MSI outs new 30-inch Optix ultrawide monitor for butter-smooth 200Hz gaming

MSI Optix MAG301CR
MSI Optix MAG301CR (Image credit: MSI)

What you need to know

  • MSI launches the Optix MAG301CR, a new ultrawide curved gaming monitor.
  • Supports FreeSync for butter-smooth gaming on AMD GPUs.
  • Refresh rate of 200Hz and response time of just 1ms.
  • Priced at $350.

MSI announced the new Optix MAG301CR ultrawide gaming monitor. It's curved, has a response time of 1ms and refresh rate of 200Hz for smooth gameplay, supports AMD FreeSync, and comes with fairly good color gamut scores. With a resolution of 2560 x 1080 (also known as WFHD), you'll be able to max out all the settings on at least a mid-tier GPU.

What makes this display particularly noteworthy is the 21:9 aspect ratio, allowing for more game to be displayed on-screen. A DCI-P3 rating of 98% and sRGB score of 127% are really good for a monitor priced this aggressively. There's also a neat trick with the height, tilt, swivel and pivot being adjustable.

For ports, we're looking at USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A and B, DisplayPort 1.2a, two HDMI 2.0b, and Type-C. MSI's new Optix MAG301CR can be purchased from Amazon and Newegg.

Rich Edmonds
Senior Editor, PC Build

Rich Edmonds was formerly a Senior Editor of PC hardware at Windows Central, covering everything related to PC components and NAS. He's been involved in technology for more than a decade and knows a thing or two about the magic inside a PC chassis. You can follow him on Twitter at @RichEdmonds.