These days it is easy to forget that 1080p gaming is where the majority of gamers spend their time. Given the cost of 1440p and 4K hardware on PC and the push for 4K gaming on console, it often feels like manufacturers have forgotten about the budget gamer in their push to capture the premium gaming market. MSI with the G255F have released a well-priced monitor for the budget gamer that will attract their hard-earned Rands and help them experience the more premium gaming fun.

The G255F is not a large screen monitor at 24.5” making it on the smaller side for modern setups. However, it fits in perfectly with smaller spaces and desktops. Given that it is smaller, it's also ideal for LANs as it is easy to pack up and move around. What I wouldn’t have given for something like this back in the day when I was lugging around my 17” CRT. In terms of design the monitor is functional and not too “gamery”. It does look a little bit budget, given the plastic chassis looking, well, plastic, but it doesn’t look like an off-brand monitor or cheap.



In terms of mounting options, it comes with an easy-to-assemble snap-together base that is quite sturdy. It also has VESA mounting points should you wish to attach it to a desk or wall mount, though given the smaller size I would suggest you first test the wall mounting distance from your seat to ensure that it doesn’t strain your eyes. The monitor does tilt - something not all panels offer. It isn’t a wide range between 5 and 20 degrees but it is welcome.

The G255F is not a large screen monitor at 24.5”, making it on the smaller side for modern setups.

Functionally the monitor offers two HDMI 2.0 ports and a DisplayPort 1.2 port. The latter is the most important one enabling you to take advantage of the monitor's FreeSync compatibility, allowing you to use dynamic refresh rate to prevent screen tearing and other artifacting in games that can affect your performance. The panel boasts a near frameless design with the bezels near the top and sides being close to invisible. The chin, however, is relatively prominent; enough for the MSI branding to be within eyeshot.



And this is where the high refresh rate of the monitor - well, high in this price category - comes into play. Boasting 180Hz refresh rate means that in competitive games and single-player games requiring fast reflexes, you will have an advantage as you will be able to react faster given that the frames will render faster on your monitor. The fancy Rapid IPS technology is nice to have, boasting a 1ms response time, but the high refresh rate is what you really need. Even the least capable of us as gamers can get an advantage with a high refresh rate monitor simply because your movement will look and feel more natural.

The refresh rate is not the only reason to get this monitor,though - colour reproduction is excellent with graphics looking sharper and more vibrant than I would expect on similar monitors in this price range. It boasts 99% colour accuracy in the sRGB range and 82% in the Adobe RGB range so very high colour accuracy.

Boasting 180Hz refresh rate means that in competitive games and single-player games requiring fast reflexes, you will have an advantage as you will be able to react faster given that the frames will render faster on your monitor.

Accessing settings is very easy via a rear joystick, making it easy to adjust settings on the fly. I prefer this to buttons as it simplifies inputs and navigation. There are some quick settings for different game genres such as FPS, RPG and RTS. I don’t generally use these but to quickly get in-game and optimise settings for a particular game, they are very helpful.



One of the gamer “features” is the ability to choose between a number of different on-screen crosshairs, enabling you to basically “cheat” by quickly getting on target without having to aim down sites in first-person shooters. These aren’t a real cheat, but their use in competitive games is frowned upon. For single-player games, do whatever makes you happy - who cares how you get through a game? In multi-player games, though, use it at your discretion.

The MSI G255F is a very affordable monitor boasting some premium features and for budget gamers or those who play in the main, multi-player competitive games such as CS:GO or Fortnite where high framerates matter more than high graphical fidelity. If you are on a budget and need an excellent monitor for LANS or competitive games, look no further than the G255F.

*The MSI G255F monitor retails for R3,999