Do I need studio monitors if I'm not producing music?

Not strictly — but reviewers across r/BudgetAudiophile repeatedly recommend entry-level monitors like the PreSonus Eris 3.5 and Edifier MR3 for general desktop listening because their flatter tuning translates to clearer dialog and less fatiguing music playback. The trade-off is bass extension: small monitors won't shake your desk the way a 2.1 system will.