Why even get a 32” 1000R VA monitor? I have been using an IPS series model for several years, and it is a fine IPS design monitor. Can 1000R, a wider color gamut, 2500+ contrast ratio and 32” size be a benefit playing games? Both are fast 165 Hz designs.
The IPS verses VA panel tech has narrowed a lot over the past few years so I decided to take a look. The choices are less available than I thought, with the field really down to ONE MSI 323CQR model as the more gaudy visual design competitive “like” resolution model has a lot of QC issues (bad panels, VRR issues etc) and a far higher $799.
00 price for a 240 Hz refresh rate that is less and less a benefit at or above 165 Hz. The $459. 00 MSRP 32” MSI 323CQR is a very same-same model outside of the refresh (165Hz verses 240 Hz) being the most referenced.
NEITHER model will really do true HD. HD400 is not even close to true HD that needs 1000 nits, or more, brightness to really be true HD. HD400 is simply a wider native nits SDR brightness, which is nice to have, but is not HD by any means.
Lower end FALD systems are not up to the task, either, so I ignore HD “experience” on these models. The MSI 323CQR has an extended ~90% of the DCI-P3 color gamut and ~113% sRGB, though not as wide by a touch as the more expensive models.
All this says to get the far cheaper MSI Artymis 323CQR for general gaming until true HDR 1000 nit panels with 1000+ zone FALD monitors are available at reasonable prices. I bought the Artymis 323CQR but was the value analysis correct? The Ultra-wide 343CQR is available.
The table shows what to expect on screen clarity based on PPI. My eye sees a big gain over 1080P, so once PPI get to 90 or better stuff is really nice. True, the 343CQR has a more desirable 109 PPI but a BIG 2X price jump and I’ve games since the original DOOM and few of my sources are 3440×1440 resolution.
Right now other than the 109 PPI I get near zero benefit from an ultra-wide. I don’t need dual monitors, and I can use my 27” XB27 for that if needed. 343CQR’s HD isn’t really better, either, just a 500 nit brightness verses 400.
The competitors model is also TWICE the price for marginal real world gains and a lot of potential QC headaches and it isn’t even a wide screen. I’d get the 343CQR over the same priced but 2560×1440 resolution 1000R competitors screen.
The 343CQR’s ultra-wide and better PPI would be more of a benefit to me if I had 2X the money to spend. For my use, and to wait it out for true HDR 1000 nits or better, 1000 plus FALD zones and Ultra Wide the 3440×1440, the 323CQR is a slam dunk choice.
GPU’s can’t run 4K well at all power usage wise so I’ll stay at 2K for now, too. 1920x 768 @ 27″ – 82 PPI – 2,073,600 pixels – 75Hz 2560×1440 @ 27” – 108 PPI – 3,584,000 pixels – 165 Hz 323CQR 2560×1440 @ 32″ – 92 PPI – 3,686,400 pixels -165 Hz $359.
00 343CQR 3440×1440 @ 34″ – 109 PPI – 4,953,600 pixels -164 Hz $799. 00 Now that I substantiated WHY I would buy it, and did, does it match expectations? Yes, it does. Better than I expected actually.
The out of box experience is simple. The stand has TWO sets of screws. One for VEAS offset mount, one for the standard stand. So YES, it is EASY to VESA 100mm mount this monitor. Just read the directions! OK, the manual is one-line but that isn’t a big surprise.
Make sure to reach around and turn it on with the lower button below the OSD toggle joy stick now we’re good to go. Do the usual windows stuff to REMOVE your old monitors color profiles. I set it to the sRGB in W10.
REBOOT as the old loaded profile stays put until I COLD booted the PC. The 323CQR will load the software OSD and DO USE IT, it is TERRIFIC! Once that was done I had a mess. The MSI 323CQR isn’t great out of the box.
Nope, but that’s a choice MSI made and not what the screen can do. I went to USER mode and I always turn on an XCEL or data base spread sheet to set the CONTRAST. Turn it to 100% contrast and 50% brightness.
OK, no matrix lines at all (over driven). Reduce the contrast until the lines begin to appear and the boarder colors go from washed away white to pink and finally you see the standard light gray borders.
Back it off maybe five percent more and that’s how I set contrast. OK, stuff is getting really decent. Now set the brightness to what is good for you. This monitor does have separate RGB color changes in the “advanced” color temperature section using the on screen software OSD and not the joystick OSD.
Here is what I ended up with; USER MODE Red 100% Green 93% Blue 93% Brightness 50% Contrast 70% Sharpness 0 I set all the sharpness, transparency and the like “off” or the lower settings as TEXT was impacted and I saw no benefit from them and not unlike any IPS monitor I have owned.
There are pre-sets but again, the TEXT quality will be altered with them I noticed. I use the best text (values above) for my games. I never switch set-up profiles. I the 323CQR any good once it is optimized to what a typical user can do? Yes, it is.
The clarity and precision of the text is top-notch. I can’t see anyone being unhappy with text clarity on the desktop. The VA panel was a new choice for be as I have always used IPS panels. Boy am I happy I tried one! The COLORS and image depth is FAR, FAR better than my IPS monitor even at a technically better more detailed 27” size (same 1440 resolution).
At 32” this monitor runs away with the picture and game visuals. Fast moving game are poor on a VA right? No. DOOM ETERNAL on ultra violence shows ZERO smearing pixel response or input lag performance issues.
VRR was perfect with the 3070ti GPU I use, too. Few AAA games using a 3070ti do over 165 FPS in real terms so 240 Hz isn’t a benefit to me. So no issues there at all in games. The screen is rock solid.
No strange flickering or pixels (my screen is perfect) stuck, smearing or lagging input response. I also tried Assassin’s Creed Black Flag that is fixed at 60 FPS just the opposite of DOOM ETERNAL. Still butter smooth and vibrant.
VRR at low FPS was spot on. The “smart” black area AI feature was turned on and I never thought it was working. a good thing. I can’t say shadow contrast was “improved” as I left it on after it didn’t ruin the games.
Some just wash out the entire screen to a pastel white. The black AI doesn’t do that, colors stay vibrant and rich. The 2500:1 contrast is exceptional coming from an 1000:1 IPS panel. I can set a pure black box in a word document and move it across the screen and see zip color bleed or uniformity at the settings I tabulated above.
The 1000R curve must be OK as I never even noticed it playing games, ever. Usually if it is noticed it is NOT a good thing. The curve isn’t, to my eye, too crazy in the flesh on your desk. It is BIG at 32” for sure.
I can say as good as this monitor has been in colors and SPEED in games, I won’t use an IPS panel again with less than 2500:1 contrast or better. Never. The VA panel has more than redeemed itself under actual use.
I am thrilled I made the decision to try one. The VA panel downside is off axis color will indeed shift some. Nothing typical users would care about but you can see it lose some brightness. The 1000R only can mitigate this.
On a WIDE panel, and VA, the 1000R is almost needed. I can’t see how a 32” flat VA panel would be as linear off to the sides than a 1000R panel curve. Don’t know as I have just this 1000R VA panel to comment on.
I really like it at 32” and 1000R curve. Did I try HD? Yes, and since this monitor has no true FALD it works OK. Poor FALD zones is more irritating than a help in my opinion. Use 500+ FALD zones or stay away from them.
Even 500 zones is too few to be unobtrusive. On a cheaper monitor the higher 400+ nits is nice and no $$$ FALD need apply until it WORKS. This MSI monitor made the right choice in my opinion. The monitor will do console game input signals at the rated monitors resolution and switches between sources using the KVM switch.
All in, the MSI Artymis 323CQR is a great product for the money. The software OSD is simply excellent and the monitor does what is is supposed to do for the price. I can sit with this for several years until true HDR is really available and I have more Utra-Wide game to take advantage of the higher 109 PPI and 3440×1440 format.
My guess is many are trying to do the same and the MSI Artymis 323CQR is a really good choice.