There are plenty of high-refresh-rate monitors out there, but as the market has begun dipping its toes into the 500Hz waters, we as gamers have often had to accept the trade-off of lesser visual quality. When MSI created the MAG 272QP QD-OLED X50, it saw the other brands producing super-high refresh rate panels, and it said, “hold my gamer fuel”. Instead of accepting that norm, it decided to produce a 1440p, QHD, quantum dot OLED that can operate at up to 500Hz.
Usually, these 500Hz panels used in the upper echelon of Esports monitors are limited to 1080p. As a general rule, the higher the resolution, the more difficult it is to refresh it quickly. But with an OLED panel like the one in the MSI MAG 272QP QD-OLED X50 where the pixels are self-emitting and the panel can refresh much quicker, the sky is the limit, and this monitor’s 500Hz refresh rate applies at its 1440p resolution.
My fellow gamer, if you’re yet to harness the power of a high frame rate in your favourite competitive game, it’s time to set down your mouse, keyboard, controller, or whatever tools you play with, and listen. Your enemies aren’t besting you because they’re hacking; they’re probably just playing on a panel that refreshes quicker than yours. Seeing a competitive game running at a higher refresh rate display is no short of game-changing. There’s less motion blur, and you’re technically seeing your enemies ever so slightly faster than you would at a lower frame rate. If you play an FPS game where tracking your target with a mouse as they move is important, a high-refresh-rate panel is going to do wonders for your gameplay.
Now, in fairness, you’re going to need some very beefy hardware to produce a 500fps performance in your game of choice. But with modern upscaling techniques in both consoles and PCs, it can be possible in certain games. If you’re trying to climb the leaderboards or ranks of a competitive PVP game, a high refresh rate monitor is a must, and even if you don’t have the power to run a 500Hz panel to its maximum, you’re going to be insanely futureproofed if you have one. Here are just a few reasons why the MSI MAG 272QP QD-OLED X50 in particular is a good one to opt for.
500Hz Refresh Rate
With 500Hz to play with, you have the potential to play games at up to 500fps, which is an unbelievably high threshold. For reference, the PS5 Pro’s maximum frame rate is 120fps, and the majority of 1440p and 4K monitors can only reach up to around 240Hz. At 500Hz, the screen is able to refresh at over double the speed of the average gaming display, which will give you an undeniable advantage in your favorite game.
OLED Care 2.0 and a Three-Year Warranty
A lot of the arguments I hear about OLED panels (besides their usually high prices) are about the risks of burn-in and ageing. Thankfully, MSI is so on the ball here with OLED Care 2.0 certification. For those who don’t know, because OLED pixels work without a backlight, they can suffer from burn-in - where an idle image becomes a permanent fixture on your screen. MSI has put measures in place to dfend against that here, and even if you were to experience it, you’ve got a 3-year warranty in place with the MAG 272QP QD-OLED X50.
3rd Generation QD-OLED
Speaking of that OLED tech, it has to be one of the biggest wins of this monitor. Because each pixel is self-emitting, you’ll get astounding detail in gaming, watching movies or TV, or when just using your PC for general use. You’ll get excellent contrast and true black because the pixels that aren’t in use can just turn themselves off. You’ll get every pixel working to produce a beautifully clear image every time, and combined with quantum dot technology, the colors are going to be even more vivid.
0.3MS Response Time
It wouldn’t be an Esports monitor if latency wasn’t a priority. A 0.3MS response time means that there will only ever be a maximum of 0.3MS for the MAG 272QP QD-OLED X50 to produce the image that’s being kicked out of your graphics card, laptop, or console. Combine that with a 500Hz refresh rate and you’ve got peace of mind that you’re getting as little latency as possible.
