MSI Optix MAG342CQR - Curved Ultrawide VA Panel Problems

[etali]

Hello all,

I've just purchased an MSI MAG342CQR - it's a curved monitor with a VA panel. I was aware that VA Panels were subject to some motion blur, but it's not something I'm usually bothered about, so I thought I'd risk it. Yes... "how bad can it be". It turns out the monitor has a lot of weird problems, and motion blur is only part of it.

You can use MSI Display Kit to change the brightness/color/contrast and some other basic settings, but it seems to be super buggy. For example, if you set any options in there, then go to the Display Options screen in Windows, the Windows settings will take over, and you've got to re-open Display Kit to get your settings back.

The Monitor has a Response Time setting. Setting it to Fastest isn't enough to fix motion blur. You've got to turn on the AI option via the OSD to get rid of motion blur, but setting that messes with HDCR turns all text in Windows blurry.

Launching a game with the AI option on will change your brightness/contrast, then when you exit the game and go back to Windows everything looks wrong.

With the AI option off, I can get Windows and video playback to look OK but games are unplayable (and I'm not particularly sensitive to motion blur, I really do mean *unplayable*). I've tried the other Game Modes (FPS, RTS, etc) and I've tried changing the limited number of settings individually, but nothing seems to replicate having the AI mode on the OSD in terms of banishing motion blur. Turning that mode back on makes using Windows migraine-inducing with blurry text and eye-searing whites.

Am I missing something? Is there a way to get an MSI VA panel to be useable in games, and to leave my settings in Windows alone?

I've disabled HDR. There's no adaptive brightness option in my power saving/windows options. I'm using the latest NVidia drivers.

I really want to like this monitor because when it works it's got much nicer colors than my last one, and the higher refresh rate is nice too. The fact you can seemingly only use it either for games, or for desktop, but not both, is infuriating.

Thanks

[clamswet]

MSI’s VA panels, particularly the MAG342CQR, are known for some of these exact quirks, especially regarding motion blur, inconsistent settings, and poor AI/mode handling. Check if there's a firmware update available for the MAG342CQR. MSI doesn’t always announce them widely, but they sometimes address these exact AI and HDR/profile switching issues. Display Kit is known to be buggy, and many users report conflicts with Windows display settings. Instead, control brightness, contrast, and color through the OSD (on-screen display) and NVIDIA Control Panel.
- In NVIDIA Control Panel:
- Go to Display > Adjust desktop color settings
- Enable "Use NVIDIA settings" to override color/gamma and avoid conflicts
- Disable “Content type reported to display” (this can auto-switch modes and cause contrast jumps)

[miloz]

So you’re not alone. Sometimes tweaking settings through the monitor menu instead of the software can make a difference, and checking for a firmware update might be worth a try too.