As 27in 2560×1440 displays go, the MSI Optix MPG27CQ is one that basically likes to stand up in your face. It’s solely 27in throughout the diagonal, however its curved VA panel and ginormous base provides it fairly a large footprint. Indeed, you’ll want 379mm clearance to suit this beast in your desk, which is nearly sufficient room to stay your keyboard in entrance of it, however not lots else.
In a manner, having its display screen shoved so near your eyeballs helps showcase its 1800mm curvature radius rather more successfully than if it was sat additional away from you, because the sense of these curved edges wrapping themselves snuggly spherical my peripheral imaginative and prescient feels rather more pronounced than any of the ultrawide 21:9 displays I examined earlier within the 12 months. The different purpose why it feels so up in your grill on a regular basis, although, is that it’s additionally received 5 pulsing LED strips alongside the underside, which is certain to make RGB fanatics squeal with delight.
As with most RGB gubbins, nevertheless, you’ll must produce other RGB bits to get probably the most out of it – particularly, Steelseries bits within the MPG27CQ’s case, because it comes with totally built-in Steelseries Gamesense help. This means you may both have them match your suitable Steelseries keyboard, mouse and mouse mat for the final word synchronised RGB gentle present (as seen under), or you may configure every bar (plus the cyber-esque sci-fi sample on the again of the monitor – sure, actually) for particular video games utilizing Steelseries’ Engine software program. Or simply flip them off altogether when you choose.
Steelseries followers rejoice…
For those who simply can’t get sufficient of each their RGBs and requisite Steelseries gear, nevertheless, right here’s an instance of the way it works. Fire up the CS:GO Engine app, for example, and you might have the 2 LED bars on both facet of the monitor signifying your well being and ammo, whereas the center one reveals your spherical kills. The again can be configured to point out your present well being standing to your fellow esportsers or LAN fellows, too.
Similar results can be found for Dota 2, Minecraft, Utopia 9 and Gigantic, however you can even use them to show notifications for Discord or use Steelseries’ Audio Visualiser to imitate the beat of your thumping tunes proper alongside the underside of your monitor. Just ensure you join the monitor’s bundled USB cable, in any other case the monitor gained’t present up in Engine as a configurable machine and your RGB dreamscape will crumble earlier than your very eyes.
All that’s definitely a big a part of why the Optix MPG27CQ prices as a lot because it does – £435 within the UK or $450 within the US – however even when you’re not fussed with all that RGB malarkey, no less than you’re additionally getting a rattling good monitor out of it as properly. Unlike different displays I’ve examined lately, the MPG27CQ eschews extra conventional color modes and profiles for gaming-themed solely ones. None of this Photo, Web or Eco mode nonsense right here (though you do get a blue gentle filter within the Eye Saver menu). Just a devoted User mode and FPS, Racing, RTS and RPG profiles.
Normally, I discover gaming-specific modes slightly horrendous, and the MPG27CQ is not any totally different on this respect. FPS fully drains the display screen of all indicators of inexperienced and goes fully overboard within the sharpness division, for example, whereas Racing has ALL THE GREEN and makes the display screen so shiny it’s virtually blinding. RPG might be probably the most pure trying of the lot, however except you’ve a selected choice for these types of modes, you’re significantly better off sticking with the default User mode.
Here, my i1 Display Pro calibrator confirmed the MPG27CQ was displaying a powerful 100% of the sRGB color gamut, and even 87.6% of the extra skilled grade DCI P3 gamut – that’s virtually as broad a color gamut as an Ultra HD Premium-rated 4K HDR (or excessive dynamic vary) TV, which should cowl no less than 90% of DCI P3 to earn itself that coveted field sticker. Alas, regardless of its very good color protection, it’s price making an allowance for this isn’t an HDR monitor just like the 4K BenQ EL2870U. Still, no less than you’re getting an important image and don’t need to fiddle about with it straight out of the field.
Since it is a VA panel, distinction was additionally exceptionally excessive, hitting 2590:1 in accordance with my calibrator, and its black stage was a pleasingly low 0.15cd/m2 on most brightness (the nearer to 0.00cd/m2, true black, the higher). The latter peaked at round 410cd/m2, supplying you with loads of vary when you occur to catch a uncommon little bit of solar via your window, however you may all the time flip it all the way down to one thing much less eye-searing (I discovered round 25% was higher for on a regular basis use) utilizing its intuitive five-way menu management button around the again of the monitor.
With outcomes like these, video games seemed beautiful on MPG27CQ, no matter whether or not I used to be taking part in one thing shiny and vibrant like Okami HD or fumbling my manner via the shadowy environments of the murky Little Nightmares. Primary colors actually sing on the MPG27CQ, however its excessive distinction and deep blacks are additionally a great match for darker video games as properly, as not solely do deep shadows seem like correct swimming pools of inky gloom that mix seamlessly into the monitor’s skinny black bezels, however there’s additionally nonetheless loads of element current as gentle fades into the darkness.
What’s extra, when you really feel the necessity for a bit of extra illumination in a very opaque space of a recreation and may’t be bothered to search out the brightness slider within the recreation’s menu settings, you may all the time use the monitor’s helpful Black Tuner device within the onboard menu to shed extra gentle on the topic. Its default setting of 9 (out of 20) needs to be tremendous for many video games, however nudging it up or down just a few notches will make the entire display screen seem lighter or darker.
If all that wasn’t sufficient, the MPG27CQ additionally has a most refresh price of 144Hz, which means you may play video games at as much as 144fps offered you’re utilizing the bundled DisplayPort cable and have gotten a robust sufficient graphics card to do it. You additionally get inbuilt AMD FreeSync help, which matches the monitor’s refresh price to the variety of frames being outputted by your AMD graphics card to assist get rid of display screen tearing and make video games seem smoother if it’s having bother sustaining a gentle 60fps.
Ports-wise, you’re fairly well-catered for as properly, as you get two HDMI 2.Zero inputs, one DisplayPort 1.2 enter, plus a two-port USB3 hub and separate headphone and microphone jacks on the left hand facet. Despite the dimensions of its base, the MPG27CQ’s stand additionally provides loads of flexibility, together with 120mm of height-adjustment, 5-20 levels of tilt and -40 to 40 levels of swivel backward and forward.
£435 / $450 is not any small funding for a 27in 2560×1440 monitor, however the MSI MPG27CQ is nonetheless a large chunk cheaper than my present favorite on this measurement and backbone, the £500 Acer XF270HUA, which is sufficient to earn itself a brand new place on our best monitor 2018 record. It’s a little bit of a desk hog – certainly, even with the MPG27CQ parked as far to 1 facet of my desk as doable, I nonetheless had bother becoming in my mouse mat and second monitor on the opposite facet of it – but it surely’s nonetheless a incredible display screen that not solely appears to be like the a part of a high-end monitor, but it surely additionally provides loads of bodily changes and film choices tailored for getting the perfect out of your video games. It comes extremely beneficial.
