Choosing the right gaming monitor can be a challenge. Do you opt for a razor-sharp resolution or super-fast refresh rate? Fortunately, this MSI Optix G27CQ4 27-inch gaming monitor has both a 1440p resolution and a 165Hz refresh rate plus a bunch of must-have features like FreeSync and a 1ms response time. Let’s unbox the monitor and put it through its paces in-game.

Unboxing

Seeing whether the set-up process is straight-forward or complicated is a good general first impression of a product’s attention to detail and user friendliness. Let’s find out how well the MSI Optix G27CQ4 fares.

There are a surprising amount of accessories included in the box, which we’ll quickly cover. Obviously, the monitor itself occupies a prominent amount of space, and is reassuringly sandwiched between pieces of polystyrene packaging.

To put together the monitor, there’s an all-metal base stand, sturdy central column and a cable shield for neatly tucking in cables. While the power supply isn’t built-in, the external power brick is slim.

And MSI has thoughtfully bundled in both a DisplayPort and a HDMI cable. This equips the monitor straight out of the box for hooking up a gaming PC over DisplayPort and a next-generation console over HDMI, for instance. Did you know you can game with a keyboard and mouse on an Xbox?

Build process

Let’s kick off the building process by getting all these accessories out of their bags. As appealing as the idea of stripping off the sleeve and unveiling your glorious new monitor is, we always advise leaving it face down in the protective packaging. Especially with curved panels like the MSI Optix G27CQ4, which you don’t want to rest unprotected on a table. You may accidentally apply too much pressure on the exposed edges of the monitor, breaking it before you’ve even managed to turn it on. Keep it in the polystyrene, it’ll make you life that little bit easier.

The key components for the next step are the central column, base stand and cable shield, with their associated screws. Slightly peel back the sleeve covering the monitor to expose the four screw holes on the rear. The central column simply slots over these four screw holes, with supporting stand-offs so you can securely fasten it down with screws. For the base stand, a thumbscrew is built-in for toolless assembly. Line it up with the central column and finger tighten using the flip-up handle.

Finally, lift the entire assembled monitor from the remaining packaging using the central column, stand it up straight and we’re done! Check out the 1500R curve, that’s a fair bit tighter than most commonly available 1800R curved monitors. Let’s hook it up to a powerful gaming PC and test out the MSI Optix G27CQ4 in some real-world scenarios.

Gaming Performance – Forza Horizon 4

Of course, there’s only one way to really test out a gaming monitor’s image quality, and that’s with Ebuyer’s favourite Forza Horizon 4! The game’s built-in benchmarking mode comprehensively covers a broad range of demanding use cases. From barrelling though dazzling tunnels of light to more subdued details like streams of raindrops, we’re immediately impressed by the vivid colour reproduction, even when guest presenter James judges from a side-on angle. When front-and-centre, the curved VA panel is especially beneficial. Not only does it create a wrap-around effect to saturate your periphery vision, but it also aids with image quality.

The curve ensures the most optimal viewing angles possible when glancing to the left and right edges. The bright highlights of the sun peeking between the clouds and the car’s backfire all look fantastic. At a 27-inch form factor and 1440p resolution, the on-screen user interface is pin-point sharp and really brings out the granular detail of textured surfaces, like the tarmac’s imperfections. The 165Hz refresh rate really enhances the sense of speed and fluidity as object whiz past the camera. A higher refresh rate essentially reduces the time it takes for your monitor to display the latest image, which has profound implications in our next test – Valorant.

Gaming Performance – Valorant

While Forza Horizon 4 is a primarily single-player, sight-seeing focused game, Valorant is a highly competitive e-sports title. Testing Valorant helps highlight the gameplay importance of a high refresh rate and a low response time. At 165Hz, the MSI Optix G27CQ4 refreshes it screen with a unique frame 165 times in a second. Compared to a conventional 60Hz monitor, this means you’re seeing more than twice as many frames of potentially game-changing information. You’ll see enemies poking the curious heads around corners that little bit quicker. To fully capitalise on this information, you also require a low response time.

Response time is the time it takes for the monitor’s pixels to change from one colour to another. Fortunately, the MSI Optix G27CQ4 has a blisteringly fast 1ms response time which easily keeps pace with the refresh rate. Most monitors have a 5ms response time which can lead to ugly and disorientating smearing as they can’t quite transition colours fast enough. High refresh rate, low response times are the perfect pairing and this gaming monitor has both.

Gaming Performance – Doom: Eternal

Let’s wrap up with some DOOM: Eternal, an immersive single-player experience greatly enhanced by this gaming monitor. Ripping and tearing through the demon-infested **** on Earth, this game combines both high fidelity graphics and super-fast frame rates. In first-person shooters, the curve aligns more accurately with our vision for heightened immersion.

This immersive connection is rarely broken as the MSI Optix G27CQ4 supports AMD FreeSync for smooth, stutter-free gameplay. Combining the 1440p resolution, 165Hz refresh rate, 1ms response time and AMD FreeSync support, this gaming monitor checks off a lot of desirable features. If you’d like to learn more, check out the MSI Optix G27CQ4 over at Ebuyer: MSI Optix G27CQ4 27″ WQHD VA FreeSync 165Hz 1ms Curved Gaming Monitor Also, check out our weekly roundup to catch up on the latest gaming news.