1440p no longer cutting it for you? MSI's $340 4K gaming monitor is a surprisingly cheap entry point into the world of high-res visuals (2024)

There's a lot you have to think about as you commit to a PC setup. You can get everything you need to run games at their absolute best but, if you don't have the monitor to get the most out of it, that power is wasted. So, if you've been thinking of making the upgrade up to a 4K screen to complement your high-end PC, there's a pretty sweet MSI deal at Amazon right now.

As mentioned above, it's a 4K panel, but that's not all this monitor has under the hood. It has a 144 Hz refresh rate, 1 ms response time, and FreeSync Premium—the AMD software which matches a game's frame rate and the monitor's refresh rate to avoid screen tearing. This is all to say your experience will be super smooth, with minimal frame issues. The MSI MAG274UPF is currently $340 at Amazon—$60 under its retail price, making an already excellent bit of tech even better.

We praised the monitor highly in our MSI MAG 274UPF review, taking particular note of its fantastic gaming performance and great HDR support. Though, at just 27 inches, it can be a little small for a 4K monitor, it's an excellent choice as a second monitor, or if you're trying to conserve a little bit of space on your desktop. It can also tilt and swivel, making it quite customizable too.

Given that it's a seriously nice 4K monitor on a very good budget, it has some drawbacks and its slightly lower refresh rate and lack of color depth for certain types of professional work may put you off. With support for DisplayHDR 400, colors will certainly pop but not quite as bright as its competition. You're not getting anything above that 400 nits rating in terms of peak luminance, but that is also the panel's typical brightness measurement, too, and that rock-solid, reliable brightness is arguably why it still does a decent job of HDR.

If you're looking for a good entryway into 4K, this is better than good—it's great. As I'd expect from a well-made monitor, it also has passthrough USB-A, USB-C, and Display Ports, allowing you to set up multiple devices to it, and even charge others from it. It can function as a hub in your desk in a pinch, making that value proposition even better. The MSI MAG does a little bit of everything at a good price.

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