MSI MAG 272QP QD-OLED X50 Gaming Monitor Review: 500Hz = Godly Gaming

TweakTown Rating: 99%

Our Verdict

MSI's MAG 272QP QD-OLED X50 has now been crowned king of the 2560 x 1440p (QHD) gaming monitor market for its industry-leading performance. Want the best of the best? This is it.

Pros

• Impeccable motion clarity
• Unmatched 500Hz refresh rate
• Stunning in-game experience

Cons

• Too good for most games (could also be a pro)

Should you buy it?

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Introduction & Specification Details and Close-up

eSports gamers simply want as many frames as possible, and MSI has now provided a gaming monitor option to satisfy those wants. Introducing the MAG 272QP QD-OLED X50, the new king of QHD esports-orientated gaming monitors.

When it comes to eSports titles, the frame rate is the highest-value specification on a monitor, with resolution taking a back seat because it hinders the total number of frames that can be generated in-game. eSports gamers want as many frames as possible for the smoothest experience possible, enabling them to play their competitive title without any frame tearing, ghosting, or any other anomaly that could potentially result in losing the game.

MSI's new MAG 272QP QD-OLED X50 is the answer to all of those problems and is already the best 2560 x 1440p gaming monitor that money can buy, as it features a stunningly fast 500Hz refresh rate on a QD-OLED panel. This means players get those gorgeous, rich, milky colors from the OLED pixel technology and a buttery smooth frame rate to match. In short, there simply isn't anything else like this at the moment.

Specifications

Close-up

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Design

The physical design of the MAG 272QP QD-OLED X50 is the same as MSI's other MAG QD-OLED gaming monitor offerings, with it rocking an extremely thin 0.5mm panel width, thanks to the OLED pixel technology, a silver chin with the MSI branding located in the center, and below that an LED light that shines a misty white when the monitor is operational. This LED light changes to a red/yellow color while in standby or when carrying out the OLED Care features, which will be included in the Panel Breakdown section of the review.

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Directly behind the MSI branding, in the center of the chin, is a multi-directional joystick, which is straddled by two buttons. The left button is the power button, and the right button brings up the On-Screen Display (OSD) options. Both of these buttons have a nice clicky sound to them. Moving to the back of the display, the MAG 272QP QD-OLED X50 isn't littered with all of the connectivity options found on other high-end MSI gaming monitors, but I don't think they are super necessary here as the MAG 272QP QD-OLED X50, which we will now call the 272QP X50 for the remainder of the review, is strictly aimed at eSports gamers, who typically don't need a lot of connectivity options.

While that is a correct assumption, I still would have liked to see MSI place a USB-C PD port next to the LED status light indicator for easy charging of devices, such as smartphones or tablets. eSports gamers may not care about having four extra USB ports and a USB-B cable to connect to their PC, but they have smartphones that need charging.

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So, if the 272QP X50 doesn't have a lot of connectivity options, what does it have? 2x HDMI 2.1 (WQHD@500Hz), 1x DisplayPort 1.4a (HBR3), and 1x USB Type-C (DP alt.) w/ 15W PD. These are some high-quality connectivity options, with each of the ports being capable of reaching that peak 500Hz refresh rate, even over USB-C. The reason I wish there was an additional USB-C port for charging located directly next to the LED light or somewhere on the underside of the display is that I believe many gamers may not find it convenient to have to turn their display around to locate the charging port with their charging cable.

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Having an additional port on the underside allows a user to simply locate the port with their finger and slot in the cable. While this may sound like splitting hairs, as the difference in distance from where I would like the port to be and where the port is currently (next to the HDMI/DisplayPort connectors) is minuscule, I think it makes all the difference as now the charging port is within arms reach and charging can begin in a matter of seconds, versus having to turn the display around with two hands and trying to slot in the cable next to already plugged in HDMI and DisplayPort connectors.

Be that as it may, the USB-C port on the 272QP X50 does come with 15W of PD charging. The 272QP X50 is housed in a hard plastic shell that features the iconic MSI dragon on the left-side of the back enclosure that housing all of the monitors components, including the power board, which is built internally on this display. Located at the top of the enclosure are grill holes for cooling and an RBG MSI logo that can be changed in the OSD settings or within MSI's downloadable software.

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The stand that comes with the 272QP X50 offers great adjustability, with height and swivel options and a single-foot base that has a small footprint, reducing the amount of desktop real estate. All round, the design of the 272QP X50 is exactly what you would expect out of a high-end gaming monitor of this caliber, great.

Panel Breakdown

QD-OLED pixel technology is the best-of-the-best when it comes OLED panels and gaming monitors. Simply put, nothing beats them. They have exceptional response times, incredible color profiles, and beautifully thin panels. The 272QP X50 is no different in this regard, as it's rocking the latest QD-OLED panel from Samsung Display, capable of that 500Hz refresh rate that is main value proposition here.

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As for pixel density, or Pixel Per Inch (PPI), the 272QP X50 has a 109 PPI, making its image clarity on the lower end of the recommended PPI for a monitor. For those who don't know, the higher the PPI, the sharper the image, and by comparison, a 4K resolution monitor in the same size 27-inch panel would have a 163 PPI. The difference between those two displays is night and day when it comes to image clarity, but the 4K variant isn't aimed at eSports gamers, more cinematic experiences in open-world RPG titles, as its maximum refresh rate is 240Hz.

With that being said, the 109 PPI on the 272QP X50 is more than adequate for the average gamer, and while being on the lower side of the recommended scale, it still is enough to make images look clear and crisp. Moreover, the 108 PPI is enough to smooth out any text fringing, making the 272QP X50 a suitable monitor for word processing tasks between games.

UFO Test

Below are comparisons between 60, 120, 240, 360, and 500 FPS in League of Legends. As you can see as we get closer to the 360 and 500Hz the image begins to completely stabilize and motion clarity becomes almost perfect. It should be noted the videos don't do the performance justice, and in person the image quality is much, much better than what was captured at 240FPS in Slow Motion.

OLED Care

MSI has outfitted the 272QP X50 with an array of OLED Care features and each are intended to reduce the likelihood of burn-in occurring. It should be noted burn-in won't occur on your display if the image you are looking at is constantly changing, such as being in-game, or watching multimedia content in full-screen, as each pixel is being refreshed as the image is being displayed. Burn-in only occurs when the monitor is left with the same image on the screen for prolonged periods.

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With that hopefully stress-reducing disclaimer out of the way, MSI has equipped the 272QP X50 with an array of OLED Care features to further reduce the chances of burn-in. Those features can be seen below, and I highly recommend turning them all on. The OLED Care features are as follows: Pixel Shift, Panel Protect, Protect Notice, Static Screen Detection, Multi Logo Detection, Taskbar Detection, and Boundary Protection. These arrived switched on out of the box, but I do recommend checking to see if they are turned on, just in case.

MSI has fixed one of my biggest problems with its previous generations of OLED panels, and that is the panel protect feature, particularly its panel protect notice, which informs the user when the monitor has exceeded 16 hours of use. After this period of time, the monitor had to enter into the Panel Protect process, which turns the screen black for several minutes as the monitor carries out the pixel cleaning process - mitigating that nasty burn-in.

However, for power users, including myself, this was a particular problem as the notice would pop up right in the middle of the screen impeding my vision of the game I was playing underneath. Additionally, you would be unable to cancel the Panel Protect process as the maximum active time for the monitor had been exceeded.

MSI has since fixed this problem by bumping up the Panel Protect notice from 16 hours to 24 hours.

Performance

As with all of my gaming monitor reviews, I like to test the monitor I have under the spotlight in a variety of different titles to determine what type of game it performs best in and, ultimately, what type of gamer would be best suited for the display. For the 272QP X50, I tested it in the following titles: League of Legends, Apex Legends, Overwatch 2, Black Myth: Wukong, Cyberpunk 2077, The Witcher 3, God of War Ragnarok, Valorant, DOOM: The Dark Ages, Overwatch 2, and Age of Mythology: Retold.

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The 272QP X50 performed exceptionally in every title I threw at it. There wasn't a single one where I felt the display was lacking in any regard. In each title, the colors were pungent, rich, and milky, providing a vibrant, immersive feel to each world I stepped in, while the 500Hz refresh rate made everything extremely smooth. Now, not every game I tested was able to take full advantage of that insane refresh rate, but in the games that could, such as League of Legends, Valorant, Overwatch 2, DOOM: The Dark Ages, and Apex Legends, it was absolutely phenomenal.

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It shouldn't be understated what an experience the 272QP X50 was able to provide in specific titles such as Valorant, Overwatch 2, and DOOM: The Dark Ages, as in each fast camera movements are absolutely necessary for survival, and due to the impeccable motion clarity the 272QP X50 can provide, I felt incredibly dangerous in each game my enemies were unlucky enough to find me in their same lobby. Or, in the case of The Dark Ages, every single demon that hell threw at me.

At a QHD resolution and OLED color profiles I was able to maintain a crisp visual fidelity without having to drop down to 1920 x 1080, which isn't a resolution I'm particularly fond of on a 27-inch display due to the PPI.

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How does it compare to other refresh rates? Well, switching from 144Hz to 500Hz feels like a night and day difference in terms of how smoothly the camera moves around in-game, but the biggest difference has to be motion clarity. Objects, enemies, or anything else moving on screen were much more difficult for my eyes to track when playing at a locked 144Hz, especially compared to the other higher refresh rates such as 240Hz and 360Hz.

Now, I should say the motion clarity and general smoothness at those higher refresh rates are still incredibly good, and the difference between them gets smaller and smaller as 500Hz gets closer. For example, the difference between 240Hz and 500Hz is quite stark, and was immediately felt/seen when I switched to 500Hz, while the difference between 360Hz and 500Hz was relatively minor. Still noticeable, but not jaw-droppingly different.

In general, the gaming performance for the 272QP X50 is honestly quite hard to put into words and is one of those things that needs to felt rather than read about/watched.

Final Thoughts

So, should you buy the MAG 272QP QD-OLED X50 for $849? If you are a competitive gamer and are looking to get the best monitor you can possibly get for all your competitive titles. You have now found it. Don't walk, run to the store and get one now.

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However, I wouldn't recommend the 272QP X50 to anyone who already owns a 360Hz OLED panel unless you simply want the best of the best. If you already own a 360Hz OLED panel, the difference you'll feel/see between 360Hz and 500Hz is relatively small. It's still there, but it's not worth the upgrade, in my opinion. If you are sitting on a 144Hz or 240Hz panel, definitely consider buying the 272QP X50, as you will absolutely feel a difference that is enough to warrant the upgrade.

Ultimately, MSI has pushed the envelop of competitive gaming monitors with the 272QP X50, and while faster panels do exist, such as 600Hz gaming monitors, none of these are OLED monitors, meaning they fall painfully short of the 272QP X50 in every other aspect besides maximum refresh rate. Those other displays, and any other competitive gaming monitor for that matter, are now forced to bow to the king of QHD (1440p) competitive gaming monitors.

The new king was just crowned.