Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

For $630, you may want to take the plunge on an OLED gaming monitor

The Last of Us Part One running on the MSI MPG 321URX.
Jacob Roach / Digital Trends

OLED prices are dropping fast — and I mean really fast. For Cyber Week, you can pick up the MSI . Keep in mind that just over 12 months ago, this exact same panel was selling for $1,000, and even with newer monitors making the rounds, this is still one of the best gaming monitors you can buy.

Now, I haven’t used this exact monitor, but I have plenty of experience to make an informed recommendation here. I’ve seen this panel at work in the Alienware 27 QD-OLED, and I’ve tested plenty of MSI OLED monitors like the MPG 321URX. That’s all to say, while I haven’t reviewed this specific monitor, I’m intimately familiar with just about every aspect of it.

Although I’ve seen this exact panel numerous times, MSI has a pretty unique configuration of it. This particular monitor has a 240Hz refresh rate, while most 27-inch QD-OLED panels use a 360Hz refresh rate — , too. Although the refresh rate is lower, the MAG 271QPX still comes with the next-gen improvements of the latest QD-OLED panels.

Get your weekly teardown of the tech behind PC gaming
Check your inbox!

If you’re not up to speed, first-gen QD-OLED panels like the one we saw on the Alienware 34 QD-OLED have a strange subpixel layout — the red, green, and blue subpixels are arranged in an odd way. That led to text clarity issues, where you’d see fringing on any fine details, particularly when working on a text document. The MAG 271QPX doesn’t have those issues with its updated subpixel layout.

In addition, these newer QD-OLED panels are truly unmatched when it comes to brightness and color. As you can read in my LG UltraGear Dual Mode OLED review, the latest WOLED options from LG Display are a bit behind with color, while the latest QD-OLED displays have some of the best color accuracy money can buy — and that’s without touching any calibration.

That’s the panel, but the MSI bit is equally as impressive. MSI has effectively undercut the competition from Asus, Alienware, LG, and Samsung, matching and sometimes even exceeding the features those brands offer. For the MAG 271QPX, you get quite the assortment of features. Dual HDMI 2.1 ports give you 120Hz refresh rate at 4K for consoles, and a powered USB-C connection is perfect for any portable device like the Steam Deck.

For me, the main draw to MSI is OLED Care, however. MSI has probably the most comprehensive list of burn-in prevention features on the market right now, which is backed up by a three-year warranty that covers burn-in.

On-screen display on the MSI MPG321URX.
Jacob Roach / Digital Trends

OLED Care has a ton of mitigation features. You get some standard options like a pixel refresh and pixel shifting, but MSI goes further with a suite of automatic prevention features, too. The monitor picks up on your taskbar, your HUD in games, and even the boundaries between Windows to specifically target areas where burn-in is most likely. If you’re taking advantage of these features, you realistically shouldn’t even need to think about the three-year warranty.

In addition, MSI is one of the few brands that goes out of its way to show its work. Basically any OLED or QD-OLED monitor looks great, but MSI actually gets all of the proper certifications to prove that its display looks great. That includes DisplayHDR True Black 400, ClearMR 130000, as well as FreeSync and G-Sync support.

I’m gushing about this monitor because, frankly, this is a great deal. That doesn’t mean it’s perfect. You’re limited to only 15 watts of power delivery on the USB-C input, for example, and there’s no KVM switch. MSI’s build quality isn’t the best, either. I mean, the monitor isn’t going to fall apart on your or anything, but it’s not a super premium finish like your find on the Samsung Odyssey OLED G8.

Frankly, those are extremely minor downsides considering the price here. Again, monitors in this class were selling for $1,000 just one year ago, and the fact that you can get one for $630 is exciting. OLED is still moving at a fast pace, but don’t let this deal pass you by.

Jacob Roach
Lead Reporter, PC Hardware
Jacob Roach is the lead reporter for PC hardware at Digital Trends. In addition to covering the latest PC components, from…
Get an Alienware RTX 4090 gaming PC while it’s $1,000 off
The side of the Alienware Aurora R15 desktop.

There are some great early Black Friday deals happening right now, with one key highlight being the Dell Black Friday sale. Right now, you can save $1,000 on an Alienware Aurora R16 gaming desktop PC, bringing it down to just $3,000 from $4,000. A fantastic investment for anyone who wants the latest technology, this is one of the gaming PC deals you should really pay attention to. If you’re in the market for a high-end gaming PC, read on while we take you through all it has to offer.

Why you should buy the Alienware Aurora R16 gaming desktop
Alienware is known for making some of the best gaming PCs around and is certainly a big hit with gamers. With the Alienware Aurora R16 gaming desktop, it’s kind of obvious why: It’s absolutely packed with great hardware. There’s an Intel Core i9-14900KF processor, 64GB of RAM, and 2TB of SSD storage. As a bigger highlight, there’s also an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 graphics card with 24GB of dedicated VRAM. Combined, that’s quite the potent combination if you plan on playing all the latest games at ultra detail levels.

Read more
We gave the Lenovo Legion 7i gaming PC four stars — it’s $600 off today
The Lenovo Legion Tower 7i at a side angle.

In one of its early Black Friday deals happening right now, Lenovo has cut the price of the Lenovo Legion Tower 7i by 19%. That means instead of paying $3,150, it’s down to $2,550 for a limited time. It’s a high-end gaming PC and easily one of the best gaming PC deals around right now. If you’re looking to game in style for a long time to come, here’s what it has to offer.

Why you should buy the Lenovo Legion Tower 7i
Lenovo makes some of the best gaming PCs around and it’s a name you can depend on. With the Lenovo Legion Tower 7i, you get a 14th-generation Intel Core i9-14900KF processor paired up with 32GB of DDR5 RAM and 1TB of SSD storage. The star of the show here is its Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 Super graphics card with 16GB of dedicated VRAM. That CPU and GPU combination is quite the powerful pairing, so you can enjoy high-end gaming performance for a long time to come.

Read more
Cyber Monday’s best 4K Monitor deals 2024: Save up to 50% on Samsung and LG
The 27-inch Dell S2721QS 4K monitor on a table.

A good 4K monitor is worth considering if you’ve had your eye on Cyber Monday gaming laptop deals, Cyber Monday Dell laptop deals, Cyber Monday Apple deals, or Cyber Monday Alienware deals. There are several of them going on right now, including monitors by Samsung, Dell, and LG. We’ve tracked down all of the best 4K monitor deals for Cyber Monday, so don't waste any time and read onward for the details.
Our top pick: Samsung Odyssey Neo G8 32-inch curved 4K monitor -- $679 $1,300 48% off

One of the higher-end gaming monitors you're going to find out there, not only is this 32-inch Samsung Neo G8 curved, but it can also hit a whopping 240Hz refresh rate. While there isn't a GPU out there that can manage 240Hz at 4K, you can prioritize refresh rate over resolution for competitive games, and with a massive discount of $621, it's well worth grabbing.

Read more