MSI MP241W E14V 23.8" White

Fast and cheap, but the display quality is a real letdown. Buy it for 144Hz on a budget, not for pretty pictures.

The 144Hz refresh rate is the star here, and it's genuinely solid for the price. Our data puts overall performance in the 73rd percentile, which means it's well above average for budget monitors. The 1ms MPRT response time keeps motion reasonably crisp, and FreeSync handles frame pacing without drama. But the VA panel's 250 nits brightness feels dim in a bright room, and the 6-bit+FRC color depth means gradients can look banded. It's fast, but it's not pretty.

The ASUS TUF Gaming VG34VQL1B and Acer Nitro XV272U W2bmiiprx both offer significantly better panels, but they also cost more and are larger ultrawide or higher-resolution displays. The HP OMEN 27qs G2 is a closer match in spirit, with a better display and similar gaming focus, though it's pricier. The Gigabyte M Series M27UP SA and KOORUI 34E6UC are in a different league entirely, with better color and resolution. If you're comparing this MSI to any of those, the MSI only wins on price.

At $105 to $110, this is a hard price to argue with if you just want a fast 1080p panel. But the display quality is so weak that you're really paying for the refresh rate and not much else. If you can stretch your budget even a little, there are better options. If you can't, this will get the job done for competitive gaming on a tight budget.

The MSI MP241W E14V is a budget 1080p gaming monitor that gets the basics right but skimps on everything else. You get a 144Hz VA panel with FreeSync and a 1ms response time for around $105 to $110, which sounds great on paper. But the display quality is rough, with 250 nits brightness and color performance that lands near the bottom of our database. This is a monitor you buy because it's cheap and fast, not because it looks good.

If you're looking for a monitor with good color accuracy or brightness, this isn't it. Creative work scores an 18.1 out of 100 in our database, which is one of the worst we've seen. Go get something like the Acer Nitro XV272U W2bmiiprx or HP OMEN 27qs G2 instead if you care about image quality.

The MSI MP241W E14V is a one-trick pony. That trick is 144Hz at a very low price, and it does that well. But the display quality is a real letdown, with dim brightness and poor color performance. If you're a competitive gamer on a strict budget, it's a reasonable buy. If you care about how your games look, save up for something better.