MSI Optix MAG272CQR
An excellent choice for gamers looking for high refresh rates and USB-C
SCORE
PRICE £333 (£399 inc VAT) from scan.co.uk
While gaming monitors aren’t the focus of this Labs, when MSI offered us this curved 27in 1440p monitor for review we couldn’t refuse. That curve is gentle in practice, with 1500R not obvious in this size of screen, but what really matters is refresh rates and response times. With a VA panel in place, the MSI impresses: a maximum of 165Hz and 1ms, together with a measured contrast ratio of 2,502:1, means you won’t miss a detail through smearing or darkness.
Press down on the rear joystick and you also get “Screen Assistance”, with a crosshair appearing in the centre of the screen, while pressing up gives a choice of gaming modes: FPS, Racing, RTS, RPG and one user-defined mode.
Press down to enter the full OSD menu, at which point you’ll be faced with an array of options – including the ability to activate HDR mode, but a peak brightness of 307cd/m2 means the screen doesn’t shine here.
You can also use the OSD to fine-tune the User colour gamut, but there’s little need to do so: this MSI panel covers 99.6% of the sRGB gamut (134.9% volume) and 88.5% of DCI-P3 in its Standard setting. The MAG272CQR offers colour accuracy too, with an average Delta E of 0.58. It performed excellently in our brightness uniformity test, but that doesn’t tell the whole story: we prefer IPS panels for office duties as whites appear more uniform across the panel.
Information workers may also appreciate the extra sharpness of a 4K screen over 1440p, but that’s reflected in the price. Of the 27in monitors on test with a USB-C connection, only the basic BenQ PD2705Q is cheaper. Note that MSI clearly expects you to power your laptop separately, with a 15W power output enough to keep a laptop topped up but little more. Still, a USB-B port and two USB-A ports mean you can use it as a docking station. Just don’t expect speakers.
While this screen only offers a basic stand – its sole but useful talent is 130mm of height adjustment – its higher resolution and USB-C support are both good reasons to spend £50 on it rather than the non-docking Asus TUF Gaming VG279QM.