MSI MAG 321CUPDF Review - World's First Dual-Mode Curved Gaming Monitor

TweakTown Rating: 90%

Our Verdict

The world's first curved dual-mode gaming monitor offers both 4K and 1080p gaming at 160Hz and 320Hz, respectively. While the monitor solves a big problem in PC gaming, it comes with a downside - the picture quality in the 1080p mode.

Pros

• Great curve
• 4K gaming performance
• Price
• Versatility

Cons

• Viewing angles
• 1080p at 32-inches doesn't look great

Should you buy it?

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Buy at Amazon for $534.30 USD

Buy at Newegg for $459.99 USD

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Introduction & Specification Details and Close-up

Dual-Mode gaming monitors are emerging in the market, and the intention behind these new displays is to provide a solution to the problem gamers have been facing when purchasing a new monitor - Do you want a high resolution or a high refresh rate? Well, why not both?

A quick look at the MSI MAG 321CUPDF Gaming Monitor

When looking to upgrade a monitor for your setup, you can faced with what can be an overwhelming number of options to choose from, but for quite some time, it has boiled down to two main factors: resolution and refresh rate. If you are a gamer that predominately plays slower-paced titles, such as RPGs or strategy games with cinematic experiences, you would typically opt for a higher resolution panel as having a high refresh rate isn't necessary, and typically, within these types of games, the FPS ceiling is relatively low.

On the contrary, if you play competitive titles that aren't necessarily graphically orientated, such as Valorant, Counter-Strike, League of Legends, Overwatch 2, etc, you would typically opt for a monitor with a higher refresh rate as those games are best played with the highest refresh rate possible. Well, dual-mode monitors are designed to be the solution to the selection problem, as the feature is a simple button press that switches between a high resolution, in this instance 4K, and a high refresh rate, in this instance 320Hz. Sounds like the perfect balance? In theory, yes. But what are the shortcomings of these monitors? In particular, we will be taking MSI's MAG 321CUPDF under the microscope.

Specifications

Close-up

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	$459.99 USD	$459.99 USD	-	Buy
	$534.30 USD	$506.28 USD	-	Buy
	$534.30 USD	$506.28 USD	-	Buy
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Design

MSI's MAG 321CUPDF is a 32-inch display with the following resolutions/refresh rates: 3840 x 2160 (4K) at 160Hz and 1920 x 1080 (FHD) at 320Hz. These resolutions and refresh rates can be easily switched by simply navigating to the multi-directional joystick located on the back of the display in the bottom right-hand corner, pressing the left directional, and enabling Dual-Mode. This process takes less than two seconds to complete, making switching resolution/frame extremely simply and fast.

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Keeping to the back of the display, MSI has kept things relatively plain aesthetic-wise with MAG 321CUPDF, as the monitor is separated into two sections: the rear housing containing all of the components to run the display in the lower section, and the upper half which is just the panel. The rear housing features a brushed design that is separated by a reflective plastic stripe that, on the side of the multi-directional joystick, has several ventilation holes to keep components at optimal temperatures. The entire monitor is comprised of a hard plastic shell. On the left-hand back side of the monitor are the connectivity ports, which MSI has outfitted with several options. The MAG 321CUPDF features 1x DisplayPort 1.4a (HBR3), 2x HDMI 2.1, and 1x USB-C w/PD 15W.

MSI has kept the connectivity options to what is only necessary with the MAG 321CUPDF, with the DisplayPort being designed for PC gaming and the two HDMI ports being for consoles. The USB-C is a nice addition for handy charging of portable devices, such as a smartphone. At 15W, this should accommodate most portable devices. There isn't the inclusion of any upstream or downstream USB ports, which was likely a decision made to keep the total cost of the monitor down, especially given the monitor is a VA panel rather than a more expensive IPS panel, which much of the competition is using.

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There isn't much more to the physical design of the MAG 321CUPDF; as I stated previously, MSI has taken the KISS approach here - Keep it Simple Stupid, and I like that very much, especially if the goal is to make this monitor as cheap as it possibly can be to undercut the competition.

Panel Breakdown

The MAG 321CUPDF makes a concession where other gaming monitor brands haven't - the use of a Rapid VA panel. For those who don't know, VA panels are considered to be old technology now since the adoption of Fast-IPS panels and now the gorgeous QD-OLED panels. However, there are still some use cases where they are applicable, and MSI is making a case for one with the MAG 321CUPDF.

Due to the age of VA panel technology, they are quite cheaper than the other aforementioned panels, meaning MSI can charge much less than the competition for the same monitor specifications (resolution, refresh rate, response time), but with a few concessions such as color accuracy and viewing angles.

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In the case of the MAG 321CUPDF, the viewing angles are quite a hit to the overall recommendation of this display, as the richness of the pixels changes severely when moving outside of the recommended viewing angles.

Why does this matter? It doesn't necessarily mean that much for general use desktop use as the user isn't typically moving around too much when using the display, but if the monitor is also being used to play media and cannot be correctly angled to where a user is watching from (e.g., laying down on a bed), there will be a hit in terms of quality. An additional problem with viewing angles is when two or more people are looking at the display at the same time, such as media viewing or co-op gaming.

Despite not having the most accurate color profile, the colors on the MAG 321CUPDF are still very rich and vivid. While they are certainly not at a level that's comparable to a QD-OLED panel, they are at the point where a typical gamer should find them satisfactory.

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The main feature of the MAG 321CUPDF is MSI's AI Dual-Mode, which automatically detects the current resolution and refresh rate and adjusts it when switching resolutions, removing the need to tweak Windows settings. The idea behind this feature is what it says on the top of the tin - automatic adjustment. Additionally, the MAG 321CUPDF's panel enables users to choose between different aspect ratios. This feature is particularly useful when selecting the 1080p option, as 1080p stretched across 32 inches is where we encounter the main problem with the monitor. Image clarity within the 1080p mode.

1920 x 1080p across 32 inches gives us 68.84 Pixels Per Inch (PPI), which, for those who don't know, is below the recommended 110 PPI for any given display. PPI, or the pixel density of the monitor, is considered the specification that translates to image clarity, with the general rule of thumb being the higher the PPI, the sharper the image and = better image clarity. Unfortunately, at 32 inches, 1080p looks incredibly stretched, making the image look blocky and, by my standards, not worth the trade-off for the increased refresh rate.

However, I understand that my standard for what a picture should look like may be higher than the average person's, and I also recognize that a competitive gamer may not necessarily care too much about image clarity if it means they get to play their game at 320Hz.

Performance

I tested the following games on the MAG 321CUPDF: Apex Legends, League of Legends, Valorant, God of War Ragnarok, Cyberpunk 2077, Black Myth: Wukong, Age of Mythology: Retold, Age of Empires IV, Overwatch 2, and Helldivers 2. Each of these titles performed as anticipated, with some shining more than others depending on the mode that was enabled.

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With any of the slower RPG/strategy titles such as God of War, Cyberpunk 2077, Age of Mythology: Retold, I used the display in the 4K mode, with the 160Hz being more than headroom. In all of the competitive titles, Valorant, Overwatch 2, League of Legends, I opted for the 1080p, enabling that full 320Hz refresh rate.

My conclusion? I prefer the 4K 160Hz mode over the 1080p 320Hz mode, as I believe the image clarity trade-off just isn't worth the increase in framerate. The severe trade off really made me wish there was a third mode for 2560 x 1440p (QHD) at 240Hz, as this would have been the perfect middle ground for image clarity and refresh rate. Notably, 1440p is a 91PPI, while still being shy of the recommended 110PPI, it will still be much clearer than 1080p.

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Despite my personal preference here, all of the features of the MAG 321CUPDF work as intended. Being able to easily switch between resolutions and framerates is an awesome feature that I believe many gamers will really appreciate, especially if the gamer is flexing between competitive and RPG titles quite regularly.

Final Thoughts

So, should you buy the MAG 321CUPDF? At a price that's expected to fall around the $500 mark, it's quite an eye-catching product, especially when you consider the competition from other notable brands such as ASUS and Alienware are up around the $800 range, albeit those monitors are IPS panels.

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MSI has attempted to undercut the competition with the MAG 321CUPDF, and with it being the world's first curved dual-mode monitor, the company has achieved what it has set out to do - make an affordable 4K/1080p dual-mode monitor with minimal bells and whistles.

As I have outlined many times throughout this review, the type of gamer that would benefit the most from this display is someone who is constantly flexing between slower games that benefit from increased resolution to further improve in-game graphics and faster-paced competitive titles where graphics are put on the back burner and refresh rate is all that matters.

It should also be noted that 27-inches displays with this same feature would likely be much more suitable for switching between 4K and 1080p, purely because of the PPI, as 4K across 27-inches is 163PPI, and 1080p is 81PPI. Pixel density within these ranges is much more manageable on the eyes than what the MAG 321CUPDF currently offers, but if you have your heart set on 32 inches and don't want to fork out for the OLED variants, there currently isn't a dual-mode monitor on the market with the same specs that's more affordable than the MAG 321CUPDF.