Best MSI Monitors Under £100. Top Picks for 2026

This is where the MSI MAG 274CXF 27 Inch FHD Curved Gaming Monitor absolutely runs away with it. 280 Hz is not a number you see often under £100. Or under £150, for that matter. To put that in context, the MSI PRO MP275 27 Inch Full HD Office Monitor runs at 100 Hz and the MSI MAG 342CQR E2 34 Inch UWQHD Curved Gaming Monitor manages 180 Hz. So the MAG 274CXF is 180 Hz faster than the office monitor and 100 Hz faster than the ultrawide. That's not a marginal difference.

On response time, the MAG 274CXF quotes 0.5ms GtG (minimum). The MAG 342CQR E2 quotes 1ms MPRT, which is a different measurement entirely. MPRT is achieved through backlight strobing and represents perceived blur rather than actual pixel transition speed. GtG is the more directly comparable figure, and 0.5ms GtG is genuinely fast. The PRO MP275 doesn't publish a response time spec at all, which is fairly typical for office-oriented IPS panels at this price.

In practice, if you play Counter-Strike 2, Valorant, or any competitive shooter where frame rate and motion clarity matter, the MAG 274CXF is the only sensible choice here. At 280 Hz, assuming your GPU can push the frames, you're getting a noticeably smoother and more responsive experience than either alternative. The MAG 342CQR E2's 180 Hz is still respectable for gaming, but it's not in the same league for pure competitive performance. And the PRO MP275's 100 Hz is fine for casual play but won't satisfy anyone serious about their frame rate.

Adaptive Sync is present on both the MAG 274CXF and the MAG 342CQR E2, which helps eliminate screen tearing across a wide GPU range. The PRO MP275 has no variable refresh rate support at all, which is expected for an office panel but worth knowing.

Here's where the MSI MAG 342CQR E2 34 Inch UWQHD Curved Gaming Monitor does something that really shouldn't be possible at £79. It offers 3440 x 1440 resolution on a 34-inch ultrawide panel. That's 4,953,600 pixels, compared to 2,073,600 pixels on the two 1080p screens. You're getting roughly 2.4 times the pixel count.

The practical difference is enormous. On the MAG 342CQR E2, you can have a browser window and a document open side by side without either feeling cramped. Video editors get a timeline that actually breathes. Spreadsheet workers can see more columns without scrolling. And in games that support ultrawide, the 21:9 aspect ratio wraps around your peripheral vision in a way that 16:9 simply cannot replicate.

The two 27-inch 1080p monitors, the MAG 274CXF and the PRO MP275, share the same resolution. At 27 inches, 1920 x 1080 gives you a pixel density of roughly 82 PPI. That's not sharp by modern standards. Text can look slightly soft if you're sitting close. The MAG 342CQR E2 at 3440 x 1440 across 34 inches works out to around 109 PPI, which is noticeably crisper.

So if your priority is screen real estate, image clarity, or productivity, the ultrawide wins this category without much debate. The only caveat is that your GPU needs to push 3440 x 1440 at 180 Hz, which requires a more capable card than running 1080p at 280 Hz. Something to factor in depending on your setup.

Panel technology is where things get interesting. You've got two VA panels (the MAG 274CXF uses a Rapid VA variant, the MAG 342CQR E2 uses a standard VA) and one IPS panel (the PRO MP275).

IPS panels like the one in the MSI PRO MP275 27 Inch Full HD Office Monitor are known for wide viewing angles and consistent colour accuracy. If you're working with multiple people looking at the screen, or you sit at an angle to your monitor, IPS holds up much better than VA. Colours don't shift when viewed off-axis. For office work, graphic design, or any colour-sensitive task, IPS is the traditional recommendation.

VA panels, on the other hand, offer significantly better contrast ratios. Typical IPS contrast sits around 1000:1. VA panels commonly hit 3000:1 or higher. That means deeper blacks, more punch in dark scenes, and a more cinematic look in games and films. The MSI MAG 274CXF's Rapid VA designation means it's been optimised for faster pixel transitions compared to standard VA, addressing the one area where VA traditionally falls short (slow response times causing smearing in dark scenes).

The MAG 342CQR E2 combines that VA contrast advantage with the higher resolution and larger screen, which makes it the most visually impressive panel in this group for most content. Dark games, films, and HDR-adjacent content will look noticeably better on either VA screen than on the IPS PRO MP275. But if you're doing colour-critical work and need consistent off-axis viewing, the PRO MP275's IPS panel is the safer choice.

For the majority of users, the MAG 342CQR E2 edges this category on sheer visual impact. But it's genuinely close between the two VA screens, and the PRO MP275 earns its place for specific professional use cases.

Ports matter more than people give them credit for, especially at this price where you're unlikely to be swapping monitors frequently. So let's be specific about what each screen offers.

The MSI MAG 274CXF 27 Inch FHD Curved Gaming Monitor has DisplayPort 1.2a and HDMI 2.0b. DisplayPort 1.2a supports up to 4K at 60 Hz or 1080p at well over 240 Hz, so it's more than capable of driving the panel at its full 280 Hz. HDMI 2.0b supports up to 4K at 60 Hz or 1080p at 240 Hz. Both are solid choices for a modern gaming PC or console.

The MSI MAG 342CQR E2 34 Inch UWQHD Curved Gaming Monitor has DisplayPort 1.4a and HDMI 2.0b. DP 1.4a is the more capable standard here, supporting up to 8K at 60 Hz or 4K at 120 Hz, which means it handles 3440 x 1440 at 180 Hz without any bandwidth issues. This is actually important: running UWQHD at high refresh rates demands more bandwidth than 1080p, and DP 1.4a is the right tool for the job. Both MAG monitors also support HDMI CEC, which allows connected devices to control each other (useful if you're connecting a console or media device).

The MSI PRO MP275 27 Inch Full HD Office Monitor takes a different approach entirely. HDMI 1.4b and D-Sub (VGA). HDMI 1.4b caps out at 1080p at 120 Hz, which means you can't actually run this monitor at its full 100 Hz over HDMI 1.4b... wait, actually 100 Hz is within HDMI 1.4b's capabilities at 1080p, so that's fine. But the real story here is the VGA port. That's a genuinely useful inclusion for anyone with an older desktop or a laptop that lacks HDMI. It's not glamorous, but it's practical.

The MAG 342CQR E2 wins on connectivity quality, with DP 1.4a being the standout. But the PRO MP275 wins on compatibility with legacy hardware. For most buyers in 2026, the ultrawide's port selection is the better overall package.

All three monitors are from MSI, so you're getting broadly similar build quality across the range. That said, there are meaningful differences in form factor and ergonomics.

The MSI MAG 274CXF 27 Inch FHD Curved Gaming Monitor and the MSI MAG 342CQR E2 34 Inch UWQHD Curved Gaming Monitor both feature a 1500R curve. That's a fairly aggressive curve, tighter than the 1800R you see on some screens. At 27 inches it's noticeable but not overwhelming. At 34 inches, a 1500R curve genuinely wraps around your field of view and adds to the immersive feel. Both carry MSI's MAG gaming aesthetic, which means angular stands, subtle RGB potential, and a look that fits a gaming desk rather than a corporate office.

The MSI PRO MP275 27 Inch Full HD Office Monitor is flat, which is the right call for an office screen. Flat panels are easier to use in multi-monitor setups and don't introduce the slight geometric distortion that curved screens can show in certain productivity applications. The PRO range uses a cleaner, more understated design. It's tilt-adjustable, which is the minimum you'd expect, though there's no height adjustment or pivot mentioned in the spec sheet.

None of these monitors are going to win awards for premium build quality at this price. But they're all solid enough for everyday use. The MAG screens feel more purposeful for gaming environments, the PRO MP275 fits a work setup better. It's a draw because the right design depends entirely on your context.

One thing worth noting: the PRO MP275 includes built-in speakers. The other two don't. If your desk setup doesn't have external speakers or a headset, that's a genuine practical advantage for the office monitor.

This one goes to the MSI PRO MP275 27 Inch Full HD Office Monitor, and it's not particularly close. MSI has specifically built this screen around long-session comfort. The Eye-Friendly designation covers anti-flicker technology (which eliminates the PWM dimming that causes headaches and eye strain in some users) and a low blue light mode that reduces the high-energy wavelengths associated with sleep disruption and eye fatigue.

For anyone who spends six to ten hours a day in front of a screen for work, these features matter. Anti-flicker in particular is underrated. PWM dimming, used by many budget monitors to control brightness, causes the backlight to rapidly switch on and off. Most people don't consciously notice it, but over a long day it contributes to headaches and tiredness. The PRO MP275 avoids this.

The MAG 274CXF and MAG 342CQR E2 don't specifically advertise eye care features. That doesn't necessarily mean they use aggressive PWM dimming, but MSI hasn't made it a selling point for either gaming screen. If you're buying a monitor primarily for work and you're sensitive to eye strain, the PRO MP275 is the only one in this group that's been designed with that in mind.

The IPS panel in the PRO MP275 also helps here. IPS panels tend to be more comfortable for long reading and document work because of their consistent brightness and colour uniformity across the screen. VA panels can show slight brightness variation towards the edges (known as backlight bleed or clouding), which some users find distracting during extended use.

Right. This is the category that matters most when you're spending under £100, and the answer here is genuinely surprising.

The MSI PRO MP275 27 Inch Full HD Office Monitor is the cheapest at £59.00. For a 27-inch IPS screen with built-in speakers and eye care features, that's fair value. But it's a fairly standard office monitor with no gaming credentials and a modest 100 Hz refresh rate. You're paying for reliability and compatibility, not performance.

The MSI MAG 274CXF 27 Inch FHD Curved Gaming Monitor sits at £89.00. For 280 Hz and 0.5ms GtG, that's a strong price. Comparable gaming monitors from other brands at 240 Hz or above typically cost significantly more. If gaming performance is your priority, this represents excellent value for the specific use case.

But the MSI MAG 342CQR E2 34 Inch UWQHD Curved Gaming Monitor at £79.00 is, frankly, a bit of an anomaly. A 34-inch UWQHD curved VA panel with 180 Hz and Adaptive Sync for under £80. Ultrawide monitors at this resolution typically start at £200 or more from most brands. Even accounting for the fact that this is a budget-tier build, the raw specs-per-pound ratio here is extraordinary. You're getting 4.95 million pixels, a 34-inch curved panel, and a proper gaming-capable refresh rate for less than the price of a mid-range 27-inch 1080p screen from a competing brand.

For pure value, the MAG 342CQR E2 wins this category. The MAG 274CXF is excellent value for its specific niche. The PRO MP275 is fair but unremarkable on value alone. Check out MSI's official monitor range and compare what else is available at these price points, and you'll quickly see how competitive these three screens are. For independent benchmark context, RTINGS.com's monitor reviews are the gold standard for objective panel testing.