The large offer available on the market and the lower production costs are beginning to be felt in the gaming monitor sector. The technologies that until a few months ago were accessible only in the face of a significant financial outlay are now within the reach of the average player and the new MSI Optix MAG272CQR it is one of the first models to represent this new reality.
Once again MSI proves attentive to the needs of users with a rather traditional proposal but surrounded by details and "extras" worthy of note. The Optix MAG272CQR is in fact a 27-inch curved monitor with resolution 2560×1440 pixels, aspect ratio of 16: 9 and VA panel accompanied by a rather dry design, able to adapt to different contexts. Let's analyze all the pros and cons of this gaming monitor together.
The beauty of simplicity
The first thing that catches the eye once you have picked up the various parts that make up the Optix MAG272CQR is the ease of assembly: with a few simple steps and only two screws, the monitor is ready to offer all its services. The dimensions equal to 611.5 x 575.5 x 230.2 mm allow a rather agile location also thanks to the weight of 5.9 kg. Despite the marked gaming connotation, the MAG272CQR maintains a clean design, which is also well suited to professional environments, thanks to a dry front that has only the lower edge highlighted and a rear characterized by the classic MSI themes, with the symbol of the house in evidence, one showy led strip, the jog for the control of the settings in red and a shiny plastic plate where you can see the typical textures of the 2020 range.
The arm that supports the display maintains and strengthens the general cleaning, while allowing the height adjustment with an excursion of about 13 cm and the inclination downwards and upwards, without however offering any possibility of rotation. In general then the quality of materials denotes the good quality of the monitor, which once positioned gives a solid and clean picture to the workstation.
Speed at a good price
Optix MAG272CQR is a gaming monitor with rather canonical characteristics. The 27-inch VA (Vertical Alignment) display with 16: 9 aspect ratio returns a resolution of 2560×1440 pixels (WQHD) on a curvature of 1500R which is almost imperceptible. The response time of 1 ms (MPRT) and the refresh rate up to 165 Hz, accompanied by support ad AMD FreeSync (complete with an undeclared G-Sync compatibility) allow the monitor to eliminate any type of technical artifact such as tearing or flickering. The data declared by MSI then describe a coverage of 100% of the sRGB range and 90% for the DCI-P3 range, a contrast ratio of 3000: 1 and a maximum luminance of 300 nits. Finally, the monitor is presented with the words "HDR Ready"which, however, does not allow us to accurately catalog the HDR standard and the theoretical capabilities of the panel.
The measurements carried out on the default SDR mode return appreciable results with a range compliant with the 2.2 standard and an average DeltaE of 2.45, which after careful calibration can reach the average DeltaE of 1.65. The peak of luminance with factory settings stands at 245 nits with a contrast ratio that remains slightly below what MSI said. By giving up a little black depth, better results are obtained in terms of luminance, slightly compromising the contrast ratio.
Overall, however, the panel demonstrates excellent quality and chromatic fidelity, so much so as to compete with products destined for other market categories and to equalize, from this point of view, the performance of the older brother MSI Optix 341CQR. A negative note, as in all panels of this type, is the quality of the HDR which does not in any way match the real possibilities of this feature, thus relegating itself to mere label.
The most significant element of this monitor, however, lies in the compatibility with all contemporary gaming machines: Optix MAG272CQR can in fact be used without problems with Xbox One and PlayStation 4 and is able to take advantage of some features of the enhanced versions, ensuring for example the compatibility with the FreeSync of Xbox One X and with the HDR of PlayStion 4 Pro. In short , an ideal gaming monitor for the PC that does not disdain the consoles.
Software, connectivity and extrà
On the connectivity front, the MSI Optix MAG272CQR is equipped with two HDMI 2.0 ports, a DisplayPort 1.2, a USB-C port, two USB 3.0 Type A ports and a USB 3.0 port for the upstream and the headphone and audio jack output. The monitor is managed by the internal OSD, fully controllable thanks to the jog on the back. The menu allows you to set various presets designed for specific genres, as well as to adjust each individual parameter such as brightness, contrast, sharpness, color and color range separately. Once the dedicated USB port is connected, all settings can be controlled using the excellent software MSI Gaming OSD which allows, in addition to the internal adjustments, to adjust the LED strip on the back of the monitor to your liking.
Last gem, the retractable clip for the headset located on the side of the display. The Optix in question therefore offers various connection possibilities and an ease of use that can accompany even novice users.
