Re. MSU Prestige PS341WU.
[Subtitle: Selling Only To White Houses.]
Limited recommendation on this 34” IPS monitor marketed for ‘creatives.’
Pros:
- Very good color accuracy.
- The included metal stand is not too wobbly, better than most.
- I like the metal frame around the monitor.
- It is VESA mountable.
- I like the Prestige aspect ratio for video editing applications.
- Great overall size for my use.
- Pretty good monitor if you have a Windows machine. Windows based creatives that don’t want to pay for micro, or even mini, LED might like the Prestige.
Cons:
- The Prestige has a good panel in a nice package which is hurt by poor design choices, mediocre software, and a gamer-centric company’s focus on Windows. (“White houses”) The Prestige is marketed for “Creatives,” among whom exist a large number of Macintosh users.
— The suggested price for the Prestige is high for Mac users since only the most basic features are available them.
— There is a lot to like for Windows using creatives; however, the average Windows users will likely see this monitor outside of their budget.
— Gamers look elsewhere.
- Sum Up Value: mediocre overall performance v. price ratio on both OS, though a more interesting choice for the subset of Windows creatives.
- Will your video card support useful resolutions on the Prestige? My Radeon RX 5700 XT didn’t.
- Most anti-glare treatments (also known as “smear coatings”) simply “smear” room reflections and image highlights across a wider area, thus reducing contrast. The Prestige is no exception.
- I see backlight bleed, especially around the edges where one can detect edge lighting.
- The user manual is a laundry list of physical features and didn't cover setup issues I found.
- Most features are accessed by using a button behind the monitor. :/ What were they thinking?
- My monitor doesn’t scan for video signal input changes. (eg. Changing cable from DisplayPort to USB-C)
- MSi lacks the support backbone for professional clients. It is a great company for the gaming/hobbiest community, which is different from the creative community where time is money.
— There are a lot of issues for Mac users, whose support options are limited to the smartest PC gamer in the MSi break-room during work hours because…
— MSi online support has a gateway which requires answers for Windows-specific questions to move past.*
— Asking questions through MSi's official forums has the same issue.
- Thunderbolt 3 / USB C video input (DP) isn’t plug-and-play on my Mac. Perhaps this is a Windows specific feature?
- My monitor’s setup menu isn’t accessible unless there is a video input plugged into the Display Port. (One cannot get to the “Source” menu after you change a cable from Display port to USB C)
- All of these cons may be wrong but I cannot reach MSi Tech Support this weekend to get solutions.
- Oh, and this is not a great gaming monitor.
Expounding on the observations.
Software/Features: The MSi feature set can be greatly expanded into useful areas but only if you download their Windows-only software. :/
Blacks and Image: I use this monitor to edit video on a MacBook Pro 15-inch (Touch Bar) and I am accustomed to Apple displays. I like the way the Prestige presents colors; however, it fails in “black” because its anti-glare coating and backlight bleed scatter light into areas meant to be without light. If one is in a dark room, reducing the backlight intensity to (about) 40% will get blacks over most of the monitor. (I still see bleed around the bottom edge) All of that said, I could live with this as a compromise by controlling the background light, room lighting, and careful UI choices; however, there are the following issues that take my mind off my work.
Viewing angle: I do not understand how monitor vendors can claim a 178º viewing angle when I can detect falloff at the edges while viewing from dead center in front of the screen. In fairness, I have yet to find a flat widescreen monitor for less than $2k that satisfies the marketing hype. I see falloff but could live with it.
4k Resolution: It is hard to fully appreciate 4k on a monitor this small. Because text and icons look so small on the Prestige at 4k, many computers and users will set the display resolution at something less than 4k that scales well on the monitor. With that in mind, the only way I can take advantage of the 4k pixel count on my Prestige is by using an unsupported resolution. (more on that below) This required a small hack, taking time, but I could also live with the issue.
Tech Support: I reached Tech Support during the week and was told the Prestige did not support 50% scaling, a logical setting for viewing at reasonable working distances. This comment doesn’t seem correct because I later managed 50% scaling using macOS resolution selection software. They also felt compelled to add as a patronizing aside “the supported resolutions are in the back of the manual.” The manual was missing from the box. When I told the tech the manual was missing he told me to download it. I asked about getting other items that were missing and MSi support was not able to get those items. Summary: I was told to download the manual, live with missing bits, or get a refund. (Shout-out to Amazon: They gave me a credit for the missing parts!)
Tech support was the killer for me. It ruined the experience, wasted time, and was incomplete.
*A note for Mac users: support for macOS clients is only during the workweek and very limited. I tried online support and was presented a webform asking “required” question about my BIOS, VGA driver, RAM slots, motherboard version, Windows version, (and build) and other questions not applicable to Mac users. The gatekeeper would not let me past.
Closing observations: I was undecided whether to keep this monitor when I wrote this review. I like the view when I am not working. It was also useful to imagine my work as a Windows user would see it: Apple monitors tend to look “overly good” and one isn't sure of what many clients see. Ultimately, the Prestige did not increased my productivity; in fact, it has negatively impacted my productivity while trying to figure out how the features may work with my Apple CPUs. I’ve decided to trade-up for a new 27-inch iMac and return the Prestige because, for me, there is nothing near the perceived display quality of an iMac for the price.
Recommendations:
- Mac users: I do not recommend this monitor.
- PC users: Consider this monitor if you are a cost conscious creative professional on the Windows platform.
- Gamers go elsewhere.
| Brand | MSI |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | MSI COMPUTER |
| Series | PRESTIGEPS341WU |
| Colour | Black |
| Item Height | 19.5 inches |
| Item Width | 2.3 inches |
| Standing screen display size | 34 inches |
| Resolution | 5120 x 2160 |
| Number of HDMI Ports | 2 |
| Are Batteries Included | No |
| Manufacturer | MSI COMPUTER |
| Item model number | PRESTIGE PS341WU |
| Product Dimensions | 81.28 x 5.84 x 49.53 cm; 8.2 Kilograms |
| ASIN | B07YYRX8HX |
