An Affordable 32" 4K 160Hz Gaming Monitor - MSI MAG 323UPF Review

[@jesseduran7353]

Very comprehensive and thorough review! I just pulled the trigger and ordered one. This monitor checks all my boxes at this price point. Maybe unwarranted but I'm old and live in fear of burn-in so I'm still warry of OLED.

[@EhNothing]

This is me as well. Looking for something in a 32" size, 4K res, 144+Hz refresh....that isn't an OLED that's designed to be thrown away after a few years of use when it burns in. Would you mind sharing your experience with this monitor, since you said you bought it?

[@markoselendic3690]

Me too. Any updates?

[@StatsGam4er]

Thanks for the review brother. Great work.

[@MilosSesevic]

Hi, great reviews.. couple of questions: 1. is the mat coating bad visually (some people online are mentioning it like it's super bad) 2. is it super slow in terms of response times? I don't know what to compare it to in real life, not just on paper (i mostly play wow/dota) 3. would you suggest it over lg 32gr93 or something else entirely in that price /feature range?

[@tomasbohunek9698]

LG 32GR93U-B is great 32" 4K monitor, but the MSI MAG3232UPF beats it: + more brightness (440nit) + better colors (can do 96% DCIP3 with FRC or dither) + USB-C with 90W PD + faster response times (~4.8ms over ~6ms at just a touch more overshoot) + Desktop App for OSD controls + HDR600, which is still fake, but thanks to wider gamut is at least usable I concluded this after spending 100+ hours comparing it to all the non-OLED options we currently have: - LG 32GR93U (well tuned for ~6ms response time at no overshoot, but no USB-C, audible cooling FAN) - Gigabyte M32U (~4.7ms response time, but far too much overshoot, and no USB-C), - Lenovo Y32p-30 (same panel as M32U but better tuned ~6.3ms response with just tiny overshoot, USB-C 75W PD) - BenQ EX321UX (~6ms with no overshoot, BI+ is great, eARC is nice, HDR would be nice if colors weren't off, but its TWICE the price of MSI now) - Samsung Neo G7 and G8 (cheapest MiniLED, but visible scanlines, black smearing, bad VA angles, curved, no USB-C).

[@MaZEEZaM]

I really don't know what to buy, they all seem to have flaws compared to what I'm after which is a flat panel monitor that's as colour accurate as possible, 4K 120+ Htz, pref has USB C, full size hdmi 2.1, as fast gtg and other gaming related specs, decent speakers and needs to easily switch from decently daytime bright to dim and very dim with minimal clicks. The LG 32UN880-B 31.5inch UltraFine UHD 4K IPS LED Monitor had most of what I want, it just needs higher refresh rate and other gaming specs. Any recommendations? I do play FPS games and any help from the monitor would be welcome but I also mostly watch tv and movies on it.

[@sheaflanagan4201]

Let me know if you find one meeting those specs, im in the same boat and it seems everything is missing one little important detail

[@damians566]

same please let me know if you find one

[@Shibo4201]

Just get Alienware 32 inch 4k 240hz QD OLED GEN 2 or the Samsung 32 inch flat QD OLED GEN 2 240HZ 4K coming in January

[@JR-rp7vr]

I have spent more time than most people on this same problem and in all honesty, this MSI is THE ONE to get in my opinion. What doesn't it have that you mentioned? HDMI 2.1 check USB-s Check 4k check Over 120Hz for PS5 and 160Hz for PC gaming. Check Beautiful 10 bit colors CHECK CHECK CHECK lol I'll be using this mainly for Unreal Engine game and video creation as well as a little PS5 fun. The dimming options you mention is the only thing I'm not sure about this monitor but all the other video reviews show it has one of the best software options so I wouldn't doubt it has great brightness and dimming options. I'm buying two of these MSI today for $579.00 and one LG 1440p for $350 at best buy. I recommend just getting one of these for the great price going on for holidays and get a warranty so you don't have to worry if you don't like it you can return it. Be blessed!

[@damians566]

how they work? did you received them yet?@@JR-rp7vr

[@MessItUpMike]

Very solid review. This monitor hits many of the boxes I wanted, and if it had some basic built in speakers would have been perfect. OLED is amazing, but I want this first as a transition to 4K, and later add a 32 OLED to sit beside it for games and content only.

[@christianceballos748]

I appreciate this nice review, I’d like to know which monitor is better between MSI MAG 323 UPF and LG 32GR93U-B. Thanks !

[@KL-sd2bw]

Hey there! Thanks for the review. Have you ever used the Corsair Xeneon 32UHD144? If so, which one would you prefer to have at the following price point? The Xeneon is $450 USD(+$30 as I'd need to buy a separate stand, the stock nice one is too big for my desk), and the MAG323UPF is $600. Cheers.

[@tftcentral]

It’s not a screen we’ve reviewed I’m afraid. Seems a good price though for it, if it has the features you’re after

[@desty03]

Do you have something to highlight above the gigabyte or some opinions that break the internet haha. I want to opt for the Gigabyte m32u, but I saw this one and managed to find a complete review, maybe some opinion would be enough

[@tftcentral]

Could maybe wait for some of the 32” OLED 4K 240Hz monitors coming this year?

[@desty03]

@@tftcentral The biggest drawback is the price of OLEDs. That's why I only take into account those two options in that range.

[@umit_basak]

Which one did you end up buying?

[@FranticFountain28]

Does anyone know if MSI forces you to have the same display settings for each input source, or if there is a way to save custom display settings for each input?

[@ozgurkuzu2202]

Worth upgrading from gigabyte M32U ?

[@KotzTotz]

When is that AOC mini LED monitor review coming? :)

[@tftcentral]

This one? 😀 tftcentral.co.uk/reviews/aoc-q27g3xmn

[@thedoubleworld000]

if price is not a problem, do u think Optix MPG321UR-QD is worth for more money? just stuggle between Optix MPG321UR-QD and MEG 323UPF

[@mattiedoa4070]

Would you recommend this or the m32u?

[@markmourad8243]

Did you pick one from these two monitors?

[@mattiedoa4070]

@@markmourad8243 I went with the mag it hasn't let me down so far.

[@chrisrowley7079]

I’m looking for a 32” 4K monitor that I can use for productivity during the day via my laptop and then switch over to my PC on an evening and play games. This seems to be the answer that I’m looking for. Any reason why I shouldn’t pull the trigger on this? What if I only drive my productivity at a lower refresh rate during the day, would this monitor support it?

[@tftcentral]

Yeah there’s no reason you can’t run it at lower refresh rates like 60Hz for your laptop input and productivity usage

[@chrisrowley7079]

@@tftcentralfabulous, thanks, appreciate the quick response.

[@RootHouseFilms]

Is it normal for this monitor to have a flat look when viewing it from a side angle. Seems like the pictures only perfect if I’m sitting directly in the middle of it.

[@tftcentral]

Can you elaborate?

[@LokGop]

Can i connect my macbook with the USB c or is it only for charging?

[@1998natan]

Holy... in Norway it's just 1,2k affordable :X Any better recommendations for Norway market anyone?

[@Timer622]

Have I understood correctly that local dimming cannot be changed in PS5 mode, i.e. in HDR mode? If that is the case, then the image/backlight flickers and causes eye fatigue. At least that is how it is for me. I don't understand why monitor manufacturers keep doing this.

[@richardplatt3041]

Complete novice to all this but have just purchased this monitor and waiting for it to be delivered. One question, will i need to buy speakers to connect to this monitor? Thanks

[@tftcentral]

It doesn’t have any speakers built in, so you’d need speakers from your pc, or headphones

[@richardplatt3041]

@@tftcentral Thanks for the reply

[@bitnouveau]

I was looking forward for this monitor as it has usb-c at pd90w and kvm, yet the 130nits minimum brightness was a dealbreaker for me, such a shame..but thanks to you I got to know this, thanks for this review! 🙂

[@janos1312]

Hi I am going to buy a new 4k 32 inch monitor for my pc, ps5 and productive work. I considered Asus Rog Strix XG32UQ, Dell G3223Q and this Msi model and still havent decided which one to choose. Which would you recommend me most? I would like to buy the one that is the brightest and most colour accurate.

[@tftcentral]

It’s very tricky to comment as we’ve not reviewed the Dell or Asus I’m afraid. I’d expect all to be solid options though tbh

[@ryanmccarthy7971]

So I’ve purchased this monitor recently and can only get 60HZ on the refresh rate. I am using an old i3 pc with 950 RTX. Can you please advise is this why I am unable to change the refresh rate to 160? I do not know how to increase it as the options for higher do not show. Full sorted cable added also.

[@tftcentral]

that will be a graphics card limitation. Pushing 4K at above 60Hz will need a much newer card, I think 3000 series or newer in fact

[@lukeskydropper]

Someone needs to start doing their own research

[@Toxic_710-wr7eq]

You uploaded this quite a while ago but what is the left bottom button for??

[@tftcentral]

I can’t remember tbh. Check the user manual perhaps on their website

[@senthil_sss]

Macro Key To activate OSD Application. If you have installed GamingIntelligence software from MSI, this key will invoke it directly!

[@lunarshteve]

Can this monitor run 4k 160hz 10 bit colour through hdmi 2.1 without DSC ? I can't find an answer to this anywhere. Any info would be great thanks

[@liammech6694]

No. I got it and I'm using HDMI 2.1, but there are no options beyond 120hz

[@lukeskydropper]

You finally got your answer after leaving this comment on multiple videos about this monitor

[@lunarshteve]

Indeed that's very observent of you ​@@lukeskydropper

[@liammech6694]

@@lukeskydropper I was wrong. For some reason a day later I had options going up to 160hz. But whenever I use anything higher than 60hz, my screen will flash black every few minutes. Like it does when changing the hz. Some people say it's caused by bad HDMI cables, but I have tried 2 high rated cables and they both have the black flashing issue. So I just use 4K 60hz...

[@lukeskydropper]

@@liammech6694 im a display cable guy through and through, so can’t really help on that

[@ReturnRemorse]

Hello! Question, when the monitor is in an HDR mode, is the brightness adjustable or does it get locked to 100?

[@tftcentral]

Locked iirc

[@ReturnRemorse]

@@tftcentraldamn, same thing on the Lenovo Legion monitor I’m currently testing. Such a shame. Thanks for the response!

[@khalilbarred17]

Would you recommend this or the aorus FI32U? Also is there anyone have that monitor and advice me to pick this one or the AORUS FI32U? thanks in advance

[@grzesiekaz]

If I connect a notebook to this monitor via USB-C for both charging and using it as a display (DisplayPort Alt Mode), then will the notebook also connect to the peripherals plugged-in to the other USB ports (e.g. wireless mouse/keyboard receiver) or do I have to use the USB type B cable?

[@tftcentral]

Yes it sends data as well so allows you to use the ports on the monitor like a usb hub

[@grzesiekaz]

@@tftcentral Thanks a lot. I'm looking for a new primary monitor that could be used for both productivity (software development most of the time) and gaming. Sadly, most of the gaming monitors don't have USB-C with DisplayPort Alt Mode. I wonder if the characteristics of this MSI are good enough for me. The reaction times are quite disappointing. The 10ms reponse times aren't that good so I'm not sure if it's worth the price. I could buy LG UltraFine 27UQ850-W instead for half the price that has better charging (90W) but only 60Hz 🤔

[@tftcentral]

@grzesiekaz the higher refresh rate will definitely have a more positive impact on your gaming experience than any small change in response times

[@grzesiekaz]

@@tftcentral Thank you very much for both the video and the answers. I bought this monitor a few days ago and I'm very happy with it so far.

[@erenunalll]

Does the VRR works with PS5?

[@johnrussell9263]

I did a lot of research into a new monitor, was thinking OLED but all the good 4k oled high refresh rate ones are over 1200 for a 32in. I opted for this MSI one because it only cost me $450 new here in Korea. Maybe in a couple of year I’ll upgrade to an oled once burn in becomes less as they refine the panels

[@hitoshura1482]

60 refresh rate window for normal mode is wrong.

[@tftcentral]

Good spot , I’m annoyed I missed that!!

[@randy101]

@@tftcentral Can you provide a picture with the real 60hz refresh rate window for normal overdrive mode ? I am really curious about this monitor and I tempted to buy it, but idk how is the motion at 60hz with normal mode.

[@tftcentral]

@randy101 it’s 100% refresh rate compliance at 60Hz as all transitions are within the 16.67ms window. The normal overdrive mode is better as it avoids overshoot completely at 60Hz 😀

[@randy101]

@@tftcentral Thank you very much ! It seems like the response time is pretty bad. Sadly, I'll wait for another 4k 32" IPS or even OLED monitor to appear in the market 😁. Thank you again for the answer !

[@tftcentral]

@randy101 id say the response times are actually decent on this screen, the only issue is the lack of a single overdrive mode experience for VRR situations. But outside of that or for fixed refresh rates it’s very good

[@kingragnar1912]

What kind of speakers do I need to buy with this monitor

[@tftcentral]

Any kind you like. They’d probably be best connected to your pc sound card or motherboard output

[@kingragnar1912]

@@tftcentral I don't have a pc, I've plugged my ps5 to the monitor.

[@tftcentral]

@kingragnar1912 oh I see. Guess you could use the headphone output on the monitor then to send sound to speakers

[@kingragnar1912]

@tftcentral can I plug the speakers to the monitor, I have sound when I plug my wired headphones to the controller but I don't like playing some games that way, will the speakers work when I plug them in the monitor?

[@tftcentral]

@kingragnar1912 not 100% sure I’m afraid it’s not something we tried

[@oliv4.schmidt]

Hey together Can someone help me? The USB-C Port has PowerDelivery 90Watt and on the webpage of MSI it's mentioned, that this port has only USB2.0 standart. So I'm confused if it has DisplayPort over USB-C and if this port can handle 4K images with this standart? I want to connect my notebook and charge it at the same time with one cable. Thank you... And later connect a XboxSeriesX over HDMI2.1 😊

[@tftcentral]

Yes the USB-C port supports displayport Alt mode so can handle video transfer as well as the power delivery

[@oliv4.schmidt]

Thank you very much for the answer ​@@tftcentral

[@RichieRichie-mx1eu]

Can this run 4K 120hz? Or does it have to be lower resolution to run 120hz? (For PS5)

[@tftcentral]

Yes it runs 4K 120Hz from a console

[@Saipan8211]

Can't wait I have an Xbox series X and also a ps5 looking forward to this monitor Getting it in two days !

[@Mr_Joe_B_619]

I thought this was 1ms g2g not MPRT. What a rip. man. Are there, other than OLED, that have 160hz 4K 32" 1ms g2g and true 10-bit color... At the same time?

[@tftcentral]

These are marketing numbers anyway. You won’t get true, consistent 1ms g2g response times with LCD, you’d be better considering a 32” OLED if that’s important to you

[@Mr_Joe_B_619]

@@tftcentral Yeah, it's like looking at the differences in the Asus Strix XG32UQ 1g2g 8bit+FRC 8 useless zones SWIFT PG32UQR 1MPRT 10bit 16 useless zones. Both fighting for the $800 slot. But, for the PG32UQXR 576 zones. STILL $1200 but, g2g, 10bit and better HDR. But, that price is too much difference for such little nitpicky stuff, though. And OLED, all that attention, and being a display, you can't just display stuff leaving it on. I would love an OLED Again, I have one now. But, I use the PC too much to worry about the condition of my fragile little display. Looking at that IPS G7, for how cheap it is compared to the Asus. But, their QC record and over ambitious marketing like the QD-VA G8.

[@billx4266]

What about g-sync?

[@tftcentral]

It supports Gsync using adaptive sync

[@damians566]

will it work with mac at 120hz?

[@deletedchanneI]

it should

[@masterjack8222]

Genuinely asking is there any reason remaining to not pick OLED if you have the budget at the moment ?

[@tftcentral]

Yeah I don’t think OLED suits every use case yet. They are not well suited to static use due to risks around image retention, and also their sub-optimal text clarity caused by pixel structure. They are great for gaming and dynamic content but LCD still has its place for other uses.

[@tftcentral]

This podcast might be useful on this subject, it’s one of the areas Tim (from Hardware Unboxed) and I talked about recently kzbin.info/www/bejne/fmW7on2XmLGUfbMsi=qD2KjnlBGBmxJR16

[@masterjack8222]

@@tftcentralHey thanks for the podcast suggestion. Just what i needed. Have a good day

[@Phil_529]

@@tftcentralHave you seen the upcoming 4K 32” 240hz QD OLEDs yet? I’m hoping the text clarity is more refined on those despite the non-standard subpixel layout.

[@tftcentral]

@Phil_529 I have and yes it’s the improved clarity from gen 2 panels, plus the improved pixel density too. So looks decent

[@xtinct16]

Very disappointing there is no mention of screen coating especially considering this is a 4K panel and people buying this would be very interested how sharp the image quality is

[@tftcentral]

It’s the standard IPS light anti glare coating that’s been used for years in the IPS market

[@raynel8495]

At this point in the game, if it doesn't have FALD what's the point? 🙄

[@MrBlacksight]

Is FALD on IPS any good?

[@GewelReal]

Not everyone cares spending another few hundred $ for HDR

[@king37]

Does this monitor make a coil whine sound when running at 160hz? and it doesn't have a fan running inside, right?

[@tftcentral]

Nothing I noticed at all, and no

[@king37]

@@tftcentral Thank you

[@sblantipodi]

For a bit more money I think that Acer X32FP is way better...

[@Whiteshade]

When you have option yes. But Acer doesn't bring mid-high tier items to my region. Asus, MSI, Viewsonic, Corsair, Philips, LG, Samsung always sells premium items in my region.

[@tftcentral]

The one with mini LED backlight? That’s quite a lot more money

[@sblantipodi]

@@tftcentralyes that one... mmm... you're right, I was looking at the "used" price, the new one is much higher... thanks for the video and for the answer :)

[@tftcentral]

@DavidePerini no worries 😀

[@carlosflores-e9x]

Disappointed by the fact that at 4k you cant get 160 Hz

[@tftcentral]

You can!?

[@lunarshteve]

​@tftcentral can you get 4k 160hz 10 bit colour ? thanks

[@tftcentral]

I’m pretty certain that was supported too. I don’t have access to the screen to be able to double check sadly

[@leastE]

130 nits minimum brightness, pass. it's just too much.

[@damians566]

@

[@artexpol]

It doesn't pivot?

[@tftcentral]

No

[@artexpol]

@tftcentral but using a mount, can I mount it vertically?

[@tftcentral]

@artexpol I don’t see why not

[@MortikMTK]

Are these good for a 4080 i9 in 4k ultra ?