MSI Optix MAG272CQR Gaming Monitor Review

How Much Does it Cost?

It looks like the stock is still rolling out for the new model. However, expect prices around £349 to £379, similar to the old model which this one replaces. Please check Amazon UK or Amazon US for up to date pricing information.

Overview

MSI has a solid range of gaming monitors already, in fact, they make a few of my favourite monitors overall. While this one is pretty firmly focused on the enthusiast gamer market, it still manages to tick all the right boxes for a great monitor overall. The build quality certainly stands out too, as everything feels robust, and looks very well put together. The stand is clean, durable and has a good weight to it too, with no wobble to the panel.

One of the little details I like is the joystick controller on the rear of the monitor. It’s very easy to use, and the UI is very responsive and easy to navigate. So many brands over-complicate this, but MSI kept there’s very clear and easy to understand.

Daily Use

There’s nothing too crazy about this monitor, it’s not ultrawide, and while it is curved, it’s quite subtle. This means I found it very comfortable for my day-to-day work and viewing. Watching a movie on it is very comfortable, and the panel has a great size to it for media consumption. Of course, with HDR, you can enjoy the latest HDR content on things like Netflix, YouTube, etc easily enough. The HDR performance is pretty good, but not really the biggest focus of the panel given that it is edge-lit.

Plus, with the 1440p resolution, you get a big boost to productivity. It’s a big enough panel and resolution to comfortably have two browser windows side by side; something I need to do pretty much all day long.

Gaming

Of course, this monitor is really built for gamers. Straight away, the biggest benefit has to be the 165 Hz refresh rate and 1ms response time. That means super slick and smooth gaming, at least in games that support it. For FPS gaming, it’s a huge advantage though, especially if you’re coming from 60 Hz, the upgrade is extremely noticeable. I’m a resolution junky myself and love 4K gaming, but at 2K (1440p), you get that sweet spot of improved resolution and you can get great performance at that resolution from mid-range graphics cards.

Should I Buy One?

There are a lot of very impressive gaming monitors out the right now. MSI set out to create a gaming monitor that offers up just about every feature a gamer could want, while also aiming for a price that most PC gamers can realistically afford. Yes, it is expensive, but for this level of features, performance and build quality, it’s going to be hard to beat. It’s great for work, it’s great for movies, but it’s truly at its best when it comes to gaming.