MSI Optix MPG27CQ WHQD 144hz Curved Monitor Review

Overall Performance

Gaming on this monitor really is something to behold. I may be a 4K gamer on my main PC, but 1440p is hardly a crushing compromise. There’s loads of detail here and the pixel density is superb for a 27-inch panel anyway. That being said, it’s the colours, contrast and that stunning 144Hz refresh rate that really steal the show.

Plenty of AAA games support high refresh rates these days. Rise of the Tomb Raider had no issues at all. With plenty of movement on the screen such as blowing trees, snow flurries, fire and of course, plenty of action. Everything flows silky smooth with no ghosting or lag issues to be seen at all.

Superb Black Levels

The black levels are excellent, while still providing super bright whites and deep vivid colours. With the monitor set to 50% brightness, the backlight uniformity is excellent, with no torching visible at all, even in a well-lit room.

While the 100%  sRGB and 85% AdobeRGB coverage provides great colours too. Gaming looks fantastic, but it’ll hold its own in productivity tasks, Photoshop and more. A pro monitor it is not for image editing, but it’s pretty darn good for a gaming monitor of this price. Movies look slick too, albeit they won’t take advantage of the full refresh rate, but the frame timing is super quick and horizontal tracking is as free from blur as possible in movies too.

Of course, you’ll need a fast GPU for hitting high frame rates at 1440p, but that’s no surprise. However, the end results are clearly worth it.

I love the curved panel too, it’s not too extreme and works well despite the 27-inch screen size. I find the curve can be a bit intimidating and even distracting on ultra-wide panels. However, it seems a nice fit for this panel and feels more natural.

Finally, the RGB lighting is aesthetically pleasing. However, with compatible games, you could even have this display game effects, health bars and more!