Gaming & Final Thoughts
I’ve been using the Optix MPG341CQR for a few weeks now, mostly playing Apex Legends and Overwatch, but I have tried some racing and simulator games to take advantage of the wider, more immersive screen. Gaming on this display has been a blast. Now this is a VA panel, but it was able to keep up with all of the games I played on it. Large world or more immersive games are better for the ultrawide screen, but if you are heavy into FPS you can also just have your game take up the center of your screen then have Discord or stream chat on the side. For those wondering about FreeSync and G-Sync we tested both and they do work. Even though this is not a G-Sync certified displayed we were able to enable it in the NVIDIA Control Panel and it worked without any issues. This display is HDR400 certified, but with some pretty amazing HDR displays out there you really are not taking full advantage of HDR with only 400 nits of brightness.
I think at the end of the day this display is perfect for someone like me. I work on my computer all day and I need to be productive, but at the same time I do enjoy gaming and want to take advantage of my RTX 2080 Super. The MSI Optix MPG341CQR allows me to be productive with its 34-inch Ultrawide UWQHD (3440×1440) resolution. This way I have two monitors in one, I can run two windows side-by-side without crunching things down. The wider screen is also pretty awesome for working in Adobe Premier with the longer timeline and large preview windows.
On the gaming side you have a 144 Hz refresh rate, which is pretty awesome for an Ultrawide. This way I can really push the display and get the most out of my machine. My other Ultrawide is only 100 Hz and yes that is definitely better than 60 Hz, but 144 Hz takes things to a whole new level. Also FreeSync and G-Sync work pretty flawlessly in this display.
So besides the main specifications of the display MSI has loaded it with features. One of the biggest is their Gaming OSD software. No more going through on-screen menus with a joystick on the back of the display. Now you can do it all through software, which makes things so much easier. One thing that I really liked about the Gaming OSD was the Split Window feature. This allows you to easily organize your desktop with different layouts, I can see how this would be essential for gamers. The addition of the mouse bungee and camera mount are also great for gamers. I especially like the camera mount, since it is a standard thread you can put pretty much anything on it.
MSI does have some features on this display that I thought were sort of lack-luster. The built-in camera (which didn’t work for us) which is made for facial recognition and environment recognition to automatically set a profile or change brightness settings just does not seem needed. How many other people are you going to have sitting at your monitor that need their own profile? I just feel like its an extra cost. The second thing is the RGB lights on the front of the display. Unless you are playing CS:GO or DOTA2 these are more or less useless besides looking pretty.
I still think that this is an excellent display and one that I am not that happy to be taking off my desk. It gives me the ability to be productive, but also have a high performance gaming monitor. Many of the included accessories and features are quite useful as well. Right now you can pick this display at our favorite online retailer for $699.99. Overall ThinkComputers gives the MSI Optix MPG341CQR 34-inch 144 Hz Gaming Monitor a 9 out of 10 score.
Pros:
– Ultrawide, but also 144 Hz
– FreeSync and G-Sync compatiable
– MSI Gaming OSD
– Great accessories
– Solid stand
– USB hub & audio pass-through
Cons:
– Webcam didn’t work for us and just seems useless for most users
– Game support for front RGBs is lacking
