Review: MSI Optix MPG27CQ

by Tarinder Sandhu on 15 March 2018, 10:00

Tags: MSI

Quick Link: HEXUS.net/qadrma

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Conclusion

...there are too many me-too monitors floating around these days so it's refreshing to see MSI try something different.

The MSI Optix range of gaming-focussed monitors is another worthwhile to the fold. Headlining the 27in series is the MPG27CQ that attempts the difficult task of marrying up solid everyday performance to judder-free, immersive gaming.

The screen has some ingredients in order to succeed in a crowded marketplace. The size and QHD resolution are a good fit, the choice of a VA panel with sky-high refresh and solid brightness is another tick, while general styling is right up there with the best on the market.

Then there's the RGB at the bottom. Eliciting a Marmite-like response from those in the office - some like it, some can't see the point - it's something different, and through configuration works well. You'd think it would be overly distracting during gaming but that's not the case when you're in the thick of it. It could become a useful feature with GameSense but that app doesn't support many titles.

There's an excess of me-too monitors floating around these days so it's refreshing to see MSI try something different. Nearly £500 is certainly premium pricing, of course, but as a model that woos the RGB-obsessed gamer, the MPG27CQ is worthy of consideration.

Bottom line: you will either like it or consider the RGB pointless. Either way, the Optix MPG27CQ is a talking point in a sea of homogeneity.

The Good
 
The Bad
RGB well done
Excellent build quality
Solid brightness
Good underlying panel
 
Price
Lighting is an acquired taste
GameSense not taken off



MSI Optix MPG27CQ

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TBC.

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HEXUS Forums :: 3 Comments

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27" seems too small for a curved screen.

Yay on the RGB, with the usual caveat that it must have both a wide range of decent patterns and the option for static colour (including an OFF mode).

1440 res at 1ms 144Hz, sounds good to me. Just need a G-Sync option.
I like all of the hardware specs for this display, just misses the mark in a couple places (maybe Hexus can help), the first being price - it's about £100 more than I'm comfortable with. To be expected in this day and age but still sort of sad. Also, about RGB, in order to change colours or the pattern they illuminate, do I require software to be open 24/7? It seems to me that you do, if only for the front bars. I hate that with a passion, the display should be able to save a config if not manage it itself (they can do that with rear illumination?!)
If anyone wonders which type of panel this monitor uses it seems to be a VA panel. At least that's what's casually thrown in at the bottom of page 5. Should be at the top of page 1 with the other specs IMHO.

Other than that this monitor sounds quite interesting despite the RGB silliness. I do wonder though if it suffers from the same panel lottery issues as most other high(er) priced gaming monitors.