. Now that she’s become its current vessel, who will be keeping an eye out? Presumably, that burden now transfers to her only surviving child—a girl around Katie’s age—who’ll have to select a new innocent victim someday and perform the same ritual once her mother’s body starts to break down. We probably won’t get another Lee Cronin’s The Mummy to explore that further, but thinking about it too much does make the new ending a little less suffused with the gleeful spirit of revenge. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who. #Lee #Cronins #Mummy #Originally #BleakerJack Reynor,Lee Cronin’s The Mummy](https://gizmodo.com/app/uploads/2025/09/io9-2025-spoiler.png "‘Lee Cronin’s The Mummy’ Originally Had a Much Bleaker Ending
Lee Cronin’s The Mummy wasn’t our favorite mummy movie, but it did have some recommendable qualities, including its high levels of gruesome gore. We also approved of the ending, which offered a satisfying twist to the agony that came before. And while The Mummy‘s test screenings were targeted by some since-debunked negative rumors (look, James Wan just wanted more snacks, that’s all!), apparently those same early showings helped writer-director Cronin figure out that all-important final note for his film. Star Jack Reynor talked about the original ending and the changes that were made, and we’ll add one of these in case you haven’t yet seen Lee Cronin’s The Mummy. At the end of Lee Cronin’s The Mummy, the characters have all realized that young Katie is possessed by a ferocious demon. She was kidnapped years earlier by her friend’s mother, a character the film calls “the Magician,” for the sole purpose of becoming the next containment vessel for this demon over a period of years.
The sarcophagus and wrappings covered in ancient writing she’s entombed in are meant to trap the demon as part of an obligation upheld by the Magician’s family for generations upon generations. The demon starts to escape when the sarcophagus is moved out of necessity from the Magician’s farm. Instead of relocating safely, the sarcophagus breaks open in a plane crash, and Katie—still alive, albeit mummified and barely clinging to her human soul—is sent from Egypt to New Mexico to reunite with her surprised and thankful mother, father, and two siblings.
The bulk of Lee Cronin’s The Mummy follows the creature formerly known as Katie causing horrifying, escalating chaos, while an Egyptian detective pokes into the case overseas, and Katie’s father, Charlie, played by Reynor, does his own research in a desperate attempt to figure out what’s wrong with his daughter.
At the end of the movie, the detective comes to New Mexico and helps Charlie manipulate the demon into leaping out of Katie and into Charlie. He saves his daughter, but dooms himself. That’s where the movie ended originally, apparently. The version that made it into theaters has an additional scene where the Magician, who’s been jailed for kidnapping Katie, gets a visit from a mummified Charlie. Again with the detective’s help, the demon makes another leap between bodies—this time, freeing Charlie and taking over the Magician’s soul instead.
That was a reshoot, Reynor told the Hollywood Reporter. “We came back and picked it up, which was cool because it was the one day where I actually got to be the Mummy. It’s fun to get into the makeup and get to be part of that legacy,” Reynor said, name-checking the Boris Karloff and Christopher Lee versions of the character. Even beyond becoming part of horror history, though, he understood the reason for the change.
“You make these decisions because you want to give the audience what they want, and I understand that. Is it a better movie, objectively speaking? I don’t know. I did like Lee’s original ending,” Reynor admitted. “But I also understand that if I went to see that movie with my teenage kids and they were bummed out because it was so fucking bleak at the end, maybe I’d be [more in favor of the new ending]. So I get it both ways. I see the merits of both for different reasons.” The new ending is cathartic; after all, the Magician was the one who singled Katie out for years of unimaginable torture, not to mention inflicting torment on her family. She deserves some payback other than prison time. But it also left another lingering question: what happens next?
The Magician was the person in charge of handing down the knowledge of how to contain the demon to the next generation. Now that she’s become its current vessel, who will be keeping an eye out? Presumably, that burden now transfers to her only surviving child—a girl around Katie’s age—who’ll have to select a new innocent victim someday and perform the same ritual once her mother’s body starts to break down. We probably won’t get another Lee Cronin’s The Mummy to explore that further, but thinking about it too much does make the new ending a little less suffused with the gleeful spirit of revenge. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who. #Lee #Cronins #Mummy #Originally #BleakerJack Reynor,Lee Cronin’s The Mummy")
![‘Lee Cronin’s The Mummy’ Originally Had a Much Bleaker Ending
Lee Cronin’s The Mummy wasn’t our favorite mummy movie, but it did have some recommendable qualities, including its high levels of gruesome gore. We also approved of the ending, which offered a satisfying twist to the agony that came before. And while The Mummy‘s test screenings were targeted by some since-debunked negative rumors (look, James Wan just wanted more snacks, that’s all!), apparently those same early showings helped writer-director Cronin figure out that all-important final note for his film. Star Jack Reynor talked about the original ending and the changes that were made, and we’ll add one of these in case you haven’t yet seen Lee Cronin’s The Mummy. At the end of Lee Cronin’s The Mummy, the characters have all realized that young Katie is possessed by a ferocious demon. She was kidnapped years earlier by her friend’s mother, a character the film calls “the Magician,” for the sole purpose of becoming the next containment vessel for this demon over a period of years.
The sarcophagus and wrappings covered in ancient writing she’s entombed in are meant to trap the demon as part of an obligation upheld by the Magician’s family for generations upon generations. The demon starts to escape when the sarcophagus is moved out of necessity from the Magician’s farm. Instead of relocating safely, the sarcophagus breaks open in a plane crash, and Katie—still alive, albeit mummified and barely clinging to her human soul—is sent from Egypt to New Mexico to reunite with her surprised and thankful mother, father, and two siblings.
The bulk of Lee Cronin’s The Mummy follows the creature formerly known as Katie causing horrifying, escalating chaos, while an Egyptian detective pokes into the case overseas, and Katie’s father, Charlie, played by Reynor, does his own research in a desperate attempt to figure out what’s wrong with his daughter.
At the end of the movie, the detective comes to New Mexico and helps Charlie manipulate the demon into leaping out of Katie and into Charlie. He saves his daughter, but dooms himself. That’s where the movie ended originally, apparently. The version that made it into theaters has an additional scene where the Magician, who’s been jailed for kidnapping Katie, gets a visit from a mummified Charlie. Again with the detective’s help, the demon makes another leap between bodies—this time, freeing Charlie and taking over the Magician’s soul instead.
That was a reshoot, Reynor told the Hollywood Reporter. “We came back and picked it up, which was cool because it was the one day where I actually got to be the Mummy. It’s fun to get into the makeup and get to be part of that legacy,” Reynor said, name-checking the Boris Karloff and Christopher Lee versions of the character. Even beyond becoming part of horror history, though, he understood the reason for the change.
“You make these decisions because you want to give the audience what they want, and I understand that. Is it a better movie, objectively speaking? I don’t know. I did like Lee’s original ending,” Reynor admitted. “But I also understand that if I went to see that movie with my teenage kids and they were bummed out because it was so fucking bleak at the end, maybe I’d be [more in favor of the new ending]. So I get it both ways. I see the merits of both for different reasons.” The new ending is cathartic; after all, the Magician was the one who singled Katie out for years of unimaginable torture, not to mention inflicting torment on her family. She deserves some payback other than prison time. But it also left another lingering question: what happens next?
The Magician was the person in charge of handing down the knowledge of how to contain the demon to the next generation. Now that she’s become its current vessel, who will be keeping an eye out? Presumably, that burden now transfers to her only surviving child—a girl around Katie’s age—who’ll have to select a new innocent victim someday and perform the same ritual once her mother’s body starts to break down. We probably won’t get another Lee Cronin’s The Mummy to explore that further, but thinking about it too much does make the new ending a little less suffused with the gleeful spirit of revenge. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who. #Lee #Cronins #Mummy #Originally #BleakerJack Reynor,Lee Cronin’s The Mummy](https://i3.wp.com/gizmodo.com/app/uploads/2025/09/io9-2025-spoiler.png?ssl=1 "‘Lee Cronin’s The Mummy’ Originally Had a Much Bleaker Ending
Lee Cronin’s The Mummy wasn’t our favorite mummy movie, but it did have some recommendable qualities, including its high levels of gruesome gore. We also approved of the ending, which offered a satisfying twist to the agony that came before. And while The Mummy‘s test screenings were targeted by some since-debunked negative rumors (look, James Wan just wanted more snacks, that’s all!), apparently those same early showings helped writer-director Cronin figure out that all-important final note for his film. Star Jack Reynor talked about the original ending and the changes that were made, and we’ll add one of these in case you haven’t yet seen Lee Cronin’s The Mummy. At the end of Lee Cronin’s The Mummy, the characters have all realized that young Katie is possessed by a ferocious demon. She was kidnapped years earlier by her friend’s mother, a character the film calls “the Magician,” for the sole purpose of becoming the next containment vessel for this demon over a period of years.
The sarcophagus and wrappings covered in ancient writing she’s entombed in are meant to trap the demon as part of an obligation upheld by the Magician’s family for generations upon generations. The demon starts to escape when the sarcophagus is moved out of necessity from the Magician’s farm. Instead of relocating safely, the sarcophagus breaks open in a plane crash, and Katie—still alive, albeit mummified and barely clinging to her human soul—is sent from Egypt to New Mexico to reunite with her surprised and thankful mother, father, and two siblings.
The bulk of Lee Cronin’s The Mummy follows the creature formerly known as Katie causing horrifying, escalating chaos, while an Egyptian detective pokes into the case overseas, and Katie’s father, Charlie, played by Reynor, does his own research in a desperate attempt to figure out what’s wrong with his daughter.
At the end of the movie, the detective comes to New Mexico and helps Charlie manipulate the demon into leaping out of Katie and into Charlie. He saves his daughter, but dooms himself. That’s where the movie ended originally, apparently. The version that made it into theaters has an additional scene where the Magician, who’s been jailed for kidnapping Katie, gets a visit from a mummified Charlie. Again with the detective’s help, the demon makes another leap between bodies—this time, freeing Charlie and taking over the Magician’s soul instead.
That was a reshoot, Reynor told the Hollywood Reporter. “We came back and picked it up, which was cool because it was the one day where I actually got to be the Mummy. It’s fun to get into the makeup and get to be part of that legacy,” Reynor said, name-checking the Boris Karloff and Christopher Lee versions of the character. Even beyond becoming part of horror history, though, he understood the reason for the change.
“You make these decisions because you want to give the audience what they want, and I understand that. Is it a better movie, objectively speaking? I don’t know. I did like Lee’s original ending,” Reynor admitted. “But I also understand that if I went to see that movie with my teenage kids and they were bummed out because it was so fucking bleak at the end, maybe I’d be [more in favor of the new ending]. So I get it both ways. I see the merits of both for different reasons.” The new ending is cathartic; after all, the Magician was the one who singled Katie out for years of unimaginable torture, not to mention inflicting torment on her family. She deserves some payback other than prison time. But it also left another lingering question: what happens next?
The Magician was the person in charge of handing down the knowledge of how to contain the demon to the next generation. Now that she’s become its current vessel, who will be keeping an eye out? Presumably, that burden now transfers to her only surviving child—a girl around Katie’s age—who’ll have to select a new innocent victim someday and perform the same ritual once her mother’s body starts to break down. We probably won’t get another Lee Cronin’s The Mummy to explore that further, but thinking about it too much does make the new ending a little less suffused with the gleeful spirit of revenge. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who. #Lee #Cronins #Mummy #Originally #BleakerJack Reynor,Lee Cronin’s The Mummy")
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