A quality gaming monitor is a key component of any good PC gaming build. It’s the window through which you reap the benefits of all the performance built into your rig. With each passing year, it seems manufacturers are pushing the boundaries of their gaming displays and launching increasingly impressive panels to the consumer market.

The MSI MPG 321URX QD-OLED is MSI’s foray into the pricey and bleeding-edge world of 32-inch 4K OLED gaming displays, so I was thrilled to get my hands on one and put it through its paces.

Price, availability, and specs

The MSI MPG 321URX QD-OLED is by no means a cheap gaming monitor, though it’s competitively priced compared to its equally high-end peers. The monitor retails for $950 and is currently available from Newegg. Inventory should be coming soon to Best Buy as well as MSI online.

The specs breakdown for a gaming monitor is fairly straightforward and comprises mostly its diagonal size, resolution, display type, and refresh rate. The MSI MPG 321URX QD-OLED is a substantial 31.5-inches in size, which is on the larger side for gaming monitors. It boasts a gorgeous Quantum Dot OLED display that renders in sharp 4K resolution. This performance-focused gaming monitor offers a refresh rate of 240Hz, capable of delivering up to 240 frames per second.

The MPG 321URX supports HDR for even richer color depth and contrast, as well as adaptive sync for in-game use to avoid frame tearing. The monitor offers PC connection via HDMI and DisplayPort and also features a USB-C port capable of delivering up to 90W of charging power from the monitor, so you can charge your peripherals and other devices while using it.

What I liked about the MSI MPG 321URX QD-OLED

Stunning visuals

What I found most impressive in using the MPG 321URX was its visual performance. Gaming at 4K, on an OLED display, and in HDR on top of it all, provided a stunningly rich image that turned beautiful games into art masterpieces and even visually dull games into eye candy. I loved launching every single game I regularly play on the MSI and seeing just how beautiful they all were when using this monitor.

Playing Destiny 2 on the MPG was an absolute joy as the stunning landscapes of far-off worlds were brought to life in detail and boundless color. The stark blacks of space provided impressive contrast and helped make an already beautiful game all the more breathtaking.

Thoughtful touches

The MPG 321URX offers some thoughtful details that I appreciated in the way it performs as well as in how it connected with my PC and other devices. On the performance side, the monitor packs several features like Smart-Crosshair and OPTIX Scope, both aimed at bringing additional crosshair performance to your gaming experience without the need for in-game support. While I don’t use these features during competitive play, they’re nice options to have.

MSI also goes the extra mile with connectivity, offering support for USB-C displays as well as charging external devices via USB-C. I took advantage of this to keep my wireless headset or my phone charged as needed. Again, it’s not something I’m using all the time, but it’s nice to have. The monitor also has the option of acting as a small USB hub, and I was able to gain two USB-A ports on the monitor by plugging it into one USB-A port on my PC using a supplied cable.

What I didn’t like about the MSI MPG 321URX QD-OLED

The port placement and overall physical design left me frustrated

Just about every gaming monitor I’ve used or owned has all the most important ports on the back of the display. This makes them easy to reach to plug and unplug displays or USB devices regardless of how I set up my monitors. Whether they are on arms elevated above my desk or sitting on their included stand, rear ports make access easy. The MSI MPG 321URX has all the ports on the bottom of the display, and they aren’t even flush with the bottom of the monitor but are instead recessed by a couple of inches away from the bottom edge of the screen.

This means that every time I wanted to access the ports, whether on monitor arms or the included stand, I had to grab and turn my monitor up towards the ceiling quite a bit so I could see what I was doing. As a result, I was constantly disturbing the exact position I had carefully set up for the display, as well as leaving fingerprints all over the top and bottom of the screen where I gripped it each time. I found this really frustrating and struggled to see why the ports weren’t just simply placed on the back like every other gaming monitor I own.

Verdict: Should you buy the MSI MPG 321URX QD-OLED?

The MSI MPG 321URX is a powerhouse of a monitor that requires a very impressive setup to maximize. Few PC gaming rigs can easily render 4K resolution with graphic settings turned up, and even fewer can do so at high frame rates. While my PC was able to handle it with some graphic settings turned down, especially on FPS-optimized games like Counter-Strike, I found myself yearning for my old 1440p monitor in more fantasy and graphically focused games like Destiny 2, since my PC could easily achieve higher frame rates at lower resolution.

If you have a system that can get the most juice out of the lemon, then the MSI MPG 321URX is a good investment. If your build isn’t quite there, but you know you’ll be upgrading some internal components soon, then this MSI monitor serves as a way to future-proof for your pending upgrades.