MSI MPG 491CQP QD-OLED review: gorgeous gaming display for a great price

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MSI MPG 491CQP QD-OLED: Three-minute review

The MSI MPG 491CQP QD-OLED is easy 1 of nan best gaming monitors I've ever used, though it's going to struggle against nan best ultrawide monitors for conscionable astir each different tasks different than gaming and watching video content.

A hint arsenic to why it's truthful bully for nan second is successful nan name: OLED. The Samsung QD-OLED sheet connected this show is spectacular to look at, offering a snappy 0.03ms consequence clip and 144Hz refresh astatine a 5120 x 1440p for ultrafast high-end gaming. The 1800R curve of nan sheet is besides nan cleanable lucifer for nan 32:9 facet ratio, truthful you don't suffer item successful your peripheral vision.

What's more, astatine conscionable $1,099 / £1,099 / AU$1,699, you're going to consciousness for illustration you're getting a overmuch much premium merchandise for your money than its visuals mightiness suggest.

The Samsung Odyssey OLED G9 ultrawide, for example, offers somewhat amended specs, but comes pinch a value tag that's astir 50% more, making nan MSI MPG 491CQP QD-OLED look thing of a bargain.

However, look nether nan hood, though, and you'll spot wherever immoderate compromises person been made.

For one, OLED panels are notorious for suffering burn-in, truthful if you didn't registry and activate that transcript of Windows you've been using, this show will person you recovered out, moreover if you yet do springiness Microsoft nan money it's due.

What's more, successful bid to forestall burn-in, you'll request to fto nan show tally its OLED Care regular aft astir six hours aliases so. While you mightiness beryllium capable to opt retired erstwhile nan show first notifies you that it's clip to tally nan routine, you'll only beryllium delaying nan inevitable – and, erstwhile you slightest expect it, nan show will spell up and tally nan regular and you can't extremity it (nor should you).

While this will widen nan useful life of your monitor, this unpredictability will beryllium a nightmare for, say, Final Fantasy XIV fans who are successful nan mediate of a leader raid. That's because erstwhile nan regular starts, nan show efficaciously shuts off, and you person to hold anyplace from 5 to 30 minutes for nan regular to complete.

Of course, this could besides beryllium a benefit, since it does unit you to get up and possibly pet your feline aliases tally to nan shop and get successful immoderate exercise; but it will beryllium incredibly frustrating erstwhile it happens successful nan mediate of thing you'd alternatively not interrupt.

This isn't an MSI-exclusive problem, of course. All OLED monitors person to woody pinch specified issues, but considering nan finance here, it's champion that you cognize what you're successful for.

In position of features, you do get a bully number of ports, pinch nan USB-C tin of 90W powerfulness delivery. There's besides a USB hub built-in pinch a KVM feature, which is useful – though nan USB-A ports are constricted to USB 2.0.

Note that you don't get immoderate speakers pinch this monitor, truthful you'll person to settee for discrete PC speakers aliases a PC gaming headset, which mightiness beryllium a nuisance for those without either.

With regards to nan surface itself, nan quality of nan pixels successful nan Samsung QD-OLED sheet nan MSI MPG 491CQP uses besides thin to make matter and Windows UI elements a spot wonky astir nan edges. If you're readying to do a batch of non-gaming activity connected this monitor, then, your acquisition mightiness not lucifer nan value you're paying.

However, let's beryllium clear, this is simply a gaming show done and done – and it's present that nan MSI MPG 491CQP really shines. Rated for 0.03ms pixel consequence and 144Hz max refresh, this show will look and consciousness incredibly accelerated compared to moreover nan champion LCD monitors, and because it's an OLED panel, you'll get awesome HDR pinch axenic achromatic colour and nary perceptible surface glow to ruin a scene.

Its colour gamut sum is excellent, too, rated for 98% AdobeRGB, 99% DCI-P3, and 146% sRGB. So, whether you're moving aliases gaming, you'll beryllium connected nan receiving extremity of incredibly vibrant colors.

Of course, it's besides important to admit that a show specified arsenic this will require nan best graphics card to really push framework rates precocious capable to return advantage of what nan MSI MPG 491CQP QD-OLED has to offer.

Anything little than nan Nvidia RTX 4070 Super aliases AMD RX 7900 GRE won't beryllium capable to support up pinch nan texture sizes required for its autochthonal resolution, and moreover entry-level 4K graphics cards specified arsenic nan RTX 4070 Ti Super aliases AMD RX 7900 XT won't beryllium capable to push framework rates into nan hundreds without earnestly scaling backmost nan graphics quality. If you want to get nan astir retired of this show astatine 5120 x 1440p, you'll request an RTX 4080 aliases RX 7900 XTX to get there.

If you're covered connected that beforehand past nan MSI MPG 491CQP QD-OLED show is simply a awesome bargain for gamers, truthful agelong arsenic you tin grip nan quirks of utilizing an OLED display. If not, location are plentifulness of IPS and mini-LED displays retired location that will activity for you, but you'll beryllium hard-pressed to find immoderate that look this good.

MSI MPG 491CQP QD-OLED: Price & Availability

The MSI MPG 491CQP QD-OLED is disposable now successful nan US, UK, and Australia, pinch a unit value of $1,099 / £1,099 / AU$1,699, respectively.

This is substantially cheaper than nan competing Samsung Odyssey OLED G9, which astatine $1,599.99 successful nan US is astir 45% much expensive.

However, since some monitors person been connected nan marketplace for respective months now, it should beryllium imaginable to find nan models astatine little costs – which makes a nonstop value comparison a spot of a moving target correct now, particularly during awesome income events for illustration Black Friday.

MSI MPG 491CQP QD-OLED: Specs

Should you bargain nan MSI MPG 491CQP QD-OLED?

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MSI MPG 491CQP QD-OLED: besides consider

How I tested nan MSI MPG 491CQP QD-OLED

I utilized nan MSI MPG 491CQP QD-OLED for a fewer months, playing games, moving connected photograph and video content, arsenic good arsenic productivity work.

Since this is simply a gaming show first and foremost, I made judge to play a assortment of games, from competitory shooters specified arsenic Call of Duty: Warzone arsenic good arsenic much laid-back titles specified arsenic Satisfactory. I person a very high-end PC, truthful I was capable to consistently push nan monitor's afloat solution astatine 144fps to really situation nan display's performance.

I've been reviewing machine hardware for astir 5 years now pinch TechRadar, including dozens of monitors, truthful I cognize what makes for a awesome gaming show and what will apt disappoint astir gamers. I do my champion to leverage that knowledge to present nan champion appraisal of immoderate products I review.

• First reviewed October 2024