MSI continues to release screens, and soon we will be checking the perfect MPG 341CQPX QD-OLED. But right now it’s all eyes on its little brother: the MPG 274URF QD. A 27″ UHD screen in 16:9 format that can also display 160Hz.
Let’s take a look at how this MSI MPG 274URF QD screen performs in real life , at a price of €599.
MSI MPG 274URF QD specifications:
- Rapid IPS panel
- UHD resolution (3840×2160)
- HDR 400 brightness – 95-98% P3 color coverage
- 1000:1 contrast
- 178° viewing angles
- 1ms refresh rate (MPRT)
- 160Hz maximum frequency
- Adaptive Sync
- VESA 75x75mm
- 2x USB 2.0 Type-A ports
- 1x DisplayPort 1.4a
- 2x HDMI 2.1
- 130mm height adjustment
Please note that the screen comes with an HDMI cable and no Display Port. This means you won’t be able to reach 160Hz in 4K… Too bad you didn’t add the DP cable.
Design
The MSI screen follows the spirit of the times, with a borderless design on 3 sides. As usual, MSI offers a very gaming design on the rear of the screen. As for the stand, it’s imposing and super-stable, but there’s no quick release: you’ll need 2 screws to secure the screen to the stand. Note that the mix of glossy, matte and honeycomb plastic won’t please everyone. As for the stand, it’s heavy and solid.
Finally, there’s also an LED bar on the rear of the screen, configurable with MSI’s Mystic Light application. If it bothers you, you can easily deactivate it via the OSD.
Ergonomics
To adjust the screen, there’s a mini joystick on the back of the screen, which simplifies settings in the OSD. The OSD is simple and pre-configurations are numerous. But the MSI Gaming Intelligence software will make the experience even more pleasant, adding numerous functions directly in Windows.
[nextpage title=”Test methodology”]
Test methodology
We want our monitor tests to be as objective as possible. We therefore do not use subjective comments in our scoring. The scores are derived from numerical analyses. We use Datacolor’s SpyderX Elite probe to assess display quality. And we use a custom-made probe to tes tinput lag at the screen’s maximum refresh rate. These results add extra utility to our tests, enabling us to compare features more accurately.
For the tests, we don’t touch the screen’s default settings. We just adjust the brightness for the test of this one, as the vast majority of buyers will change the default values little or not at all, and don’t own a calibration probe. This also shows how much time the brand spends making the screen look good right out of the box.
[nextpage title=”Backlight leakage”]
As far as backlight leakage is concerned, nothing too glaring: very little light leaked out at the top and bottom of the screen, with the screen switched on against a black background in a room with as little light as possible. The result is therefore correct.
The slab doesn’t suffer from light leaks at all. The darker blacks in the center are due to my reflection. In the photo, we’ve sharply increased contrast to show the uniformity of the blacks. To the naked eye, the differences are hardly perceptible.
Please note: this subjective observation is not taken into account in our rating system, which is designed to be as objective as possible.
[nextpage title=”Angle of vision”]
Being an IPS panel, viewing angles are generally very good. The MSI MPG 274URF QD is no exception to the rule, and does very well indeed..
Please note: this subjective observation is not taken into account in our rating system, which is designed to be as objective as possible.
[nextpage title=”Ghosting”]For this test, a certain methodology must be applied. You can perform the tests yourself on your screen by following these instructions.
At 160Hz, sharpness is correct. Ghosting is barely noticeable on the darkest background.
Please note: this subjective observation is not taken into account in our rating system, which is intended to be as objective as possible.
[nextpage title=”Color range & accuracy”]
Color range / Gamut
Gamut is the set of colors that a device can display. Note that any score above 90% P3 is excellent. A high refresh rate and adaptive synchronization are great features to have, but gamut and color shouldn’t be sacrificed either. SRGB coverage : 100%; AdobeRGB: 97%; DCI-P3: 97%.
Color accuracy
For this measurement, we want Delta-E to be as low as possible. An average Delta-E of less than 2 is considered good. The average score of the MSI MPG 274URF QD is 1.04 , ensuring excellent color quality. 
[nextpage title=”Color uniformity / Luminance”]
Color uniformity
Uniformity varies between tiles in the same production run, so always take its values as a trend. We generally aim for a color variance of less than five. Obviously, the larger the screen, the more difficult this becomes. The MSI MPG 274URF QD again scores well, below 3.8.
Luminance uniformity
Luminance uniformity is generally hoped for, with a maximum score of around 10%, but the larger the screen, the more difficult the task. The MSI MPG 274URF QD displays a maximum of 16%, which is poor.
[nextpage title=”Brightness levels and contrast ratio”]
We measured 448.5 nits using the screen’s default settings. Also, whites are not stable.
IPS panels are known to have a weakness on blacks. Contrast is 770:1 (below the 1000:1 specs announced with the default preset ) and blacks are 0.59 at 400 nits, which is a poor score. For guidance, an HDR400-certified screen should be below 0.4. But if you turn down the brightness a little, you get decent blacks again.
[nextpage title=”Input lag”]Measuring input lag is very different from measuring refresh rate. Input lag is the time taken by the video signal between input to the video port (HDMI/DisplayPort) and display of the image on the screen. Few manufacturers communicate this value, even though it is crucial for gamers. A refresh rate of 1ms is useless if input lag is high. It’s important to note that the more pixels there are to display, the greater the input lag. It will therefore be hard to find very good results on a 4K screen.
Another important piece of information is that not all pixels are displayed at the same time: refresh is from top to bottom. So we’ll find a much better response time at the top of the screen than at the bottom. We take 3 measurements (top, center, bottom) and calculate the average for our rating.
Notation :
- 5 stars – A lag of less than 4ms – excellent, e-sport screen
- 4 stars – From 4ms to 8.33 ms – equivalent to one frame lag at 120 Hz refresh rate – good for competitive gamers
- 3 stars – 8.33 to 12.33 ms – more than one frame lag at 120 Hz refresh rate – good for most gamers
- 2 stars – From 12.33 to 16.66 ms – less than two frames at 120 Hz refresh rate – good for most gamers, not recommended for FPSs
- 1 stars – More than 16.66 ms – equivalent to more than 2 frames at 120 Hz refresh rate – noticeable lag in everyday use, not optimal for fast games
The MSI MPG 274URF QD scores well (4 stars ) with 0.7 ms at the top of the screen, 4.4 ms in the middle and 8.1 ms at the bottom of the screen.
[nextpage title=”Conclusion”]
The MSI MPG 274URF QD is on the market for €599. In short, this monitor’s performance is solid, but the screen’s uniformity is lacking. It’s a good gaming monitor that will allow PC gamers to find the best performance for a 4K screen, without having to double the price to get an OLED screen. Finally, uniformity is this screen’s shortcoming (as it was with the Optix MPG 321UR-QD), despite its flawless gaming features.
MSI MPG 274URF QD
We liked :
- Easy set-up with MSI Gaming Intelligence software
- A very stable stand
- Excellent input lag
Our least favorite :
- UHD on a 27″ screen
- Factory calibration of the white point
- Luminance uniformity
- No Display Port cable included
In the end, we choose to award silver to the MPG 274URF QD for all its technical qualities revealed in this test. However, as screens get bigger, MSI pushes a big resolution on a 27-inch screen. We’re still not convinced that so many pixels on such a small format is worthwhile for visual comfort and your FPS.
