Upgrade to a fast 32-inch 1440p FreeSync monitor for just $160

As you start ticking boxes on monitor specifications—bigger screen, faster refresh rate, higher resolution, and so forth—the price can quickly go up. MSI's Optix MAG322CQR ticks a lot of them, hence its $429.99 list price, but you can get it on sale today for a much lower $269.99.

It's actually marked down to $339.99 at Newegg, which is $60 lower than B&H Photo, and the same sale price as Micro Center. However, this is a 'Shell Shocker' deal with a $70 off promo code (93XRD53) that you can apply at checkout, to save a staggering $160 over its list price.

That's a heck of a bargain. And spec for spec, it qualifies it as the least expensive 32-inch gaming monitor on Newegg. The next cheapest is a Gigabyte model that's on sale for $305.99 (down from $369.99). It's even less expensive than the smaller (27-inch) and slower (144Hz) Gigabyte G27Q, which we consider the best gaming monitor with FreeSync support.

MSI's monitor is built around a curved (1500R) VA panel with a 2560x1440 resolution. It has a fast 165Hz refresh rate and low 1ms response time (MPRT), and FreeSync support to boot. And while not listed as a G-Sync Compatible display, some folks on Reddit say it works just fine with G-Sync.

The spec sheet also lists this as being HDR-ready, though with a 300 nits max brightness rating, I wouldn't recommend it specifically for HDR content—brightness matters when it comes to LCD screens and HDR. Most everything else looks swell, though, including (and especially) the high color gamut (96% and 124% coverage of the DCI-P3 and sRGB color spaces, respectively).

As for connectivity, you're looking at DisplayPort 1.2a (x1), HDMI 2.0b (x2), and USB Type-C (x1, DisplayPort alternate) for video inputs, as well as two USB 2.0 ports and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

Paul has been playing PC games and raking his knuckles on computer hardware since the Commodore 64. He does not have any tattoos, but thinks it would be cool to get one that reads LOAD"*",8,1. In his off time, he rides motorcycles and wrestles alligators (only one of those is true).