The bottom bezel is an inch high, while the top and side bezels are just 0.2 inch. The monitor itself was extremely sturdy and it feels very premium.

It’s not something you’d notice if you’re playing a casual game of Forza Horizon 4 through Xbox Games Pass. Chris Stobing is a hardware analyst at PCMag. It provides tilt and height adjustment, but no swivel which was a little disappointing.

The Optix MAG161V, MSI's first portable gaming monitor, lacks the signature gaming features of the company’s desktop monitors: a high peak refresh rate, adaptive-sync support, RGB lighting, and a mini-joystick-style menu controller, to name a few. Your subscription has been confirmed. Although the MSI OPTIX G241 comes with FHD and 24-inch display size, it is definitely enough for normal gaming and able to fit into almost every setup easily. Tony has worked at PC Magazine since 2004, first as a Staff Editor, then as Reviews Editor, and more recently as Managing Editor for the printers, scanners, and projectors team. One area though that is great is how deep the black levels are while still retaining some details. It’s also one of the few portable monitors with built-in stereo speakers. We tested the MAG161V’s contrast ratio at 1,066:1, also better than its 700:1 rating. We measured the luminance of the MAG161V's panel at 192.2 nits (candelas per meter squared), a little brighter than MSI's own 180-nit rating and within the narrow brightness range in which most portable monitors fall. On the ‘Fastest’ however, there is a noticeable ghosting.

He brings his experience benchmarking and reviewing consumer gadgets and PC hardware such as laptops, pre-built gaming systems, monitors, storage, and networking equipment to the team. For a general-purpose business and personal auxiliary monitor, we still recommend the Lenovo ThinkVision M14 (despite its smaller 14-inch screen). By Whitson Gordon. We tend to review earphones, headphones, speakers, smartphones, PC monitors & components, photography products, games, bla bla bla. It’s not a monitor for competitive gaming which is a shame. I have mine set on a fade type effect which cycles through all colours, but it was pretty pointless. The software enables you to change things like response times, brightness, contrast and all your finely tuned image settings, right through to the RGB strip on the back. This newsletter may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. The stand for example is made from metal, and fixes to the monitor using the VESA 100 mount. That said, not every portable monitor comes with speakers, period, so chalk up a pro in the Optix's favor simply for their presence. Related articles. Strangely enough there is also a USB-C input which will charge devices like my Google Pixel 4 or Macbook Pro, three USB 2.0 ports on the side which you can use for connecting keyboard, mice, memory sticks and the like and also a 3.5mm Audio Jack. The monitor also features a three-side borderless design for the top and sides, and the bottom bezel is also pretty skinny too. The frame is similar to that of Lenovo's Editors’ Choice-winning ThinkVision M14, which has a 14-inch screen that is also just 0.2 inch thick. Close.

In our color-coverage testing, the MAG161V covered a mere 64.4 percent of the sRGB spectrum (see the chart below). The panel is a 15.6-inch IPS screen with a native resolution of 1080p (1,920 by 1,080 pixels). On the left side of the MAG161V are a power switch, an audio-out jack, and a wheel for controlling the onscreen display (OSD) to adjust basic settings such as brightness, color mode, contrast, and volume. The MSI MAG321CURV gaming monitor is a brand new offering from the gaming company MSI, and is the first time that they’ve combined a curved monitor design with a 4K panel. It retails for around £450 online from various vendors. It retails for around £450 online from various vendors. BenQ Tips Steep Prime Day Discount. It can hit up to 103% of the sRGB colour spectrum, but only 78% DCI-P3 which means for games this is great, but for anyone wanting to do any kind of photography or videography colour work, it’s best to look elsewhere. The one exception is, again, the Lenovo ThinkVision M14, which turned in 97 percent sRGB coverage in our testing.

Likewise, the input lag on this monitor is pretty offputting, especially for PC gamers playing faster shooters like Counter Strike: Global Offensive or the like. You can buy the MSI Optix MAG241C Curved Gaming Monitor for around USD $299 $249 from Amazon – https://amzn.to/2LtqD1w . Personally, I preferred the app, as everything was on screen, and even though MSI have adopted for a joystick type interface to cycle through your menus, it’s nowhere near as innovative as having all the settings on screen in front of you.

The MSI MAG321CURV is far from the perfect monitor. That's a lackluster score, though much in line with the coverage of most recent portable monitors. Since it comes with a 144Hz refresh rate, you can enjoy a smooth gaming experience, especially if you are upgrading from a 60Hz monitor.. The maximum thickness of the panel itself is 11mm, which is the bottom section, where the ports reside. Subscribing to a newsletter indicates your consent to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

In addition to editing, Tony has written articles on digital photography and reviews of digital cameras, PCs, and iPhone apps Prior to joining the PCMag team, Tony worked for 17 years in magazine and journal production at Springer-Verlag New York. A quick Google at time of writing threw back a ton of results, so you can pick your favourite retailer. The Optix MAG161V, MSI's first portable gaming monitor, connects with a range of gaming consoles, smartphones, and computers. The inclusion of both USB-C and HDMI ports enables you to use the MAG161V with many smartphones as well as game consoles and laptops, while the second USB-C port lets you power the monitor through an adapter in situations where the host device can't deliver the necessary power load. For example, the Asus ZenScreen Touch covered 69.1 percent of sRGB, the Lepow 15.6-Inch USB-C Portable Monitor, 65.4 percent of sRGB, and the AOC I1601FWUX USB-C Portable Monitor, just 61.4 percent of sRGB. Not so the MSI model.

You can find out more on our Privacy Policy page. Its volume won’t knock your socks off, but it’s loud enough if you’re within a few feet of the monitor.

It looks like this monitor is still pretty new and there's not a lot of information out there about it so I figured I'd take the time to do a quick review and report some of my thoughts on this. MSI MPG Z390I Gaming Edge AC Motherboard Review; MSI GE63 Raider RGB 8SF (with GeForce RTX 2070) Gaming Laptop Review; MSI GeForce GTX 1660 Gaming X (6GB GDDR5) Graphics Card Review You may unsubscribe from the newsletters at any time. Updated: 8 Jul 2020 11:51 pm.

Unsurprisingly, with its 60Hz refresh rate, gameplay was pedestrian if you're used to play on a "true" high-refresh gaming monitor. Its housing is made from metal and actually looks like a pretty smart offering for the desk, as long as you have the room. According to https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/msi-optix-mag321curv, the type c port provides 15 wt. It's bright, with great image and color quality, and it packs a highly adjustable, user-friendly stand. MSI Optix G271 Review. These features, similar to those found on the Lepow 15.6-inch portable monitor, make it a good choice at least for casual gamers, not serious shooter hounds or esports types.

(The Lepow has a similarly floppy stand.). It's solid for casual gaming, but its brightness peak and overall color coverage are ho-hum at best. He won an award from the American Astronomical Society for an article he co-wrote for Sky & Telescope. Its built-in speakers, though modest, are rare on portable monitors and can provide sound when needed.

Keep an eye on your inbox! The contrast ratio is quoted at 2500:1 and is pretty good for a monitor like this. It took some practice to learn.

A quick Google at time of writing threw back a ton of results, so you can pick your favourite retailer. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Amateur Astronomers Association of New York and is a regular columnist for the club’s newsletter, Eyepiece. However, console gamers, don’t write this off just yet, as it has a sharp 4K image, and as you guys will be capped to 60Hz anyway, it fits hand in hand with this monitor. Being a VA panel, colour accuracy isn’t the best, and images can look slightly washed out. The whole thing is covered in an almost matte black finish, although it looks more grey if the right light hits it.