MSI MAG 323UPF 32″ 4K UHD 160Hz 1ms FreeSync Premium Pro Gaming Monitor

Firstly, at the time of this writing, the Amazon description still says the screen is 27” diagonal. This is incorrect. The screen is actually 32”. I chose this monitor primarily for the KVM function. I wanted a large monitor >30” to serve dual duty with a personal desktop and work laptop. Initially, I was leaning towards one of the 34” OLED ultrawide models with KVM (like MSI’s own MEG 342C) due to the outstanding visual quality only OLED panels have. However after going to a local brick-and-mortar store to look at OLED options in person, I saw first-hand undesirable image retention and the start of burn in on the display units. I decided to go with an IPS panel so I don’t need to have burn in worries or the hassle of frequent OLED panel/pixel maintenance or popups. Also, I found the clarity of text on the OLED panels was not as clear and I needed a monitor that could be used for work (lot’s of text). And finally, I decided I wanted the extra vertical real estate of a 16:9 rather than the ultrawide 21:9.

For setup, everything is very straightforward, but the assembly does require a screwdriver to fasten two screws to secure the stand. The power cord is thick with a D-shaped power plug like what goes to the computer’s PSU – no power brick. There’s one full-size DisplayPort 1.4a, two full-size HDMI 2.1, one Type-C DP alternative with power delivery for computer #1, USB-B port for computer #2, and three USB-A hub ports for shared peripherals to be shared between computers #1 and #2.

Upon setup, I found G-Sync was automatically detected and enabled on the desktop. I usually have to tinker with monitor settings to get a picture I like, but I didn’t have to touch a thing on this monitor. Out of the box it looks good with no dead or stuck pixels.

With all that said, here is the TL;DR:

–PROS–
-The monitor has both swivel and height adjustments
-Response time is 1ms and 4K 160Hz should be plenty of FPS headroom if you want to game and have the hardware
-Stand is heavy and solid; plus it doesn’t take up much desk space unlike the v-shaped stands common to gaming monitors.
-No RGB or flashy lights. The power and standby LEDs are subtle. Neither is that annoying blue that is too common. Power is soft white and standby is a steady orange glow.
-Great picture, crystal clear text, bright
-KVM switches automatically; no need to push a button or go into a menu. When desktop powers on, the display and USB ports are usable. When a laptop is connected via USB-C, it switches everything over.
-Power delivery is 90W, plenty to keep a laptop charged and not a stingy 15W or 18W like others (I’m looking at you Gigabyte)
-Windows recognizes HDR and will enable HDR 10-bit
-HDMI 2.1 means console players can use this monitor to play 4k 120Hz

–Cons–
-A USB-C cable is not included with the monitor, only DisplayPort and HDMI cables. Furthermore, you need to be very careful when selecting a USB-C cable to use since not all are equal. What you want is one that says it can do 40Gbps, rated USB-C 4 or Thunderbolt 3/4 and be capable of 100W-240W power delivery. A lot of data needs to go upstream and downstream on this cable and the cheap ones won’t do it. A proper cable will typically be priced $30-$40 for a short 3.3ft one. Don’t cheap out on the cable!

-USB-C power delivery is turned off by default. You must toggle it on in the monitor settings.

To begin, I want to clarify that I returned this monitor for a refund, but this doesn’t diminish its potential as a great monitor for someone else. It boasts several impressive features, despite some setbacks, including a miscommunication from the manufacturer on Amazon regarding KVM. I’ll delve into that shortly.

Currently using an LG 27UP850-W 27”, I decided it was time to upgrade to a larger 32” screen, outlining specific requirements:

1. 32” panel
2. USB-C with DP and Power Delivery of at least 90W
3. USB-A HUB working from USB-C (KVM)
4. FreeSync
5. PIP (picture in picture) from other inputs
6. Basic built-in speakers
7. 120Hz or more
8. Under $1000

Finding a monitor that checks all these boxes proved challenging. This MSI monitor seemed like the perfect fit, but it lacked speakers, an oversight on my part. Despite this, it fulfilled most of my criteria.

The confusion arose when inquiring about KVM functionality with MSI. Their response indicated a need for a USB-B cable to be connected to computer, which turned out to be incorrect. The monitor functions as a USB hub when connected via USB-C, delivering power and display port signal. This was very important for me as I am trying to eliminate extra cables, and anything that requires more than one won’t work.

With USB-C, KVM, PD of 90W, FreeSync, 160Hz, the monitor met my requirements, except for the absence of speakers. Upon receiving it, I found it to be a well-built product, though setup was slightly cumbersome with the need to screw the stand to the monitor.

The OSD (On-Screen Display) is somewhat complicated but functional. Adjusting settings like enabling USB-C PD requires navigating through various options. Once configured, PD worked well, FreeSync performed admirably, and KVM functioned seamlessly with USB-C only connection.

However, the HDR performance left much to be desired, as is often the case in this price range. Disabling it might be a better choice. The refresh rate was impressive, providing a smooth experience, and the response rate was excellent, offering control between Normal, Fast, and Super Fast modes. I went with Normal, as it was displaying minimal ghosting.

Picture-in-Picture worked effectively, although some flickering occurred when using a second source over HDMI.

Background bleeding at the bottom was pretty bad, but manageable. The real issue for me was the IPS Glow, especially noticeable in dark themes or wallpapers during day-to-day work. When I was looking at the middle of the screen, lower corners were literally glowing purple, hurting my eyes.

Color reproduction fell short, exhibiting significant banding in gradients, impacting my experience, particularly in photography work. These issues led me to return the monitor, as they were detrimental to my day-to-day tasks.

Despite my experience, I believe this monitor could be a solid choice for those on a budget seeking a feature-rich large screen.

This monitor, spec wise, is an engineering marvel. Gorgeous colors and response time with a crisp 4K resolution.

Here’s the thing, though: call me old fashioned, but why is there no analog option to tweak the basic display settings on this thing? I frequently switch between 2 devices, and it’d be nice to do that with a button rather than a janky app that only finds 1 computer half the time. There IS
a button, but all it does is BRING UP THE APP. Insanity. Seriously bad and impractical design choice.

Monitor looks great, though. Can’t fault that one bit.

This monitor looks fantastic when putting a 4k HDR signal into it. It’s about as good as you can get being non OLED. But that also means it’s affordable, which is a big plus here.
If you’re not ready to spend over 1k on a monitor this is a great solution. I got the 32 inch version which I was worried would be too big (no such thing with monitors). It’s a perfect size for a standard desk. Great for my aging eyes too.
It doesn’t have speakers but usually speakers in monitors are pretty terrible, so that’s not a huge deal. Combine it with a soundbar and you will be able to watch movies and play games which is where this thing excels. 4k games look mind blowing.
I do recommend spending time to setup the colors and settings when you get it. Out of the box it’s not as great. Spend the time to set it up right and you will be amazed at how good it looks.

Well worth it if you get it when it’s on sale. The USB C lighting is a hard find in this price range. I researched a ton of monitors before pulling the trigger. This monitor checked off most things which others only have one or two of in this price range.

Also, if you’re looking for 240hz at 4k, you have to go OLED (way more expensive). As far as I found that’s your only choice for that combo. I can tell you that 4k at 140hz is very very good. This is a great buy.

Very happy with this monitor for the price. I use OLED for my tv. But, didn’t want to spend too much for a mixed use PC monitor or risk burn in. Checks all the boxes for something I can happily use for 6-10 years until monitor technology improves. 4k, clean panel, great design and ergonomics, good refresh rate, good brightness and contrast for edge lit IPS, great uniformity, no noticable backlight bleed, nicely saturated colors that can be tuned down if you prefer accuracy. Software to control OSD settings is really nice. Two year warranty which is better than the LG one year and makes me comfortable not wasting money on an extended warranty.
Extremely minimal IPS glow. Great uniformity. Great motion handling.
First unit had a cluster of dead pixels in the corner and second unit was perfect. Both units were great with regards unoticable backlight bleed and IPS glow, which tells me the panels are being assembled properly. I looked at other monitors in this price range and they either had reliability issues or backlight bleed, or other assorted issues.

Only disadvantages don’t bother me. 1. If you are very picky about black levels on a monitor 2. Needing two change the panel mode from normal to fast at about 100hz. Neither issue bothers me.
In conclusion, best 4k 32″ high refresh IPS monitor for the money.

I did a ton of research before I pulled the trigger. At this point the M32U rules the 4k, under-$650 monitor segment, but this one has come for the crown.

75% of the time this monitor is used with my laptop doing work on spreadsheets. The rest of the time I use it with my desktop PC that has a 4070. These are the pro’s and cons I have found so far.

PROS:
– 90W USB-C port: I never knew I needed this. Because of this port I was able to ditch my laptop charger and free up an outlet plug.
– Input Auto Scan: Again, didn’t know I needed this. Not having to manually switch the input when I switch computers is so nice.
– Image Quality: That 4k is CRISP. I’m not a snob when it comes to image but this 4k is so much better than my QHD ultrawide. It doesn’t rank too high in brightness specs but its bright enough for me in a room full of windows.

CONS:
– Hz bottleneck: This is more on me, but make sure you know what your hardware is capable of. It turns out my laptop’s port isn’t HDMI 2.1 so it maxes out at 60hz when at 4k.

I am not a hard core gamer or video editor, I’m just cranking out spreadsheets for 8 hours before switching to waste my evenings playing Cities Skylines. This monitor is awesome for that and such an upgrade from my QHD ultrawide and was only ~$150 more. If you are looking for a 32″ Monitor that is 4K,120hz+ and under $700, stop looking, this is the one.

I did an insane amount of research on monitors and added ones I liked to the Amazon list….and then slowly started checking monitors off my list until I came to the one I wanted. This was it. The last two were this and then an ultrawide…. Between a 32″ screen, HDR600 (others were 400 and the 1000’s didn’t have other features I wanted), high refresh rate, Freesync Premium for my ATI card, 1ms response, high resolutions, and a known respected company (MSI), and having to return other brands in the past, I can’t say enough good things about this monitor.

Let me just start by saying the build quality is amazing. The back of this monitor has a sleek design and is one of the best I’ve seen. Unfortunately, the actual monitor part, not so great. for me at least.

The IPS glow was so bad when there is any kind of black on the screen. Looks worse in the picture than in real life but it was enough to annoy me even though I was expecting some IPS glow.
The picture though, when the scenes are light is very very good. The response time is pretty much perfect and refresh rate is great.

So much that I was considering getting used to the glow, but then a dead pixel showed up after only about a week of use.
Also the screen is insanely bright, if anything white is full on the screen it is like a flashbang to the face. I had to lower the brightness down to about 25-30% and it was still bright. But that may be a non issue for some.

At that point it was a return for me, not sure if the glow was just a defect on the one I got.
I decided to go with a VA panel instead

I started off buying 2 of the 27″ versions. I went ahead and got the 32″ MSI MAG323UPF when the Samsung Odyssey I purchased broke the first day I owned it due to a flimsy stand.

I’m very happy with it. Nice color, easy to read text. Beautiful picture. The price was right, and it has a very solid base stand that’s easy to adjust up and down.

Fast, accurate, no lag. Beautiful graphics and a rich display. This has to be the perfect size for a typical gaming rig, I am not too keen on the curved wide screens as they are so aligned with a 2D plane. I’ve had several 34” wide screens and would take this 32” monitor over all of them. The 4k resolution provides ample depth and spacial range. FPS and space flight are outstanding!