MSI Optix MAG271CQR Monitor Review

The design is nearly identical to the MPG27CQ. It has a few neat design features, including a pop-out headset hanger on the side of the monitor and an RGB bias-lighting feature on the back. The stand has a large footprint, but it supports the monitor very well, and there is very little wobble.

The stand has a large footprint, but it feels well-built and supports the monitor well, with almost no wobble.

Disappointing ergonomics. It can't swivel, and it can't rotate to a portrait orientation.

There's a quick-release button on the back, and cable management is handled by a hole near the base of the stand.

The borders of the Optix MAG271CQR are thin on three sides, great for a multi-monitor setup.

Due to the curvature of the screen, the MAG271CQR stands out more, even when VESA mounted. The stand is a bit thinner than the Optix MPG27CQ.

The MSI Optix MAG271CQR has great build quality. The stand is made of metal and supports the monitor extremely well. There's a pop-out headphone hanger on the side of the monitor, but it feels a bit flimsy.

The MSI Optix MAG271CQR has a great contrast ratio, resulting in deep blacks. This is especially noticeable in dark scenes in a dark room.

This monitor doesn't have a local dimming feature. The above video is provided for reference only.

Very good peak brightness, with almost no variation in brightness with different content. This should be more than bright enough for most viewing environments.

The MSI Optix MAG271CQR doesn't support HDR.

Like most VA panels, the image degrades when viewed from the side. The most noticeable issue is a sharp increase in black levels, when even slightly-off angle, causing the image to appear washed out.

Like most VA panels, the image degrades quickly when viewed from above or below.

The MSI Optix MAG271CQR has outstanding gray uniformity. The sides of the screen are slightly darker than the rest of the screen, but this shouldn't be noticeable with most content.

Unfortunately, the MSI Optix MAG271CQR has terrible black uniformity, worse than the Optix MPG27CQ. There is noticeable backlight bleed and significant clouding throughout the screen. If you're looking for a similar monitor with better black uniformity, then check out the AOC CQ27G1.

Out of the box, the MSI Optix MAG271CQR has decent accuracy. Gamma doesn't follow the sRGB target curve at all, which causes dark scenes to appear too dark, and bright scenes to appear too bright. Most people won't notice any significant errors in color accuracy or white balance though.

After calibration, the MAG271CQR has excellent accuracy. Gamma is almost entirely corrected, so most scenes are displayed at the correct brightness. There are now no noticeable errors in color accuracy or white balance.

You can download our ICC profile calibration here. This is provided for reference only and should not be used, as the calibration values vary per individual unit even for the same model due to manufacturing tolerances.

s.RGB Picture Mode: User (calibrated)
Adobe RGB Picture Mode: User

Excellent SDR color gamut, with nearly complete coverage of the sRGB color space, and great coverage of the wider Adobe RGB color space, which is important for professional photo editing.

s.RGB Picture Mode: User
Adobe RGB Picture Mode: User

Outstanding color volume. Like almost all displays, it can't display very bright blues, but this isn't very noticeable.

This monitor doesn't support HDR.

This monitor doesn't support HDR.

There are no signs of temporary image retention, even immediately after displaying our high-contrast static test image for 10 minutes.

Good gradient handling, but there is noticeable 8-bit banding with some content.

There are no signs of color bleed on the MSI Optix MAG271CQR.

The MSI Optix MAG271CQR has great reflection handling. The curved screen helps to smear reflections across the screen, reducing their intensity.

The MSI Optix MAG271CQR has an excellent response time, resulting in clear motion with very little blur behind fast-moving objects. Unfortunately, with the 'Fast' Response Time setting there is noticeable over/under shoot, which can be distracting. If this bothers you, the 'Normal' setting has less overshoot, but there is a significant difference in the response time.

There is also a 'Fastest' setting, but this is simply the black frame insertion setting.

The backlight is flicker-free at all backlight levels, which is great. There's an optional black frame insertion feature, but like most FreeSync monitors it can't be enabled at the same time as FreeSync. The black frame insertion feature can be enabled by setting the Response Time to 'Fastest'.

The MSI MAG271CQR has an excellent refresh rate. It supports AMD's FreeSync variable refresh rate feature, and although it isn't officially certified by NVIDIA, it also supports FreeSync when connected to a recent NVIDIA graphics card.

Outstanding low input lag across all supported formats. For the lowest input lag possible, it's important to enable the "Zero Latency" setting in the OSD.

The 1440p native resolution is good for multitasking, and it delivers a more immersive gaming experience, as you can see more fine details.

Unlike the MPG27CQ, this monitor has an internal power supply, so you don't have to worry about the external power brick.

There are a few additional features on this monitor, most of which are gaming-oriented. Like most gaming monitors, there are options for a few virtual overlays, including a timer and frame counter. It supports both picture-in-picture and picture-by-picture, great for multitasking.

There's also an RGB bias light on the back. This can be turned on or off from the OSD, but full control requires the MSI Gaming OSD software (free), available on MSI's website.

The controls, consisting of a single joystick on the back of the monitor, are easy to use.

• DisplayPort Cable
• HDMI Cable
• USB Upstream Cable
• Power Cable
• European Power Cable
• User Manual