Review on MSI Optix MAG274QRF-QD 2560X1440 Monitor 🖥️ with Adjustable Stand, 165Hz, High Dynamic Range by Sam Stone

I've been using the monitor for about 2.5 months and I'm very happy with it. I bought this monitor based on the high ratings from independent reviewers Hardware Unboxed and RTINGS. The Reddit comments about MSI's poor quality control and the negative reviews about Revain scared me, but since Revain allows easy free returns I thought I'd give it a try or two. I'm not sure if I was lucky or if there are just disproportionate negative reviews, but I was happy with the monitor I received and kept it. It doesn't have any dead pixels and while there is some flare in one of the corners it's only noticeable when it's displaying a solid black image, it's not noticeable when the monitor is displaying anything else so it's not a problem and I do decided not to reroll the dice to get the monitor back and get the worst. The colors look very good. I followed the RTINGS suggestion and set up a user profile for it (Game -> Game Mode -> Custom) and set the brightness to 11, contrast to 70, sharpness to 0 and custom color temperature R:100,G:90,B : 92 set Since 11 is a very low brightness only suitable for evening/night (very dilated pupils), I increase the brightness when the room looks too bright and the display looks too dark. By default, the monitor has a blinding brightness of 70, which doesn't seem too bright at first glance, but will blind you if you open something white, e.g. B. a web page after viewing a non-white screen. some time. I usually set the brightness below 70, in the evening/night around 12 and during the day around 32 or 42. While playing, I can switch the color profile from Custom to Premium Color depending on the game (you can quickly select it by Just move the joystick up) for more stunning colors and toggle it back to Custom when exiting the game. It depends on the game though, as some of them don't look that good, for example Team Fortress 2 looks good with Premium Color and Vampire Survivor doesn't, so I'll leave it at user profile. My only criticism of the monitor is that it's $420 as of today (October 11, 2022) and was overpriced when I bought it in July. There are many other good 1440p 144Hz+ monitors out there, some of which are as low as $250. This monitor shouldn't cost more than $350, and even less is better. According to CamelCamelCamel, the monitor appeared on Revain around December 2020 for $450, down $30 less than two years later because the initial listing is too small.