I say it time and time again; a good monitor is integral to any gaming experience. While gaming monitors have come a long way since the days of 1080p 60Hz, we aren't quite at perfection just yet. A perfect example of this is the MSi MPG27CQ gaming monitor.



Specs:

PANEL SIZE: 27" (69cm)

PANEL RESOLUTION: 2560 x 1440

REFRESH RATE: 144Hz

RESPONSE TIME: 1ms

PANEL TYPE: VA

BRIGHTNESS (NITS): 400 cd / m2

VIEWING ANGLE: 178°

ASPECT RATIO: 16:9

CURVATURE: 1800R

CONTRAST RATIO: 3000:1

DCR: 100000000:1

ACTIVE DISPLAY AREA (MM): 596.736 (H) x 335.664 (V)

PIXEL PITCH (H X V): 0.2331 (H) x 0.2331 (V)

SURFACE TREATMENT: Anti-glare

DISPLAY COLORS: 16.7 million

DCI-P3 / SRGB: 90% / 115%

VIDEO PORTS: 1 x DP(1.2)

2 x HDMI(2.0)

USB PORTS: 2 x USB 3.1 Gen1 Type A

1 x USB 3.1 Gen1 Type B (PC to monitor)

AUDIO PORTS: 1 x Headphone out

1 x Mic in
1 x Audio combo jack (PC to monitor)

KENSINGTON LOCK: Yes

VESA MOUNTING: 100 mm x 100 mm

CONTROL: 5-way OSD navigation joystick

POWER TYPE: External Adaptor 20V 4.5A

POWER INPUT: 100~240V, 50~60Hz

POWER CONSUMPTION: 90W

SIGNAL FREQUENCY: 70.56 to 214.56KHz(H)

48 to 144Hz(V)

ADJUSTMENT (TILT): -5° ~ 20°

ADJUSTMENT (SWIVEL): -40° ~ 40°

ADJUSTMENT (HEIGHT): 0 ~ 120 mm

DIMENSION (W X H X D): 612mm x 555.8mm x 379.3mm

WEIGHT (NW / GW): 7.6kg / 10.6kg

NOTE: Display Port: 2560 x 1440 (Up to 144Hz)

HDMI: 2560 x 1440 (Up to 144Hz)
The color gamut follows the CIE 1976 testing standard.



Design and Features:

The MSi Optix MPG27CQ features a 27” screen, sporting a 2560 x 1440p, 144Hz VA panel, with an 1800R curvature. The panel itself is, as we said, a VA panel type, with a 1ms response time, 400 cd/m2 nits of brightness, a viewing angle of 178 degrees, as well as a 3000:1 contrast ratio.

The monitor has a sturdy build quality, with an almost bezel-less viewing experience, as well as brushed aluminium finish on the thicker bottom bezel. The three-pronged stand and thick supporting arm ensures that there is no wobble, and provides an edgy aesthetic overall. At the rear, we have a plastic moulded custom design cutting diagonally through the centre, with a brushed aluminium-finish plate just above that. To the bottom left of the rear, is the 5-way OSD joystick, while the connections are found at the bottom right. Finally, we have the five-part RGB LED strip at the bottom, which links to the SteelSeries GameSense integration, as well as the RGB lighting zone at the rear for ambience.

The MSi Optix MPG27CQ offers a single DisplayPort connection, as well as two HDMI 2.0 connections, alongside two USB 3.1Gen1 Type A and 1 USB 3.1 Gen1 Type B connections. For audio, there is a single 3.5mm headphone out port, a single Mic in, as well as an audio combo jack.



Performance:

The Optix MPG27CQ has the perfect size-to-resolution ratio, as anything bigger than 27” requires you to move more than 1.5-2 metres from your screen, which is further than most standard set-ups. Combining the impeccably well sized 27” screen with the deep 1800R curvature of the panel, gives you an impressively immersive experience. The Optix MPG27CQ not only creates a fantastic gaming experience through the curved panel design, but it actively reduces eye strain, giving us a tonne more game time per session.

The 144Hz, 1ms response time of the monitor made competitive gaming a breeze, as well as bringing fluidity to non-competitive titles. The refresh rate is variable with AMD's FreeSync, and is also compatible with Nvidia’s G-SYNC, offering a practically tear-free gaming experience. There was no noticeable blur behind fast-moving objects on-screen, and thanks to the flicker-free backlight, our eyes were not destroyed after extended play times. The QHD resolution made any 1440p content displayed look crisp and clear, while preventing any blur or pixelation in 1080p content. The excellent contrast ratio gave us deep blacks but we felt that the addition of local dimming could’ve made it even better, as there was some evidence of light bleeding and clouding. However, this was only truly noticeable in really dark rooms, so a well-lit environment will nullify this.

There was no noticeable blur behind fast-moving objects on-screen, and thanks to the flicker-free backlight, our eyes were not destroyed after extended play times.

The colour gamut in the Optix MPG27CQ is excellent, with a 115% coverage of the sRGB spectrum, making colours brighter, clearer, and richer, but the out-of-box calibration is not the greatest. We suggest taking some time to tune the monitor to your individual preference. However, there was no colour bleeding, no image retention, and reflections were diffused spectacularly.



Unfortunately, the only downside in an otherwise stunning screen, is the use of the VA panel. At both a horizontal and vertical viewing angle, the colour angle started to dip, which is a problem in any VA panel. The horizontal angle was a bigger culprit at losing colour accuracy, though, while the vertical angle caused images to wash out quite quickly. While the monitor can be adjusted to reduce these effects, it does mean you will be shifting it around quite often.

The horizontal angle was a bigger culprit at losing colour accuracy, though, while the vertical angle caused images to wash out quite quickly.

The SteelSeries GameSense integration gives you in-game alerts through the RGB lighting strip at the bottom of the screen, such as health, ammo, or amour, in competitive titles - such as CS:GO. Furthermore, you can customise each individual RGB LED through the SteelSeries Engine desktop app, or you can use MSi’s proprietary MysticLights app to customise the basic lighting of the monitor. Thankfully, MSi has brought their Gaming OSD to mobile, allowing you to control and change settings through an app on your phone, rather than fiddling with a joy-stick. This makes on-the-fly changes so much easier, and even allows custom profiles to be saved, for one-click changes.



Overall, the MSi Optix MPG27CQ is a magnificent gaming monitor with a low response panel and high refresh rates. It is convenient through the Gaming OSD mobile app, offers an immersive gaming experience thanks to the 1800R curve, and features the perfect-sized screen for most users. The only let down in this otherwise powerhouse panel is the colour wash out and colour accuracy loss at a horizontal or vertical viewing.