MSI MAG 321CUPDF 160Hz+ VA Dual Mode Screen
As an Amazon Associate and Newegg Affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases made using the “Buy” button at the bottom of this post. Where possible, you'll be redirected to your nearest store. Further information on supporting our work.~32″ VA models offer strong immersion and relatively good contrast, with a high pixel density and refresh rate as additional benefits in some cases. One model offering this experience is the MSI MAG 321CUPDF, running at 160Hz in its native resolution and 320Hz for the Full HD resolution. HDMI 2.1 is included to allow a 120Hz ‘4K’ UHD signal to be used on games consoles such as the Xbox Series X and PS5. The monitor has a simple dark matte design, with ‘penguin foot’ stand base. Dual-stage bezels are included with slim panel border flush with the rest of the screen, plus thin hard plastic outer part. The OSD (On Screen Display) is controlled by a joystick at the rear of the monitor, towards the right side as viewed from the front. Shortcut keys can be set up to allow easy switching between native operation and the double refresh rate Full HD experience.
A 31.5″ 3840 x 2160 (‘4K’ UHD) ‘Rapid VA’ panel is adopted, with matte anti-glare screen surface and 1500R (moderate) curve to help draw you into the experience a bit. A 160Hz refresh rate is supported at the native resolution alongside 320Hz at 1920 x 1080 (Full HD or 1080p). VRR is supported via Adaptive-Sync and HDMI 2.1 VRR, allowing technologies such as AMD FreeSync Premium and Nvidia ‘G-SYNC Compatible’ to be used, with 60 – 160Hz (60 – 320Hz @1080p) VRR range plus LFC. A 3000:1 static contrast ratio is specified alongside 178°/178° viewing angles and 10-bit (8-bit + FRC) colour support. A flicker-free WLED backlight delivers a 350 cd/m² (400 cd/m² HDR peak) typical maximum luminance and 97% DCI-P3 (93% Adobe RGB, 136% sRGB) colour gamut. Low Blue Light (LBL) settings are included to potentially improve viewing comfort.
A ‘0.5ms grey to grey min’ response time is specified, but don’t pay too much attention to this figure. VESA DisplayHDR 400 support is included, allowing the monitor to respond to HDR10 in a basic way. 10-bit colour reproduction can be used and the reasonable colour gamut put to good use, but brightness is limited by HDR standards and no local dimming is specified. The stand provides tilt and height (130mm or 5.12 inches) adjustment. It attaches centrally and can be removed to reveal 100 x 100mm VESA holes for alternative mounting. The ports face downwards and include; 2 HDMI 2.1 (48 Gbps) ports, DP 1.4 (with DSC), USB-C (15W, DP Alt Mode), a 3.5mm headphone jack and a DC power input (external ‘power brick’). 2-device PbP and PiP is also supported.
Further details can be found on the manufacturer’s website. The monitor is listed with a ~$500 USD RRP.
