Product: MSI Optix-MAG274QRF-QD
Type: Gaming Display (27”)
Price: $859.00 RRP
Availability: Out Now
Link: msi.com/Monitor/Optix-MAG274QRF-QD

As a product code it’s not too bad, enough letters and numbers to make it feel like its own thing. As a product name, well, the new MSI Optix-MAG274QRF-QD is a bit of a mouthful. Displays tend to go the product code as a part of the name route, but with the MAG274QRF-QD it was the first time we really noticed the alphabet soup. Anyway it’s a mouthful, but thankfully the actual display isn’t confusing.

Here you get a 27-inch display geared towards esports and a pristine image on a Quantum Dot IPS panel perfect for the more cinematic games out there. In fact it’s something of a best of both worlds scenario, with a 165Hz refresh rate, a 1ms GTG response time (or close to), and colour accuracy that is just about reference quality -- which makes it great no matter if you’re in a round of Call of Duty Warzone or taking in some of the pristine vistas of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’s stunning environments.

Looking Good

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In terms of look the, err, MSI Optix-MAG274QRF-QD continues the trend of MSI using deep blacks and RGB flourishes though what you get here is subtle -- especially when the RGB lighting on the back barely makes itself known even at full brightness. With and edge-to-edge design, sturdy and flat stand and the ability to adjust the height and tilt tilty-ness it’s all solid and probably the best effort to date we’ve seen from MSI -- that said we would have liked to see a little more personality in the branding and visual identity of this model over others in the line-up.

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It’s something of a best of both worlds scenario, with a 165Hz refresh rate, a 1ms GTG response time (or close to), and colour accuracy that is just about reference quality.

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When you have a vibrant Quantum Dot IPS panel with a high-end look the moment you turn it on, flaunt it. In terms of connectivity the MAG274Q… is stacked with a DisplayPort 1.4, 2x HDMI 2.0b inputs, USB Type C, and even a headphone jack and a pair of USB ports. Yeah, pretty much everything here screams a premium esports experience -- a fact that is reinforced the moment you turn it on.

A View to Remember

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Maximum Resolution: 2560 x 1440 (WQHD)

Size: 27-inch

Panel Type: IPS

Refresh Rate: 165 Hz (G-Sync compatible)

Response Time (GTG): 1ms

Contrast Ratio: 1000:1 (Native)

Brightness: 300 nits

Weight: 6.05 kg

Colour accuracy and overall image quality tends to take a back seat when it comes to displays labelled as ‘esports’ often leaving the story in the still respectable sRGB range. Here MSI has basically taken a brilliant and vibrant IPS panel, in the QHD 1440ps sweet spot no less, and ensured it hits all of the right ‘esports’ features in addition to hitting a very respectable 97% of the DCI-P3 colour space.

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MSI has basically taken a brilliant and vibrant IPS panel, in the QHD 1440ps sweet spot no less, and ensured it hits all of the right ‘esports’ features.

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There is a downside in that the 8-bit colour and overall brightness mean it’s not really suitable for HDR, but then again PC games and HDR is still something of a mixed-bag. The MSI Optix-MAG274QRF-QD features excellent out of the box calibration and the 300nit brightness is more than enough to pair with the, again, excellent colour accuracy. Experiencing superior image quality on a vibrant IPS panel is something you immediately notice, and with the G-Sync compatibility and 165Hz refresh rate, it’s a wonderfully smooth image to boot.

Testing across Call of Duty Cold War Black Ops (with DLSS on this is the perfect display to pair up with the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti), Horizon Zero Dawn, Star Wars Squadrons, and other titles - this is proof that colour accuracy and a vibrant crisp image can be as impressive as all those extra Hz and a low-response time.