I'm a senior analyst charged with testing and reviewing VPNs and other security apps for PCMag. I grew up in the heart of Silicon Valley and have been involved with technology since the 1990s.

MSI's Optix lineup of gaming monitors has been padded with the 27-inch MAG272CQR, a FreeSync-enabled 1440p display with high refresh rate, low response time, and 1500R curve for increased immersion.

There are things that the MSI Optix MAG274QRF-QD could have done better, like that alphabet soup of a name and a build that is far from perfect. But there’s also things it has done right, namely its ...