45

out of

196

Computer Monitors

True Score Methodology v1.0

MSI Oculux NXG253R Review

Name: MSI Oculux NXG253R
Brand: MSI

By

Kenn Muguna

5/9/2023 11:57 AM

True Score

82

Absolutely Fresh

82

3

Experts

86

125

Consumers

Product Awards

GR Certified

Expert Pick

Customer Favorite

Expert Rankings

(

3

)

The MSI Oculux NXG253R managed to please experts with its incredible 360Hz refresh rate, as this, plus its low input lag and excellent ergonomics, had reviewers agree that it was great for gaming. However, they were not as happy about its low contrast, limiting screen size, and lack of a local dimming feature.

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Table of Contents

Product Snapshot
Overview
Consensus
- {post.0.post_title} Specs
- Test Results
Product Comparison
All Stores
Score Card
Expert Score Breakdown
Customer Score Breakdown
Learn More About Computer Monitors

Product Snapshot

Overview

The MSI Oculux NXG253R is a mid-tier 25-inch display that was released in mid-2021. It has a rapid 360Hz refresh rate that is great for tear-free competitive gaming, and because of this, it is easily one of the best computer monitors for professional players. Like most highly rated gaming monitors, the display has a super low input lag of 2.5ms, and unlike the MSI Optix MAG161V, it comes with support for HDR content. With a brightness rating of 400 nits, the MSI monitor is significantly brighter than the MSI Optix MAG273R, and thanks to decent reflection handling, content its screen still looks pretty good when viewed in a brightly lit environment. It supports NVIDIA G-Sync refresh rate technology and has wide viewing angles that ensure its image quality remains good when viewed from the side.

Consensus

our Verdict

Experts hailed the MSI Oculux NXG253R as an outstanding gaming monitor that is fit for competitive use. They were particularly happy about its exceptional 360Hz refresh rate since they enjoyed extremely smooth, tear-free gameplay during their tests. Also praised was its low 2.5ms input lag, as Product testers from PC Mag found out that this resulted in the display’s rapid gaming performance and responsiveness. Its 80.4% coverage of the DCI-P3 color space was also found to be quite decent during their experiments, and although reviewers from Tom’s Hardware agreed that it did not have an extensive color gamut, they were pretty satisfied with its reflection handling.

They were not as happy about the display’s lack of a local dimming feature and its low contrast ratio of 955:1 as these issues made blacks appear grey in a dark room. They also felt that despite its screen being larger than the Mobile Pixels Trio monitor, its 25-inch screen size was a bit limiting.

Reason to Buy

Excellent refresh rate
Low input lag
Decent reflection handling
Fast response time
Great ergonomics

Reason to Avoid

Low contrast ratio
Limiting screen size
No local dimming feature

MSI Oculux NXG253R Specs

	Display Type	LED
	HDMI Inputs	2
	HDR Format	Yes
	Max Resolution	2560 x 1440
	Panel Type	IPS
	Refresh Rate	170 Hz
	Response Time	1 ms
	Screen size	27"
	Sync Technology	AMD FreeSync, G-Sync

All Specs

Test Results

Brightness (nits)	421.9782
Contrast Ratio (as ratio, x:1)	1,056.4
Color Gamut/Accuracy % (DCI P3 uv)	75.7
Color Gamut/Accuracy % (DCI P3 xy)	109.63
Color Gamut % (Adobe RGB Coverage xy)	71.75
Color Gamut % (sRGB Coverage xy)	101.1
Color Gamut % (Rec. 2020 Coverage xy)	58.2
Color Gamut % (Rec. 709 Coverage xy)	0
Input Lag (ms)	8.9667
Response Time (ms)	2.8667
Reflections % (Total Reflections)	5.5
Horizontal Viewing Angle (Washout Left)	36
Horizontal Viewing Angle (Washout Right)	36
Vertical Viewing Angle (Washout Above)	28
Vertical Viewing Angle (Washout Below)	29

All Tests

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Product Comparison

	MSI Oculux NXG253R Review	MSI Optix G27C4 Review	Asus Rog Swift 360Hz PG259QN Review	Alienware AW2521H Review
True Score	82	71	85	78
Ranking	# 45 / 196	# 153 / 196	# 25 / 196	# 99 / 196
Market Context	The MSI Oculux NXG253R is a mid-tier 25-inch display that was released in mid-2021. It has a rapid 360Hz refresh rate that is great for… The MSI Oculux NXG253R is a mid-tier 25-inch display that was released in mid-2021. It has a rapid 360Hz refresh rate that is great for tear-free competitive gaming, and because of this, it is easily one of the best computer monitors for professional players. Like most highly rated gaming monitors, the display has a super low input lag of 2.5ms, and unlike the MSI Optix MAG161V, it comes with support for HDR content. With a brightness rating of 400 nits, the MSI monitor is significantly brighter than the MSI Optix MAG273R, and thanks to decent reflection handling, content its screen still looks pretty good when viewed in a brightly lit environment. It supports NVIDIA G-Sync refresh rate technology and has wide viewing angles that ensure its image quality remains good when viewed from the side.	The 25-inch MSI Oculux NXG253R might not offer as much screen real estate as the 27-inch MSI Optix G27C4, but its exceptional 360Hz refresh rate… The 25-inch MSI Oculux NXG253R might not offer as much screen real estate as the 27-inch MSI Optix G27C4, but its exceptional 360Hz refresh rate is significantly higher than the G27C4’s 165Hz, making it a much better option for gaming. The NXG253R also delivers better visuals thanks to its support for HDR (which is lacking on the G27C4) and excellent ergonomics.	The MSI NXG253R features a superb 360Hz refresh rate and a 25-inch screen size, just like the Asus ROG Swift PG259QN. Although the MSI monitor… The MSI NXG253R features a superb 360Hz refresh rate and a 25-inch screen size, just like the Asus ROG Swift PG259QN. Although the MSI monitor has better ergonomics and dual HDMI 2.0 ports compared to a single port on the ASUS monitor, the ASUS display has better reflection handling and a higher peak brightness level of 434 nits compared to the MSI’s 401 nits.	The MSI NXG253R’s response time of 8.2ms is not as fast as that of the Dell Alienware AW2521H at 6.9ms, but its ergonomics are slightly… The MSI NXG253R’s response time of 8.2ms is not as fast as that of the Dell Alienware AW2521H at 6.9ms, but its ergonomics are slightly better than the Dell display. However, the Dell monitor has slightly better color accuracy thanks to a 98.8% coverage of the sRGB color space compared to the MSI monitor’s 98.3% coverage.
Display Type	LED	VA	LCD	LED
HDMI Inputs	2	2	1	2
HDR Format	Yes	n/a	Yes	Yes
Max Resolution	2560 x 1440	1920 x 1080 (Full HD)	1920 x 1080 (Full HD)	1920 x 1080 (Full HD)
Panel Type	IPS	VA	Fast IPS	IPS
Refresh Rate	170 Hz	165 Hz	360 Hz	360 Hz
Response Time	1 ms	1 ms	1 ms	1 ms
Screen size	27"	27"	25"	25"
Dig Deeper		MSI Optix G27C4 Review →	Asus Rog Swift 360Hz PG259QN Review →	Alienware AW2521H Review →

Score Card

E

Expert Score

82

*.75

We place a 75% weighted value on Expert Test Scores

C

Customer Score

86

*.25

We place a 25% weighted value on Customer Scores

True Score

82

Any product with a True Score above 80 is a Absolutely Fresh

Expert Score Breakdown

Publications with higher Trust Scores are given more weight.

103.4
Category Trust Score
78
The MSI Oculux NXG253R is a great monitor for most uses. It’s best-suited for its… read more
By:
Unknown
91.7
Category Trust Score
90
Fast IPS has come a long way in a short time, elevating extreme esports-focused 360Hz… read more
By:
Christian Eberle
92.08
Category Trust Score
90
The MSI Oculux NXG253R matches its 360 Hz competition in every way and takes things… read more
By:
Samuel Breton