The Ultimate Ultra-wide? MSI’s MPG 491CQP QD-OLED is an epic ultra-wide monitor

Is this the perfect ultra-wide for sim racing? MSI impresses with their MPG 491CQP QD-OLED at CES

Front and center at MSI’s CES 2024 booth (see our tour here) is their new MPG 491CQP QD-OLED gaming monitor. With its huge 49-inch screen size, 5120 x 1440 resolution, 144Hz refresh rate, and next-generation Quantum-Dot OLED panel, this screen is the perfect racing sim panel.

Seeing this screen in person at CES is a joy. The colours are vibrant, the blacks are deep, and its width makes me want to build a proper racing setup. At CES, this screen has won two awards, one for Computer Peripherals and Accessories, and another for gaming and eSports.

This screen doesn’t just look good on paper, it has proven its worth with DisplayHDR True Black 400 and ClearMR 8000 certifications. In plain English that means that this screen boasts strong HDR support with deep inky blacks and features strong motion response characteristics to ensure that on-screen images are sharp.

The MSI MPG 491CQP QD-OLED features both DisplayPort 1.4a and HDMI 2.1a inputs, with DisplayPort supporting up to 5120 x 1440 144 Hz. HDMI 2.1a inputs can deliver 120Hz support with full 48 Gbps bandwidth, VRR support and ALLM (Automatic Low Latency Mode) support.

The MSI MPG 491CQP QD-OLED features sharper text

One of the key features of the next-generation QD OLED panel  that MSI are using is its increase text clarity. Thanks to sub-pixel arrangement improvements, text is more defined and images are sharper than before. These changes make Quantum Dot OLED screens more suitable for use in monitors. Text clarity is an incredibly important characteristic for any PC-oriented monitor. This makes MSI’s use of newer QD-OLED panels a excellent upgrade.

OLED Care

At CES 2024, MSI has done more to convince me to buy an OLED monitor than anyone ever has. Burn in risk has always been something that turned me away from desktop OLED screens. While newer OLED panels are less prone to burn-in, the risk remains. MSI has worked hard to mitigate these issues with their screens.

For starters, MSI are shipping all of their OLED screens with a graphene film and a strong passive heatsink solution. This helps to keep MSI’s screens cool under load and prevent burn-in. Beyond that, MSI has created “MSI OLED Care“, a series of technologies that aim to prevent logo burn-in, taskbar burn-in, and static screen burn-in. If you are using an OLED screen for work, static screen burn-in and taskbar burn-in are things I want mitigations for. MSI has these mitigations, and it makes me want a screen upgrade.

MSI plans to launch their range of new QD-OLED gaming monitors within the next few months. The price of this specific display is currently unknown.

You can join the discussion on MSI’s super-wide MPG 491CQP QD-OLED gaming monitor on the OC3D Forums.

Mark Campbell

Mark Campbell

A Northern Irish father, husband, and techie that works to turn tea and coffee into articles when he isn’t painting his extensive minis collection or using things to make other things.

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