MSI MPG321UR-QD 32″ 144Hz 4K IPS model with HDMI 2.1
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.For both work and play, many consider the combination of ~32″ screen size and ‘4K’ UHD resolution a winning one. There’s a renewed focus on combining this with high refresh rates, to take advantage of the graphical power now offered by modern systems. The MSI MPG321UR-QD of the Optix series offers this attractive combination. It also offers HDMI 2.1 support, offering a 120Hz ‘4K’ UHD experience for the PS5 and Xbox Series X. Styling is similar to others in the series; plenty of dark grey matte plastics, nothing too adventurous. The top and side bezels adopt a dual-stage design, with slender panel border flush with the rest of the screen and a slim hard plastic outer part. An ambient light sensor is included, allowing the screen to adjust its brightness and colour temperature according to room lighting. 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.
A 32″ 3840 x 2160 (‘4K’ UHD) IPS-type panel is used, more specifically an AUO AHVA panel. A 144Hz refresh rate is supported alongside Adaptive-Sync, including Nvidia’s ‘G-SYNC Compatible Mode’ with a 48 – 144Hz VRR range plus LFC. Other aspects of note include; a 1000:1 static contrast ratio, 178°/178° viewing angles and 10-bit colour support. A flicker-free Quantum Dot LED backlight provides a 99% Adobe RGB and 97% DCI-P3 colour gamut, alongside a 400 cd/m² typical maximum luminance (600 cd/m² HDR peak). The monitor includes colour space emulation modes for sRGB, DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB. VESA DisplayHDR 600 is supported, allowing the monitor to put its colour gamut, 10-bit colour and peak luminance to good use for HDR10 content. It also requires at least some degree of local dimming, with 16-zone local dimming assumed in this case as with similar competing models.
The monitor also includes Low Blue Light (LBL) settings, whilst a strobe backlight setting called ‘MPRT Sync’ is available with specified 1ms MPRT response time. This can be used alongside VRR if you wish. ‘Mystic Light’ RGB LED lighting is included at the rear, with a range of material textures and some bronze-coloured elements adding some visual interest. The stand offers tilt, swivel and height (100mm or 3.94 inches) adjustment and attaches centrally via a quick-release mechanism. It can be removed to reveal 100 x 100mm VESA holes for alternative mounting. The ports face downwards and include; AC power input (internal power converter), 2 HDMI 2.1 ports, DP 1.4, USB-C (15W PD, DP Alt Mode, upstream data), 6 USB 2.0 ports plus 3 upstream (Type-B), a 3.5mm headphone jack, 3.5mm microphone jack and 3.5mm combo jack. With its plethora of USB ports, the monitor also supports KVM with sharing of peripherals and quick display input switching between 2 separate systems.
Further details can be found on the manufacturer’s website. The monitor is listed for ~$900 USD.
