MSI Optix G243 monitor – Specs, Pros / Cons: Superb Accuracy Usually Unexpected From A Gaming Monitor

LaptopMedia.com Reviews and Analysis MSI Optix G243 monitor - Specs, Pros / Cons: Superb Accuracy Usually Unexpected From A Gaming Monitor

From: Severin Kolakov 01 May 2024 / 13:31 | 0

The MSI Optix G243 is a classic budget gaming monitor. So of course, it hides a lot of its fantastic features, some of which you need to run some tests in order to find out about them. On the surface, it’s a typical gamer, with a detailed and crisp 23.8-inch Full HD VA panel that ticks at 165Hz, while having a 1ms response time, and AMD FreeSync Premium support.

Once you dig deeper, you figure out that the monitor covers quite a lot of colors, both in the sRGB and the DCI-P3 gamuts, which means punchy and vibrant colors with good detail. The color accuracy gains that we were able to provide are excellent, as our Display Profiles make the screen 4 times more accurate (more on that below).

You can check the current price of the MSI Optix G243 here: Buy from Amazon.com (#CommissionsEarned)

Specs sheet, Assembly, OSD, Drivers, Design, Connectivity
Display quality, Buy our profiles, Verdict

Specs sheet, Assembly, OSD, Drivers, Design, Connectivity

Screen size	23.8 inch (60.45 cm)
Refresh rate	165Hz
Response time	1ms
Panel type	VA
Backlight type	LED
Screen finish	Matte
Resolution	1920 x 1080 (FHD)
Technologies	Contrast ratio: 3000:1 (Static) Brightness: 350 cd/m² Viewing angles: H/V° 178/178 VESA mount: 100 x 100 mm Tilt: -5 to 20° Measurements (with stand): 540.24 x 412.67 x 228.24 mm Power consumption (Idle): 28W Power consumption (Stand-by): 0.50W Built-in speakers: 2x 2W
I/O	2x HDMI 1.4b 1x DisplayPort 1.2a 1x Audio jack

What’s in the box? Assembly

OSD Menu

Drivers and Software

MSI’s Support Website allows you to download the drivers as well as some utility software, like the MSI Display Kit, which gives you monitor control through the operating system, thus enabling mouse and keyboard support.

Design and Connectivity

The design of the monitor looks and feels just a tad old, mainly thanks to the brushed plastic on the back, which screams 2016 like nothing else. From the front, you do get a more modern appearance. The bezels on the side are thin, with the chin being the thickest of the four sides. The built-in speakers are on the bottom, which further excuses the thicker bottom. In terms of adjustment, the Optix G243 doesn’t offer anything except Tilt, which isn’t really the most useful, but you can still adjust the angle so the monitor stays at eye level.

The port selection could use some USBs, but in general, it’s fine. You have two HDMI 1.4b ports, a single DisplayPort 1.2a, and an audio jack. Keep in mind that in order to access the full 165Hz of the monitor, you have to use the DisplayPort, as the HDMI 1.4b maxes out at 1080p/144Hz. On the other hand, the HDMIs are perfect for consoles, so you can keep it plugged in and just switch the source anytime you want to play.

Display quality, Buy our profiles, Verdict

The MSI Optix G243 brings a 23.8-inch Full HD screen (1920 x 1080), which calculates to a pixel density of 92.56 PPI, a pitch of 0.2744 x 0.2744 mm, and a Retina distance of 37.14 inches or 94.33 cm. From this distance, the human eye can’t distinguish individual pixels.

The correlated color temperature on a white screen after a Factory Reset in sRGB mode is 6260 K (Luminance 150 cd/m2 at 20% Brightness). The average gamma value is 2.18.

Color coverage

Here’s an illustration (Fig. 1). The whole “sail-shaped” map below consists of all the colors we can see, while the black crooked line shows all the colors from real-world scenes and nature around us.

Then, we’ve drawn some of the most important and interesting color spaces, compared to the colors the panel of MSI Optix G243 can show:

Standard/For Web: sRGB – widely used color space for most consumer devices, ideal for Web design and development
For Print: AdobeRGB – used in professional photo editing, graphic design, and print
For Photographers/Video Editors: DCI-P3 – used in high-end film production, post-production, and digital cinema
Premium HDR: Rec.2020 – the widest consumer ITU color standard, covering a massive 75.8% of the visible spectrum, a benchmark for premium HDR content

MSI Optix G243: the yellow dashed triangle (– – – – – –) represents the range of colors this monitor can display. In our tests, we calculated the total color coverage of the monitor at 98% of the sRGB color gamut and 88% of the DCI-P3 color gamut.

(Fig.1) MSI Optix G243 covers 98% of the Web colors (sRGB)

This means that if the MSI Optix G243 tries to show any color outside of its triangle, it will show the closest color to it that’s inside the triangle.

Color accuracy

Now let’s see how big is the difference between the real colors and the ones you’ll see on the MSI Optix G243. We measure that distance in DeltaE – the bigger the number, the more different they look.

For the next illustration, we’ve chosen 24 common colors like dark and light skin, blue sky, green grass, etc.

Values below 2.0 are considered suitable for color-sensitive work. Before our calibration of the MSI Optix G243, the Average color accuracy was 5.8 dE (Fig. 2), and with our Web Design and Office Work profile, it lowered to 1.4 dE (Fig. 3). The profile provides a 4X Increase in accuracy, making the monitor very suitable for Creator work.

(Fig. 2) MSI Optix G243 in its factory condition

(Fig. 3) MSI Optix G243 with our display profiles

Comparison in the sRGB color space (primaries and D65 white point specified in ITU-R BT.709, sRGB encoding curve).

Left: No Profile | Drag the slider to see the difference | Right: Design & Gaming Profile

Health-Guard eliminates the harmful Pulse-Width Modulation (PWM) and reduces the negative Blue Light which affects our eyes and body. Since it’s custom-tailored for every panel, it manages to keep the colors perceptually accurate (they may seem strange at first but after a few minutes our brain will start recognizing them as accurate ones – that’s how Health-Guard differs from alternatives like f.lux).

Pro Tip: As the Health-Guard profile simulates paper and has as accurate as possible colors, it could be a great tool for prepress designers!

Left: No Profile | Drag the slider to see the difference | Right: Health-Guard Profile

Gaming and Movies

We also have a third Gaming and Movies profile, which regulates the black colors, making dark areas in games and movies appear more visible, thus giving you a better viewing experience. Shooting at your opponent first can be a make-or-break moment, so make sure you’re best prepared with our profile.

Left: No Profile | Drag the slider to see the difference | Right: Design & Gaming Profile

BUY OUR DISPLAY PROFILES

Since our profiles are tailored for each individual display model, this article and its respective profile package are meant for the MSI Optix G243.

*Should you have problems with downloading the purchased file, try using a different browser to open the link you’ll receive via e-mail. If the download target is a .php file instead of an archive, change the file extension to .zip or contact us at [email protected].

In addition to receiving efficient and health-friendly profiles, by buying LaptopMedia's products you also support the development of our labs, where we test devices in order to produce the most objective reviews possible.

Office Work

Office Work should be used mostly by users who spend most of the time looking at pieces of text, tables or just surfing. This profile aims to deliver better distinctness and clarity by keeping a flat gamma curve (2.20), native color temperature and perceptually accurate colors.

$9.90 BUY NOW

Design and Gaming

This profile is aimed at designers who work with colors professionally, and for games and movies as well. Design and Gaming takes display panels to their limits, making them as accurate as possible in the sRGB IEC61966-2-1 standard for Web and HDTV, at white point D65.

$9.90 BUY NOW

Health-Guard

Health-Guard eliminates the harmful Pulse-Width Modulation (PWM) and reduces the negative Blue Light which affects our eyes and body. Since it’s custom tailored for every panel, it manages to keep the colors perceptually accurate. Health-Guard simulates paper so the pressure on the eyes is greatly reduced.

$9.90 BUY NOW

Get all 3 profiles with 33% discount

$19.90 BUY NOW

Verdict

The MSI Optix G243 is certainly the monitor that anyone would want, thanks to its crazy versatility. Optix monitors so far haven’t disappointed us, and the G243 continues the trend, covering a lot of colors (98% sRGB and 88% DCI-P3 gamuts) and becoming very accurate once we calibrate it using our Display Profiles.

To be more specific, the Web Design and Office Work profile makes the monitor four times more accurate, reducing the dE value from 5.8 to 1.4. While the design might feel a bit outdated, it brings a set of built-in speakers, giving you more versatility when it comes to audio.

Of course, this is a gaming monitor first and foremost, with a 165Hz refresh rate, a 1ms response time, and FreeSync Premium support, which essentially is all you need for a Full HD monitor.

The Gaming and Movies profile makes it so you get more visibility when the game environment is dark, so you can better appreciate the scenery. This helps a lot in movies with dark scenes too, as we really hate when we have to get all close and personal to the screen in order to see what’s going on.

Lastly, the Health-Guard profile is the most important of the bunch, as it concerns your health. You only get one pair of eyes for a lifetime, so keeping them safe from Blue Light and PWM (Flickering) should be a top priority.

You can check the current price of the MSI Optix G243: Buy from Amazon.com (#CommissionsEarned)