Best MSI Gaming Monitor Settings Guide — MAG and MPG Series

MSI's gaming monitor lineup under the MAG and MPG brands covers a range from 1080p budget gaming panels to high-end 4K and OLED displays. The OSD is consistent across most models.

Game Mode and Picture Settings

Game Mode — MSI monitors offer Game Mode presets (FPS, Racing, RTS, RPG, User). Start with User for full control. FPS mode raises brightness and boosts detail which can be useful in dark games but looks unnatural for general use.

Contrast — Set to 50 (midpoint). MSI's factory default contrast is high on many models, which clips shadow detail.

Response Time (Anti-Motion Blur / Overdrive)

MSI labels their overdrive setting as Response Time:

MAG IPS panels:

Fast setting is the safe option — crisp motion with no significant inverse ghosting
Fastest introduces trailing artifacts on some MAG models, especially at lower refresh rates

MAG VA panels:

VA panels need more aggressive overdrive than IPS. Use Fastest
Test with moving gray bars against a dark background. If halos appear, step back to Fast

MPG OLED panels:

Leave at default. OLED handles response time at the panel level.

Brightness

MAG/MPG IPS: 50–65 depending on room lighting. MSI factory brightness defaults run at 80 which is too high for typical indoor use
MPG OLED: Set OLED brightness to 70–80 for SDR gaming. Sustained max brightness accelerates burn-in risk in static areas (health bars, minimaps)

Color Temperature

Set Color Temperature to Warm or a custom RGB value of approximately R:255 G:247 B:230 for a 6500K target. Cool temperature adds a blue cast that is visually tiring over long sessions.

Night Vision (Black Equalizer)

MSI's shadow-lifting feature. A value of 2–3 on the 0–5 scale is useful in games with dark indoor environments. Higher values raise black levels enough to look washed out in areas that should be dark.