The MSI MPG 274URDFW E16M is a mid-range 27-inch gaming monitor. It uses Mini LED backlighting with 1,152 zones, and it has a native 4k resolution and 160Hz refresh rate. You can use its Dual Mode feature to boost the refresh rate to 320Hz with a lower 1080p resolution. It competes directly with other 4k, 160Hz Mini LED models that have a 1080p, 320Hz dual mode, like the Acer Nitro XV275K P5biipruzx, and the lower-end MSI MAG 274UPDF E16M. Besides its gaming perks that include HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, FreeSync Premium, and G-SYNC Compatibility, it has some productivity features, like a USB-C port with DisplayPort Alt Mode and up to 98W of power delivery.
Our Verdict
The MSI MPG 274URDFW E16M is good for PC gaming. You can use it at its native 4k resolution and 160Hz refresh rate or with its dual-mode 1080p resolution and 320Hz refresh rate, so it's versatile for playing different types of games. It has consistent motion handling across any refresh rate, and it has low input lag for a responsive feel. It also supports all common VRR formats to reduce screen tearing. In terms of picture quality, its local dimming feature performs decently and improves picture quality when used, but it has crushed blacks and causes haloing around bright objects. On the plus side, it makes highlights pop in HDR and gets bright enough to fight glare in well-lit rooms.
4k, 160Hz and 1080p, 320Hz modes.
Supports all common VRR formats.
Consistent motion handling across VRR.
Low input lag at any refresh rate.
Bright enough to fight glare in most well-lit rooms.
Black crush and haloing with local dimming.
Low native contrast ratio.
Some blur behind fast-moving objects.
The MSI MPG 274URDFW E16M is excellent for console gaming. It supports almost any signal from a PS5, PS5 Pro, and Xbox Series X|S, but it doesn't support Dolby Vision with an Xbox. It has low input lag for a responsive feel, and motion looks good for the most part, but there's still some blur behind fast-moving objects. While it displays a wide range of colors and makes highlights pop, it fails to deliver an impactful HDR gaming experience. Its local dimming feature crushes blacks and causes some haloing around bright objects, but overall, it's decent enough to improve picture quality compared to not using it.
Consistent motion handling across VRR.
Low input lag at any refresh rate.
Supports almost any signal from consoles.
Sharp text and image clarity in 4k mode.
Bright enough to fight glare in most well-lit rooms.
Black crush and haloing with local dimming.
Low native contrast ratio.
Some blur behind fast-moving objects.
The MSI MPG 274URDFW E16M is excellent for office use. It has sharp text clarity in its 4k mode, and its 27-inch screen is big enough to view two windows side by side. It also comes with some useful productivity features, like an ergonomic stand that makes it easy to adjust, a small USB hub, and a KVM switch that you can use to change sources and use the same devices on both. It also gets bright enough to fight glare in most well-lit rooms, but reflections are distracting if you have it in a sunny environment.
Sharp text and image clarity in 4k mode.
Has an ergonomic stand.
Includes a USB-C port and a KVM switch.
Bright enough to fight glare in most well-lit rooms.
Distracting reflections in sunny rooms.
The MSI MPG 274URDFW E16M is good for content creation. It delivers detailed images thanks to its 4k resolution, but you may find that its 27-inch screen is too small if you work with long video timelines. Although it comes with a dedicated sRGB mode, you need to calibrate it to achieve proper color temperature and white balance. It has a decent local dimming feature that improves picture quality, but it crushes blacks, causing a loss of detail, and it introduces haloing around bright objects.
Sharp text and image clarity in 4k mode.
Has an ergonomic stand.
Includes a USB-C port and a KVM switch.
sRGB mode has good gamma tracking.
Bright enough to fight glare in most well-lit rooms.
Black crush and haloing with local dimming.
Low native contrast ratio.
Needs full calibration to fix white balance and color temperature issues.
The MSI MPG 274URDFW E16M has excellent brightness. It makes highlights pop in HDR, and it fights glare in most well-lit rooms.
Bright enough to fight glare in most well-lit rooms.
The MSI MPG 274URDFW E16M has a good response time. Its response time is consistently quick at any refresh rate, but there's still blur behind fast-moving objects.
Consistent motion handling across VRR.
Some blur behind fast-moving objects.
The MSI MPG 274URDFW E16M has decent HDR picture quality. Using the local dimming feature improves the black levels and makes highlights stand out, but it does this by crushing blacks. Plus, there's haloing around bright objects.
Displays wide range of colors.
Decently-performing local dimming.
Black crush and haloing with local dimming.
Low native contrast ratio.
The MSI MPG 274URDFW E16M has alright SDR picture quality. If you don't use its local dimming feature, blacks look gray. It at least displays a wide range of colors, and using local dimming improves the black levels in SDR.
Displays wide range of colors.
Low native contrast ratio.
The MSI MPG 274URDFW E16M has great accuracy. Its dedicated sRGB mode locks colors well to the sRGB color space and has fantastic gamma tracking. However, it has color temperature and white balance issues that you would need to fix with a full calibration.
sRGB mode has good gamma tracking.
Needs full calibration to fix white balance and color temperature issues.
Performance Usages
Changelog
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Updated Oct 07, 2026:
We added that the TCL 32R84 is an alternative with a higher native contrast ratio.
- Updated Oct 07, 2026: We converted this review to Test Bench 2.2. With this update, we've added a new test box for the Longevity 3.0 test.
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Updated Oct 05, 2026:
We updated the firmware to FW.032, which improves its local dimming performance in SDR.
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Updated Apr 17, 2026:
We added that the KOORUI S2741LM has better motion handling.
Check Price
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We bought and tested the 27-inch MSI MPG 274URDFW E16M, which is the only size available, and the results are only valid for this model. Even though MSI has the similar MAG 274UPDF available, it's a different monitor, as you can see below.
| Model | Resolution & Refresh Rate | USB-C Power |
Body Color |
|---|---|---|---|
| MPG 274URDFW | Native: 4k, 160Hz | 90W | White |
| Dual Mode: 1080p, 320Hz | |||
| MAG 274UPDF | Native: 4k, 160Hz | 15W | Black |
| Dual Mode: 1080p, 320Hz |
Our unit's label indicates it was manufactured in August 2025 in China. We tested it with firmware FW.026.
Popular Monitor Comparisons
The MSI MPG 274URDFW is a mid-range gaming monitor with Mini LED backlighting. Featuring a native 4k resolution and 160Hz refresh rate with a 1080p, 320Hz dual mode, it competes against other models with the dual-mode specs, like the Acer Nitro XV275K P5biipruzx. It has what you'd expect in a gaming monitor, like sharp motion, low input lag, and HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, so it's versatile for playing a wide range of games. It also has a decent local dimming feature that improves the picture quality in dark scenes by deepening blacks. While it has black crush and haloing around bright objects, it performs well compared to other options for a Mini LED monitor.
Also see our recommendations for the best Mini LED monitors, the best 4k 144Hz monitors, and the best 4k gaming monitors.
The MSI MPG 274URDFW E16M and the Acer Nitro XV275K P5biipruzx are competing Mini LED monitors. They share many of the same specs, including 4k, 160Hz and 1080p, 320Hz dual modes, USB-C ports with DisplayPort Alt Mode, and KVM switches. As they both have 1,152 dimming zones, their local dimming features perform similarly, with black crush and haloing around bright objects. However, you can't use local dimming in SDR on the Acer. Besides that, the MSI has better motion handling across its VRR range, but they're very similar otherwise.
The MSI MPG 274URDFW E16M is higher-end than the MSI MAG 274QPF X30MV. The main difference is that the 274URDFW has a higher 4k resolution for sharper and more detailed images. While it has a native 160Hz refresh rate with this 4k resolution, it has a dual-mode feature to boost it to 320Hz with a lower 1080p resolution. The 274URDFW E16M is also more well-rounded in terms of features because it has a USB hub and a KVM switch. Even though the 274QPF has a lower max refresh rate, its max of 300Hz is still fast enough for most gamers. The 274QPF also has the advantage in terms of picture quality because it has a higher native contrast ratio for deeper blacks, with a more effective local dimming feature that's better at improving picture quality in any type of content.
The KOORUI S2741LM and the MSI MPG 274URDFW E16M are competing Mini LED monitors. They share many of the same specs, including the number of dimming zones, dual-mode features, and USB ports. The KOORUI also gets brighter, making it the better choice to use in well-lit rooms. Plus, the KOORUI has better motion handling with less blur behind fast-moving objects.
The INNOCN 27M2V and the MSI MPG 274URDFW E16M are both 4k Mini LED gaming monitors. While they each have a native 160Hz refresh rate, the MSI has a dual-mode feature to boost the refresh rate to 320Hz with a lower 1080p resolution, which the INNOCN doesn't have. They also both have 1,152 dimming zones, but the local dimming feature on the INNOCN results in much better picture quality with less black crush and haloing. The MSI has a few advantages for gaming, though, as it has lower input lag at 60Hz, leading to a more responsive feel with lower-frame-rate sources, like consoles.
We buy and test more than 30 monitors each year, all of which we purchase ourselves, without cherry-picked units or samples. We put a lot into each unbiased, straight-to-the-point review, and there's a whole process from purchasing to publishing, involving multiple teams and people. We do more than just use the monitor for a week; we use specialized, custom tools to measure various aspects and deliver objective, data-driven results. We also consider multiple factors before making any recommendations, including the monitor's cost, its performance compared to the competition, and whether it's easy to find.
Test Results
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