Black Friday may be over, but Cyber Monday is here to bring the holiday savings. This time we’re looking at the MSI Optix MAG274QEF QD, a premium esports monitor built for quick response times, strong color range, and a high refresh rate. You can get $120 off this 1440p gaming monitor, bringing it down to just $329.99, its lowest-ever price on Amazon.
While not on our list of the best gaming monitors out there (yet), MSI has pedigree in this field, and the MSI MAG 32CQRF QD did make the list after we reviewed it earlier this year.
Savings like this aren’t rare during Black Friday or Cyber Monday, but picking the right product is what your gaming setup relies on. At an RRP of $449.99, the MSI Optix MAG 274QRF QD is still a great value monitor, but dropping to its lowest-ever price – according to price checker CamelCamelCamel – this Cyber Monday deal is what makes it a no-brainer.
You might wonder what differentiates an esports monitor from a regular gaming monitor, and the answer is simple, size and response time. An esports monitor should realistically never be bigger than 27 inches as that’s pushing the limits of our peripheral vision, which starts to weaken at around 30 inches, and would be compensated for by moving your head. If you can keep your head still and be fully immersed, it theoretically leads to quicker decisions being made and reduces the chance of missing something that is happening on screen.
Response times are a much more obvious motivation, as twitch shooters like CS2 require you to beat your opponent in a reaction battle. If this battle is lost, you are at an immediate disadvantage. The refresh rate also factors into this, and there are faster times out there but you have to be sure your hardware can achieve them before being worth the upgrade. Sitting at 165Hz, the MSI Optix MAG 274QRF QD is a comfortable high-end option.
This monitor shares a lot of features with the MSI MAG 32CQRF QD that we reviewed recently, and if you’re not dead set on going bigger than 27 inches and don’t need a curved screen, it’s easily one of the best monitors you could opt for.
While Black Friday is over, the savings haven’t disappeared… yet. Check out all the best Black Friday PC gaming deals while you still can, Cyber Monday may even bring us some better savings.