MSI MPG 341CQPX Review: 3440×1440 240Hz OLED Curved UltraWide Gaming Monitor

Update: A new FW.020 firmware update is now available.

The MSI MPG 341CQPX is the first gaming monitor available based on Samsung’s 34″ 3440×1440 240Hz QD-OLED panel, providing you with a boost in refresh rate compared to the previous-gen 175Hz models. Let’s see how it handles our tests!

Image Quality

Like every OLED display, the first thing that catches your eye is the deep and inky blacks thanks to the infinite contrast ratio and per-pixel dimming – unlike LED-backlit LCDs, OLED displays can individually turn off pixels, resulting in true blacks.

The next thing that got our attention on the MSI MPG 341CQPX monitor is the exceptionally vibrant colors, provided by the QD-OLED panel.

For our testing, we’re using the Datacolor SpyderX Pro colorimeter paired with DisplayCAL and HCFR software. Note that our tests were done using the FW.008 and FW.018 monitor firmware versions (more info about the differences below).

We measured an impressive 165.3% sRGB color gamut volume with 100% sRGB, 97.4% DCI-P3 and 95.7% Adobe RGB color space coverage. This results in noticeably more saturated and vibrant colors in comparison to LG’s W-OLED panels.

The MSI MPG 341CQPX also offers excellent factory calibration with Delta E < 2, dedicated color presets for sRGB, DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB color space, and 178° wide viewing angles that ensure the image remains flawless regardless of the angle you’re looking at the screen. Therefore, the monitor is fit for professional color-critical work for photo editing, video editing and printing.

Now, out of the box, the monitor is in the ‘User’ mode with the panel’s native color gamut. This results in over-saturation of sRGB / SDR content, hence the high average Delta E of 3.22 (target is < 1.5) and maximum Delta E of 8.23 (target is < 3).

Some users might prefer this over-saturation as it adds more color vibrance and shade variety, but there’s an sRGB emulation mode available in case you want to clamp the gamut down to ~100% sRGB for accurate SDR colors.

Next, the color temperature performance is excellent at 6533K (target is 6500K), so the whitepoint won’t have any colored tint. Gamma tracking is decent at 2.15 average (target is 2.2). Some darker shades will be a bit darker than intended (as the monitor targets the flat 2.2 gamma rather than the sRGB tone curve), light shades a bit brighter, while mid-tones are accurate in SDR mode.

Sadly, there are no other gamma modes available in the OSD (On-Screen Display) menu, but you can use the ‘Night Vision AI’ feature to improve visibility in dark scenes without over-brightening regular scenes.

Note that there’s a visual bug in the OSD menu. The factory default preset (Game Mode) is ‘User’. However, when you open the menu, ‘Premium Color’ will be marked instead even though ‘User’ is active.

Once you enter the sub-menu to choose between Game Modes, you’ll notice that ‘Premium Color’ over-saturated the colors even further, as in, it pushes the colors too much, so you actually lose on shade variety. Therefore, we recommend sticking with the ‘User’ mode if you want a colorful image.

Other Game Modes include FPS, Racing, RTS and RPG, though we don’t recommend using these modes as they’re not accurate.

In the Professional menu, under Pro Mode, you’ll find additional image presets, including Eco, User, Anti-Blue, Movie, Office, sRGB, Adobe RGB and DCI-P3.

The sRGB mode improves SDR image accuracy by clamping the gamut down to 99.8% (102.7% volume), which brings down to the Delta E average to 0.76, and the maximum Delta E down to 1.69. Gamma follows the sRGB tone curve more accurately (2.14 average), while the color temperature is excellent at 6429K.

Note that these modes lock color temperature settings. Luckily, color temperature is accurate enough, but in case you wish to change it, there are alternatives, such as using software clamping (AMD Custom Color, novideo_srgb tool for NVIDIA), which clamps the gamut down to 99.6% (104.7% volume).

MSI also provides an ICC profile on the MSI MPG 341CQPX product page, which we tested as well (gamma average 2.11, Delta E average 1.4, Delta E maximum 3.06). We’ll also have our ICC profile linked down below.

Related:How To Install An ICC Profile On Windows 10

Next, the Adobe RGB preset clamps the Adobe RGB color gamut volume down to 98.1% from 113.9% (95.6% coverage) with an average Delta E of 0.63 and a maximum of 2.47. Gamma tracking and whitepoint are accurate, flat 2.2 and 6399K, respectively.

Finally, the DCI-P3 reduces the gamut volume down to 104.4% from 117.1% (96.9% color space coverage). The average Delta E is excellent at 0.91, while the maximum is fairly high at 4.74 – though it’s only an issue for reds as the monitor lacks coverage in that area.

Color temperature is excellent at 6416K, while the gamma average is 2.2 instead of 2.6, so a more appropriate name for this mode would be ‘Display P3’ which is suited for macOS.

Overall, the MSI MPG 341CQPX offers excellent factory calibration with plenty of customization, and it’s fit for color-critical work. For professional work, a colorimeter may be required to fine-tune some gamma tracking.

After a full calibration, we managed to improve things further. When selecting the ‘Customization’ color temperature preset, the monitor is limited to around 80-nits as all color channels are at 50 by default.

Increasing them to 100 will provide the standard brightness of around 255-nits peak. Then, we decreased red to 98, blue to 97 and left green at default 100 for 6490K color temperature (the closest we could get to 6500K).

The gamma now follows the sRGB tone curve accurately, and Delta E maximum is reduced to 1.13, and the average down to 0.29. We used a brightness setting of 34 / 100 for 120-nits. You can download our ICC profile here.

Moving on, we measured a maximum brightness of 260-nits, and a minimum of 31-nits in the User mode. You can further bring the brightness down to 12-nits by selecting the ‘Customization’ color temperature preset (with RGB channels at 50).

As you can see, OLED displays have a lot lower peak brightness than LED-backlit LCDs, however, we find that a brightness of 260-nits is more than bright enough under normal lighting conditions.

There’s also no ‘Unform Brightness’ toggle available, which we believe is a good thing as it prevents the annoying ABL (Automatic Brightness Limiter) behavior where the brightness levels would change depending on APL (Average Picture Level, or white window size). Of course, ABL is active in the HDR mode, which is why we recommend activating HDR only when watching HDR content.

If you plan on using the monitor under strong studio lighting or facing a big window without any curtains/blinders, it won’t be able to get bright enough to mitigate glare. This monitor isn’t intended for those viewing conditions anyway since it has a glossy screen finish that offers a more vivid image quality, but is quite reflective.

Moreover, since it lacks a polarizer, when the screen is hit with direct lighting, it will raise black levels. As long as there’s no lighting directly pointed at the screen though, this won’t be an issue and you’ll be able to enjoy a crispier image than that of matte anti-glare coatings that add graininess.

Subpixel Layout

Moving on, the MSI MPG 341CQPX has a 3440×1440 resolution, which results in a decent pixel density of 109 PPI (pixels per inch), meaning that you get plenty of screen real estate with sharp text and details, and no scaling necessary.

The 21:9 ultrawide format further improves the viewing experience by extending your field of view in compatible games. The extra horizontal screen space is also very useful for productivity work and audio/video editing.

Now, Samsung’s 34″ 3440×1440 240Hz QD-OLED panel has the same triangular subpixel layout as the older 175Hz panel, which is a shame considering that the other newer panels use the better diamond-shaped subpixel layout.

This will cause minor green and magenta fringing on small text and fine details, however, it’s not noticeable in games and videos.

The fringing is not as noticeable as that of LG’s RWBG W-OLED panels, and we actually didn’t find it bothersome during everyday use and even work-related tasks (a lot of reading and typing).

Samsung’s newer QD-OLED panels with the diamond-shaped subpixel layout and LG’s RGWB W-OLED panels have even less noticeable fringing.

Risk of Burn-in

Another issue with OLED displays is the risk of permanent image burn-in and temporary image retention. When an image stays on the screen for too long, there’s a chance that bright static objects can remain permanently visible as an afterimage.

However, as long as you use the monitor sensibly and play varied content, it shouldn’t be an issue.

MSI even offers a 3-year warranty that covers burn-in, as well as plenty of additional features that reduce the risk of it occurring. To start with, the MSI MPG 341CQPX has active cooling via a heatsink instead of a cooling fan.

This provides more effective cooling that reduces the risk of burn-in. It’s also more silent and reliable since cooling fans can be loud and fail in time.

You’ll also find additional features in the OSD (On-Screen Display) menu, including:

• Pixel Shift – moves the entire image by a few pixels every now and then (three frequency levels available, cannot be disabled)
• Panel Protect – refreshes the pixels every 4 or 16 cumulative hours (takes around 9 minutes)
• Static Screen Detection – lowers the brightness after detecting that a static image remains on the screen
• Multi Logo Detection – lowers the brightness of static elements
• Taskbar Detection – lowers the brightness of the taskbar area
• Boundary Detection – lower the brightness when vertical lines, boundaries, letters, pillars, etc are detected

Note that Static Screen, Multi Logo, Taskbar and Boundary detection features are disabled by default. We recommend using Static Screen Detection. Multi Logo, Taskbar and Boundary features cannot work at the same time as VRR.

HDR

The MSI MPG 341CQPX supports HDR (High Dynamic Range) with VESA’s DisplayHDR 400 True Black certification.

Thanks to its OLED panel with per-pixel dimming, the monitor is capable of producing a true HDR viewing experience by simultaneously displaying bright highlights and deep blacks, as well as vibrant colors and true 10-bit color depth for smooth gradients with less banding artifacts.

There are two HDR modes: ‘True Black 400‘ (default) and ‘Peak 1000 nits‘. The former was limited to 461-nits in our tests, while the latter can reach around 1000-nits (952-nits peak measured) for 3% and smaller APL, providing you with punchier highlights. Both modes have a color temperature of 6600K, so there’s no noticeable tint to the whitepoint.

The True Black 400 mode is a bit brighter than Peak 1000 nits for APL larger than 10%, but the highlights are lacking. We highly recommend using the ‘Peak 1000 nits’ mode instead of the ‘True Black 400’ mode since it’s brighter and more accurate.

Above, you can see the PQ EOTF tracking for both modes. The True Black 400 modes is more accurate between 30% and 70% white, but between 60% and 90% white, it over-brightens the image too much, which leads to over-exposure, that is, loss of details in highlights of the image.

The Peak 1000 nits modes is a bit darker than intended between 30% and 70% white, and slightly brighter for 80% white. Overall, it’s more accurate and allows for a higher peak brightness, which is why we recommend using this mode.

Here’s how the brightness performance of the MSI MPG 341CQPX compares to that of the ASUS PG27AQDM with LG’s W-OLED panel. As you can see, the PG27AQDM is brighter between 25% and 5% APL, while the MPG341CQPX is brighter for larger >50% APL and 3% or smaller APL.

Using the Peak 1000 nits mode, we also measured brightness in a few real scenes, including the ‘Security Services’ sign in ‘Cyberpunk 2077’ (672-nits), the Sun in ‘A Perfect Planet’ at 00:43.603 (520-nits) and the light from the lighthouse from Samsung’s Chasing The Light video at 1:20.175 (970-nits). We measured using the True Black 400 mode as well, and got 434-nits, 367-nits and 464-nits, respectively.

Now, LG’s newer W-OLED panels have a higher maximum brightness of up to 1,300-nits on paper (for < 3% APL). However, note that these refer to white luminance. Samsung’s QD-OLED panels have a higher color luminance (color volume, that is, colors are brighter), which in addition to the wider color gamut results in a higher perceived brightness.

Next, thanks to the monitor’s wide color gamut, colors are vibrant in HDR. There’s a bit of over-saturation since the display goes beyond the DCI-P3 color space. If you want more accurate colors in HDR, you can use the DCI-P3 mode, though most users will likely prefer the extra color vibrancy of the native panel.

Performance

The 240Hz refresh rate provides you with a small but noticeable boost in motion clarity in comparison to the previous-gen 175Hz models. The difference is not as obvious as going from 60Hz to 120Hz+, but you still get a ~1.5ms lower latency thanks to the ~37% faster refresh rate.

For pixel response time speed and input lag testing, we’re using OSRTT. We’re also using Blur Buster’s UFO ghosting test with 960 Pixels Per Sec, shutter speed set to 1/4 of the refresh rate with fixed focus, ISO and color temperature (6500K). Before the tests, the monitor was calibrated and warmed up.

One of the main strengths of OLED displays is the instantaneous pixel response time speed, which results in no visible ghosting behind fast-moving objects.

You may notice some strange readings in the table below (high overshoot and pixel transition speed being around the refresh rate cycle instead of ~1ms). This is due to the way OLED displays operate – there are minor fluctuations in brightness in sync with the refresh rate that cause the OSRTT device to pick up these odd readings.

These fluctuations aren’t noticeable to the naked eye and won’t cause eye strain or headaches after prolonged use as is the case with PWM flicker. There are also no ghosting or overshoot artifacts noticeable in real use as you’ll be able to see in Blur Buster’s UFO ghosting test below.

The pixel response time speed is instantaneous regardless of the refresh rate, so there’s no need for variable or different overdrive modes.

We’re using Blur Busters’ pursuit camera UFO ghosting test to illustrate how these measures translate to real use.

Here’s how the motion performance of the MSI MPG 341CQPX compares to several other displays, including the BenQ XL2566K with a 360Hz refresh rate and backlight strobing technology.

Variable refresh rate (VRR) is supported for tear-free gameplay up to 240FPS. Although there are no official AMD FreeSync Premium or NVIDIA G-SYNC Compatible certifications yet, VRR works without any issues with a 48-240Hz dynamic range and LFC support. HDMI 2.1 VRR is supported as well.

All OLED displays are prone to minor VRR brightness flickering in dark scenes of games with fluctuating frame rates, though we haven’t detected any in our tests where VA panels usually exhibit flickering. It might vary depending on your particular unit, PC system specs, video game, settings, etc.

Next, the MSI MPG 341CQPX monitor has impressive image uniformity with less than 1% brightness and contrast deviation across the entire panel.

We also didn’t find any dead or stuck pixels, pixel inversion artifacts, frame skipping or other issues. Since OLED panels don’t use a backlight, there are no IPS/VA glow, backlight bleeding or FALD blooming visual artifacts present either.

There’s also a ‘Low Blue Light’ mode that reduces color temperature to 4889K for a more comfortable viewing experience at night.

FW.008 vs FW.018 Display Latency

With the initial FW.008 firmware version, we measured higher display latency than ideal – 9.09ms at 240Hz, 18.29ms at 120Hz and 24.43ms at 60Hz.

MSI provided us with the newer FW.018 firmware, and the results were significantly better – 3.03ms at 240Hz, 5.65ms at 120Hz and 13.05ms at 60Hz.

As these values are below the respective refresh rate cycle, there’s no perceptible delay between your actions and the result you see on the screen.

When using the HDMI 2.1 port and selecting the ‘Console’ compatibility mode in the OSD menu, you also have access to a virtual 4K 120Hz resolution that allows consoles to simultaneously utilize 4K 120Hz + VRR + HDR. We also measured low display latency here of 4.91ms.

So, for optimal performance, make sure your MSI MPG 341CQPX is running a firmware version newer than FW.008.

Besides the lower latency, the FW.018 firmware (or newer) also brings you the following features:

• DSC on/off toggle
• HDMI 2.1 compatibility mode – ‘Console’ for virtual 4K 120Hz and ‘PC’ for 5120×2160 resolution via upscaling (AMD Virtual Super Resolution, NVIDIA DSR/DLDSR, etc.)
• Power LED indicator toggle
• 24.5″ and 27″ screen size emulation modes
• The monitor now returns to its previous state after Panel Protect instead of turning off

You can now download the FW.020 firmware from MSI’s website here.

To update the firmware, you’ll need to install the MSI Gaming Intelligence application, have your monitor connected to your PC via a USB-A to USB-B cable and via a DisplayPort cable.

In the MSI Gaming Intelligence application, click on the cog icon and ‘Scaler’ under ‘Firmware Update’, then select the downloaded file. The update process will take a few minutes, after which you’ll be asked to unplug the monitor’s power cable.

Note that you must not disconnect the monitor from power while the update process takes place, otherwise, you might damage the display. So, attempt this at your own risk. To prevent other issues, don’t connect any other monitors to your PC and disconnect all unnecessary USB devices.

Features

Behind the bottom bezel of the screen, there’s a directional joystick for quick and easy navigation through the OSD menu. You’ll also find a dedicated power button and a macro key next to the joystick. The power LED also protrudes from the bottom bezel and shines white when the screen is on and amber in standby (blinking amber when ‘panel protect’ is active). The LED can be disabled in the OSD menu.

The OSD menu is well-organized and neatly depicts important information at the top, such as active refresh rate and resolution, VRR and HDR status, etc.

The MSI MPG 341CQPX also supports the Gaming Intelligence software, which allows you to make all of your OSD-related settings (and more) in a desktop application given that your monitor is connected to your PC via a USB-A to USB-B cable. The macro hotkey on the monitor is used to summon the Gaming Intelligence application when it’s installed, but it can also be assigned to different functions.

In the app, you can also assign different keyboard shortcuts for certain OSD functions, update the firmware, change the location of on-screen timers, make split window layouts, time auto shutdown, etc. – all in addition to everything you can already do in the OSD menu with a joystick.

You’ll also find all the standard image adjustment tools, such as brightness, contrast, color temperature, sharpness and aspect ratio control (4:3, 16:9, 21:9, 1:1, auto). Automatic input detection is supported as well.

Useful gaming features include Night Vision, AI Vision, Smart Crosshair, Optix Scope, a refresh rate tracker, on-screen timers and Screen Size.

The Night Vision feature has an ‘AI’ option, which we’ve found quite useful as it improves visibility in dark scenes (especially given the slightly darker gamma out of the box) without over-brightening the areas that are already bright.

In the example above from Fallout: New Vegas, you can see how the AI mode improves visibility just as much as the ‘Strongest’ mode but without washing out the image. The AI Vision feature just uses the Night Vision AI mode with increased sharpness, though we haven’t found it to be as useful.

The Optix Scope feature puts a rectangle on the screen that zooms in the image for better precision in FPS games (you can change the size and zoom intensity).

There are six different crosshair overlays to choose from. You can also change its position and color (white, red or auto – it dynamically changes depending on the background).

Under the ‘Screen Size’ settings in the OSD menu, you’ll also find 24.5″ and 27″ ultrawide emulation modes.

Next, the MSI MPG 341CQPX supports Picture in Picture and Picture by Picture modes, allowing you to simultaneously display two PCs side by side in different (and customizable) configurations.

KVM is supported as well, which allows you to use one set of keyboard and mouse for two PCs connected to the screen. You can swap between the two sources by changing the USB option (between type B and C) in the OSD menu. It’s the first option once you open the menu, so it only takes a second to swap.

Other options in the OSD menu include:

• Assigning different shortcuts to the joystick (up, down, left, right)
• OSD settings (language, timeout, transparency)
• Power button (whether pressing it causes the monitor to power off or go in standby)
• Reset to factory defaults
• HDMI CEC (when connected to a console, the monitor will turn on when you power the console)
• Info. On Screen (shows a window with active input, resolution, refresh rate, mode, SDR/HDR and color depth)

Design & Connectivity

The MSI MPG 341CQPX boasts premium design quality with a sturdy metal stand and decent ergonomic support, including up to 100mm height adjustment, -5°/20° tilt, +/- 30° swivel and 100x100mm VESA mount compatibility.

The screen and stand riser design involve a mixture of silver/black glossy and textured plastics, a cable management hole and ~1ms ultrathin bezels at the top and sides of the display (with ~8mm back border before the image starts at the sides and ~6mm at the top). The bottom bezel is a bit thicker at ~15mm with a ~1mm black border.

Inside the box, along with the monitor and the stand, you’ll find a DisplayPort cable, an HDMI cable, a USB-A to USB-B cable, a power cord (power supply is integrated), a warranty card and a quick start guide.

The MSI MPG 341CQPX has a glossy screen finish and no polarizer. This makes the image more vivid as there’s no added graininess associated with matte anti-glare coatings.

However, it also makes the image more reflective, so you’ll have to mind the lighting in your room. When direct lighting hits the screen, it also raises the black level, but this won’t happen if the lighting is behind the screen or not facing it.

Connectivity options are abundant and include DisplayPort 1.4 with DSC, two HDMI 2.1 ports with full 48 Gbps bandwidth, a USB type C port with DP 1.4 Alt Mode and 98W Power Delivery, a dual-USB 2.0 hub (two downstream + one upstream) and a headphone jack. To use Power Delivery, you’ll need to enable the ‘Type C PD Charge’ option in the OSD menu.

The monitor supports virtual 4K 120Hz resolution for consoles. You can use NVIDIA DLDSR over HDMI 2.1 for upscaled 5120×1440 resolution, or disable DSC over DisplayPort, but you’ll be limited to 165Hz in this case.

Price & Similar Monitors

The MSI MPG 341CQPX goes for $900 – $1,000. So, it’s about $100 – $200 more than the previous-gen 175Hz models. Thanks to its higher refresh rate and premium features, such as USB-C with 98W PD and KVM, we find that it’s worth the extra cost.

Alternatively, you may want to consider the LG 34GS95QE with a 34″ 3440×1440 240Hz W-OLED panel, which can be found for ~$800.

However, it has a steeper 800R screen curvature that many users find too aggressive, the old RWBG subpixel layout with more noticeable fringing on fine details, not as wide color gamut and LG only offers a 2-year warranty for burn-in.

The main reason to consider the W-OLED alternatives is the matte anti-glare coating in case you cannot control the lighting in your room. It’s better at handling reflections, but also adds a bit of graininess to the image (only visible on solid backgrounds).

The MSI MPG 341CQPX can also be found on sale for $730. We highly recommend it at this price since it offers the best value for money in comparison to other OLED ultrawide displays.

For more options and information, be sure to check out our dedicated OLED monitors article for 27″ 1440p 360Hz and 32″ 4K 240Hz OLED displays, 39″ 3440×1440 240Hz models, other upcoming 34″ 3440×1440 240Hz QD-OLED alternatives, and more.

Conclusion

Overall, the MSI MPG 341CQPX is an exceptional gaming monitor thanks to its QD-OLED panel with impressive color gamut, high peak brightness, infinite contrast ratio and ultrawide format, resulting in a captivating viewing experience.

Further, the high 240Hz refresh rate, instantaneous response time speed, low input lag and smooth VRR performance ensure fluid gameplay, and you get plenty of additional useful features, including USB-C with 98W PD, KVM, a 3-year burn-in warranty with advanced OLED care features and much more!

Specifications

Screen Size	34-inch
Screen Curvature	1800R
Resolution	3440×1440 (UWQHD)
Panel Type	QD-OLED
Aspect Ratio	21:9 (UltraWide)
Refresh Rate	240Hz
Response Time	0.03ms (GtG)
Adaptive-Sync	FreeSync Premium (48-240Hz), HDMI 2.1 VRR
Ports	DisplayPort 1.4, 2x HDMI 2.1 (48 Gbps), USB-C (DP Alt Mode, 98W PD)
Other Ports	Headphone Jack, 2x USB-A 2.0 Downstream, 1x USB-B 2.0 Upstream
Brightness (1 – 3% White Window)	1000 cd/m²
Brightness (10% White Window)	450 cd/m²
Brightness (100% White Window)	250 cd/m²
Contrast Ratio	Infinite
Colors	1.07 billion (true 10-bit) 99.3% DCI-P3
HDR	VESA DisplayHDR 400 True Black
VESA	Yes (100x100mm)