Amazon Basics 24-Inch 165Hz Gaming Monitor Review: Worth Buying?

Amazon has spent the last few years quietly turning its house brand into a real player in budget PC gear, and the Amazon Basics 24 Inch Gaming Monitor is one of the clearer proof points. It's a 23.8-inch IPS panel running at 165Hz with a 1ms response rating and adaptive sync, specs that used to demand a $200+ monitor a few years back. It's aimed at gamers on a tight budget, students setting up a first desk, and anyone adding a second screen without spending real money to find out if they'll use it. The obvious question is whether Amazon cut corners to hit this price, and where.

Quick Verdict

• Overall Rating: 7.6 out of 10
• Best For: Budget-conscious gamers, students, and secondary-monitor setups where 165Hz motion clarity matters more than HDR or premium ergonomics
• Not Ideal For: Competitive esports players chasing the lowest possible input lag, colour-critical creative work, or anyone who needs a height-adjustable stand
• Price Value Rating: Strong — the refresh rate and IPS panel combination is hard to match below $100

This monitor knows exactly what it's trying to be, and for the most part it delivers. Check the current price on Amazon before deciding, since this listing moves around fairly often between its list price and sale pricing.

Product Overview

Key Features

165Hz IPS Panel

The headline spec is the pairing of a 165Hz refresh rate with an IPS panel. TN panels have historically owned the budget-refresh-rate space because they're cheap to push past 144Hz, but the tradeoff was always washed-out colour and narrow viewing angles. Amazon Basics skips that compromise — colours hold up reasonably well off-angle, which matters more than people expect once a monitor is sitting a few feet away instead of dead-center.

1ms Response Time and Adaptive Sync

The 1ms figure is a manufacturer-rated MPRT number rather than an independently verified gray-to-gray measurement, so treat it as a marketing ceiling rather than a guarantee — true of nearly every monitor at this price, not just this one. What matters more day to day is Adaptive Sync, which works with AMD FreeSync out of the box and, in practice, with most Nvidia GPUs that support "G-Sync Compatible" mode once enabled manually in the Nvidia control panel. Either way, screen tearing during fast panning is noticeably reduced.

Connectivity and VESA Mounting

The listing specifies HDMI and DisplayPort inputs plus a headphone/aux output, covering a console, a gaming PC, and a laptop without an adapter — worth double-checking the exact port count on the current listing, since Amazon Basics has shipped more than one monitor variant under a similar name. The 75x75mm VESA mounting pattern on the back is the more universally useful feature: it makes the stock stand entirely optional if you're willing to spend another $15–20 on a monitor arm.

Performance & Real-World Experience

Setup is about as simple as monitors get — screw in the stand, plug in a cable, and Windows or your console recognizes it at 165Hz once you confirm the refresh rate in display settings (it doesn't always default to the max rate automatically). Build quality is where the budget pricing shows: the housing is plastic throughout, bezels are thin on three sides, and the unit feels light rather than substantial. That's not necessarily a flaw — it's easy to move around a desk — but it isn't built to be handled roughly.

Independent testing has put brightness around 250 nits with roughly 98% sRGB coverage — plenty indoors, outmatched by strong window glare. Motion performance at 165Hz is the standout, staying legible in ways a 60Hz panel can't, and adaptive sync means you're not fighting tearing to get there. Input lag has measured low enough in third-party testing that it shouldn't be the bottleneck in your reaction time. Reliability feedback is mostly positive, though a small number of owners report a unit failing within the first month — check current customer reviews on Amazon before buying, and test the monitor within the return window.

Pros

• Genuinely smooth 165Hz refresh rate: A real jump in motion clarity over the 60–75Hz panels usually found at this price point.
• IPS panel instead of TN: Colours and viewing angles hold up far better than older budget monitors that cut corners on panel type to hit a high refresh rate.
• Adaptive Sync support: Works with AMD FreeSync natively and with most Nvidia GPUs in G-Sync Compatible mode, cutting down on screen tearing.
• VESA 75x75mm mounting: Lets you bypass the stand's limitations entirely with an inexpensive monitor arm if ergonomics matter to you.
• Thin bezels: Makes it a clean choice for a dual or triple monitor setup where bezel width affects the whole layout.
• Amazon's own backing: Straightforward returns and a standard limited warranty offer more peace of mind than many similarly priced off-brand panels.

Cons

• Tilt-only stand: No height adjustment, swivel, or pivot, which can be uncomfortable if your desk height doesn't happen to match the fixed viewing angle.
• Basic built-in speakers: Functional for notifications or in a pinch, but thin-sounding enough that most buyers will want headphones or external speakers for actual gaming.
• Moderate brightness: Around 250 nits is fine indoors but gets outmatched by strong glare or a very bright room.
• Not officially G-Sync certified: Nvidia users get compatibility mode rather than a certified, tested G-Sync experience.
• Plastic build throughout: Keeps the weight down but doesn't feel as solid as monitors built with metal stand components.
• Scattered early-failure reports: A minority of buyers have reported units failing within the first month, so testing it early and keeping the box for a possible return is a sensible precaution.

How It Compares

Against Sceptre's 24-inch 165Hz monitors, which sit at almost identical pricing, the two trade blows — Sceptre is sometimes cheaper still, but the Amazon Basics panel generally draws fewer complaints about stand wobble and speaker buzz. If budget is the only factor, cross-shop both before deciding.

Against the ASUS TUF Gaming VG249 series, the comparison isn't close on ergonomics — ASUS includes a height-adjustable stand and tighter factory colour calibration — but that comes with a real price jump, harder to justify if you already own a monitor arm or don't care about adjustability.

Against Acer Nitro's 165Hz FHD lineup, pricing usually lands in between the two above, with more aggressive gamer-oriented styling. It's a reasonable middle ground if the plain black Amazon Basics design feels too understated, though the core viewing experience is broadly similar across all three.

Who Should Buy It?

This is an easy recommendation for anyone building a budget gaming setup, upgrading from a 60Hz monitor for the first time, or adding a second or third screen where spending premium money doesn't make sense. Students and casual gamers who want the refresh-rate jump without paying for extras they won't use are exactly who Amazon built this for.

Who Should Skip It?

Skip it if you're a serious competitive player chasing every last millisecond, do colour-sensitive creative work, or know you need a height-adjustable stand — in all three cases, something like the ASUS TUF Gaming series will pay off. It's also worth skipping if built-in audio quality matters, since you'll want external speakers or headphones regardless.

Value for Money

At its typical street price, this monitor is difficult to argue with on spec-per-dollar terms — a 165Hz IPS panel with adaptive sync used to be a much more expensive combination. The value proposition weakens slightly once you factor in a monitor arm to fix the stand, but even then total cost tends to stay below alternatives with a built-in adjustable stand. See today's price on Amazon to judge the value against whatever it's currently listed at, since discounts here aren't rare.

Customer Feedback Summary

Buyer feedback skews positive overall, with recurring praise for picture quality, the smoothness of the 165Hz refresh rate, and how easy the monitor is to set up. Value for money comes up often, especially from buyers comparing it against pricier gaming monitors with similar core specs. The most common complaints are the weak built-in speakers and the tilt-only stand — minor tradeoffs most shoppers accept at this price. A smaller number of reviews mention a unit failing within the first month or so, not the dominant theme but a real enough pattern to test your unit early rather than shelving it.

Final Verdict

The Amazon Basics 24-inch Gaming Monitor does what it sets out to do: it delivers a 165Hz IPS panel with adaptive sync at a price that undercuts most name-brand competition, without an obvious catch beyond a basic stand and unremarkable speakers. It's not built for competitive players chasing marginal gains or anyone needing serious ergonomic flexibility, but for a budget gaming setup, a dorm room, or a second monitor, it's a genuinely sensible buy. Check the current price before committing, since this listing swings between its list price and frequent discounts, and test the unit as soon as it arrives given the occasional early-failure reports. Check the latest price and availability on Amazon to see where it's sitting today.