MSI VA Gaming panel

[Dr. Hillarius]

So i opened a discussion earlier about the acer Nitro VG0 VG271UP and how it would meet my expectations. Though after a bit of research, i now found another competitor for the spot in my setup: the msi optix MAG271CQR at 1440p 144hz. It is a VA panel, so it should give me great colours (right?), yet, as far as i know, VAs are known for rather blurry images when gaming because of slower pixel response times. So my question is: Is it good for gaming? Or does the image simply get to blurry? If not, i would prefer it because of better colours and the curved display.

Thanks in advance!

[Bananasplit_00]

I have loved my VA panel for games, good colour and good blacks. Works well for me

[CharminUltraStrong]

I own an MSI monitor with a VA panel (I believe all their panels are sourced from samsung) and I don't notice any glaring issues like ghosting/blurring.

[bellabichon]

There are three main types of displays on the market for computer monitors. TN, IPS, and VA. 

 

TN panels are very common in laptops, due them being thin, cheap, and easy to produce. TN panels generally have sub-par colors and very poor viewing angles. However, TN panels can have very quick response times. The 240hz monitors you've seen your favorite eSports players use are TN, because high refresh rate is their main concern. 

 

IPS panels are common in desktop monitors, especially for content creators such as video and photo editors, due to their far superior color reproduction. They have great blacks, and very good viewing angles when compared to TN. One of the only small downsides for IPS panels is they can't get the same 1ms response times as a TN panel. They commonly have response times between 5ms and 10ms. 

 

VA panels are generally considered to be somewhere in the middle of TN and IPS. They have good color reproduction, better maximum brightness, and really good contrast ratios. However, they have the worst response times of any modern panel, which can cause tearing and blur. 

 

Whenever you're shopping for a monitor, I'd recommend you try to find it in a store in your local area. The only way you can really tell if the monitor is good enough for you, is if you use it firsthand.

[SolarNova]

The problem with VA panels is their poor pixel response, specifically their dark transitions. Unless its had focused R&D on the panel to improve pixel response, its going to have significant ghosting, making any high refresh rate it may have pointless, or at the very least less useful than a fast TN panel.

 

NOTE: advertised response times are ALWAYS wrong, by a large degree. Ignore them.

 

For reference, the slowest u want any pixel transition (not the average) to be for a given frequency is:

 

60Hz = 16.6ms or better

120hz= 8.33ms or better

144hz = 6.9ms or better

240hz = 4.1ms or better

 

Consider that the fastest i have seen tested, with an 'average' response time (so not even based on the slowest) for VA is around 10ms, thus a VA panel cant even run fast enough to handle 120hz.

 

Having a Monitor that can do 144hz, , thus a new frame is shown every 6.9ms, but using a panel that has a pixel response of 10ms, means the pixel cant transition fully to the required color before the next frame needs displaying, resulting ghosting/blurring.

 

now with all that said, i would if i had to choose between the 3 POS LCD panels available, i would choose a VA due to its superior contrast and black levels.

[Dr. Hillarius]

21 hours ago, bellabichon said:

There are three main types of displays on the market for computer monitors. TN, IPS, and VA. 

 

TN panels are very common in laptops, due them being thin, cheap, and easy to produce. TN panels generally have sub-par colors and very poor viewing angles. However, TN panels can have very quick response times. The 240hz monitors you've seen your favorite eSports players use are TN, because high refresh rate is their main concern. 

 

IPS panels are common in desktop monitors, especially for content creators such as video and photo editors, due to their far superior color reproduction. They have great blacks, and very good viewing angles when compared to TN. One of the only small downsides for IPS panels is they can't get the same 1ms response times as a TN panel. They commonly have response times between 5ms and 10ms. 

 

VA panels are generally considered to be somewhere in the middle of TN and IPS. They have good color reproduction, better maximum brightness, and really good contrast ratios. However, they have the worst response times of any modern panel, which can cause tearing and blur. 

 

Whenever you're shopping for a monitor, I'd recommend you try to find it in a store in your local area. The only way you can really tell if the monitor is good enough for you, is if you use it firsthand.

Okay, so as far as i understand now, IPS would generally be better then VA, except for contrast and blacks? In how far does one really perceive the response times? Problem for me is, i don't have a nearby hardware store, at least not to my knowledge (of course there are a few tech stores, but none that has that much comparable stuff, maybe i'm just to dumb to find one).

[SolarNova]

3 minutes ago, Dr. Hillarius said:

Okay, so as far as i understand now, IPS would generally be better then VA, except for contrast and blacks? In how far does one really perceive the response times? Problem for me is, i don't have a nearby hardware store, at least not to my knowledge (of course there are a few tech stores, but none that has that much comparable stuff, maybe i'm just to dumb to find one).

Well thats down to the person . I for example notice ghosting on even TN panels, and they have the fastest response time of the 3 types. I'm to used to CRT and Plasma which has instant response, so any amount of ghosting im going to pick up on.

 

however if ur som1 who has only ever used LCD, then u've got a different standard to compare against. Your just gunna have to find out urself. if a monitor ghosts to much , find out it s tested response time and take note of that for future reference. if a monitor is fine by ur eye, again find out the tested response time (check proper reviewers), so you know what ur ok with.

[Dr. Hillarius]

20 hours ago, SolarNova said:

The problem with VA panels is their poor pixel response, specifically their dark transitions. Unless its had focused R&D on the panel to improve pixel response, its going to have significant ghosting, making any high refresh rate it may have pointless, or at the very least less useful than a fast TN panel.

 

NOTE: advertised response times are ALWAYS wrong, by a large degree. Ignore them.

 

For reference, the slowest u want any pixel transition (not the average) to be for a given frequency is:

 

60Hz = 16.6ms or better

120hz= 8.33ms or better

144hz = 6.9ms or better

240hz = 4.1ms or better

 

Consider that the fastest i have seen tested, with an 'average' response time (so not even based on the slowest) for VA is around 10ms, thus a VA panel cant even run fast enough to handle 120hz.

 

Having a Monitor that can do 144hz, , thus a new frame is shown every 6.9ms, but using a panel that has a pixel response of 10ms, means the pixel cant transition fully to the required color before the next frame needs displaying, resulting ghosting/blurring.

 

now with all that said, i would if i had to choose between the 3 POS LCD panels available, i would choose a VA due to its superior contrast and black levels.

Do you have experience with high refresh rate VA panels? If you do, how much do you notice the blur that is due to the response times? Also, is there a place i could look up the "independently" measured response times? I would also prefer VAs, but i'm also playing faster games like Overwatch every now and then, so i really want to avoid a blurry image.

[Dr. Hillarius]

4 minutes ago, SolarNova said:

Well thats down to the person . I for example notice ghosting on even TN panels, and they have the fastest response time of the 3 types. I'm to used to CRT and Plasma which has instant response, so any amount of ghosting im going to pick up on.

 

however if ur som1 who has only ever used LCD, then u've got a different standard to compare against. Your just gunna have to find out urself. if a monitor ghosts to much , find out it s tested response time and take note of that for future reference. if a monitor is fine by ur eye, again find out the tested response time (check proper reviewers), so you know what ur ok with.

Thanks, can you recommend certain reviewers?

[SolarNova]

1 hour ago, Dr. Hillarius said:

Thanks, can you recommend certain reviewers?

Of the top of my head i know Rtings.com and tftcentral have good reviews.