MSI MAG 245C X24: Specs, Price, Pros & Cons
A one-trick monitor, and the trick is 240 Hz for around a hundred dollars. Nothing else at this price moves this fast, and for a competitive-shooter machine built on a budget that single number is the entire purchase.
One correction worth carrying in: despite how it is often listed, this is a curved VA panel with two HDMI inputs. The curve on a 23.6-inch 16:9 screen is subtle — some people never notice it, a few dislike it — but it is there.
Category strengths
Where the MSI MAG 245C X24 beats the average
- A faster response time ?1 ms vs 1.3 ms (avg)
- A higher refresh rate ?240 Hz vs 208.82 Hz (avg)
- More HDMI ports ?2 vs 1.74 (avg)
- Has headphone output ?
- Has variable refresh rate ?
- A slightly higher color depth ?10 bit vs 9.53 bit (avg)
Where the MSI MAG 245C X24 trails the average
- A much lower contrast ratio ?3,000 :1 vs 423,802.48 :1 (avg)
- Much lower peak brightness ?300 nits vs 697.38 nits (avg)
- No height adjustment ?
- A smaller screen ?23.6" (59.94 cm) vs 29.13" (73.99 cm) (avg)
- No USB hub ?
- No USB-C ?
- No swivel adjustment ?
- No pivot adjustment ?
- Narrower DCI-P3 colour coverage ?75 % vs 96.57 % (avg)
- A lower pixel density ?93 ppi vs 125.84 ppi (avg)
Editor’s note
The MAG 245C X24 is a one-trick monitor, and the trick is 240 Hz for around a hundred dollars. Nothing else at this price moves this fast, and for a competitive-shooter machine built on a budget, that single number is the entire purchase.
Our audit materially changed this product's record, so a summary is owed: the draft previously presented it as a flat monitor with one HDMI port and plain FreeSync. In fact it is a 1500R curved VA panel with two HDMI 2.0b ports and FreeSync Premium, all per MSI's own table. The curve on a 23.6-inch 16:9 panel is subtle – some people never notice it, a few dislike it – but it is there.
The VA panel gives 3000:1 contrast, so dark scenes have depth that budget IPS rivals cannot match. The rest of the sheet is where the hundred dollars comes from. Colour is genuinely narrow at about 75% DCI-P3 – this is not a monitor for photo work, full stop. Brightness is 300 nits with an 'HDR Ready' badge that means nothing in practice. The stand only tilts, there is no USB, no speakers, and the 1 ms claim is MPRT rather than GtG – VA smearing in dark fast scenes is the panel's known weakness, worth testing early.
One more pedantic correction: it is a 23.6-inch panel, whatever the '24-inch' listing says, and DisplayPort is 1.2a – sufficient for 1080p at 240 Hz, with nothing to spare.
Buy it as a pure speed play for esports titles where frame rate is everything and colour accuracy is nothing. For anyone with broader use in mind, the extra money for a faster-colour IPS is money well spent.
Specifications
Quality bars are generated automatically against 90 other monitors.
Picture
Larger screens are more immersive; measured diagonally.
The total pixel count; higher is sharper.
The panel technology; OLED offers the best contrast.
The more specific panel or backlight technology (e.g. QD-OLED, WOLED or Mini-LED VA).
The native or supported bit depth used to reproduce colour gradients.
The display surface treatment and its balance of glare control and image clarity.
Higher refresh rates are smoother for gaming and scrolling.
Grey-to-grey response; lower reduces motion blur.
Higher brightness makes HDR highlights pop.
The ratio between the brightest and darkest output.
Wider colour gamut for more vivid, accurate colour.
Full sRGB coverage keeps everyday content and photos colour-accurate.
The certified HDR tier.
Pixels per inch; higher looks sharper.
Dims parts of the backlight independently to improve contrast.
More independently controlled zones can improve HDR precision.
Gaming
Variable-refresh technology for tear-free motion.
Syncs the refresh rate to the GPU.
Backlight strobing for clearer motion.
The delay between an input and the image changing; lower is better.
The minimum-to-maximum refresh range over which variable refresh rate operates.
Ergonomics & design
The width-to-height ratio (e.g. 16:9, 21:9).
The curve radius (e.g. 1000R); blank for a flat panel.
Raise and lower the panel.
Angle the panel up and down.
Rotate the panel left and right.
Rotate to portrait orientation.
The VESA wall / arm mount pattern (e.g. 100 x 100 mm).
Connectivity
More HDMI inputs connect more devices.
The highest HDMI standard supported by the monitor.
DisplayPort inputs, preferred for high refresh rates.
The highest DisplayPort standard supported by the monitor.
A USB-C input, often with power delivery for laptops.
Charges a connected laptop over USB-C.
Built-in USB ports for peripherals.
Integrated speakers.
A 3.5 mm audio output for headphones or external speakers.
Control two computers with one keyboard and mouse.
Features
A built-in camera for video calls.
A built-in microphone for calls.
A wired network port for USB-C docking.
Shows inputs from two computers side by side.
Specs last verified August 19, 202637 of 42 specs verified (88%)Unverified specs show as Unknown — never estimated, never scored
Where to buy
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Price history
Monitors with similar specs to the MSI MAG 245C X24
Ratings & reviews
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The bottom line
The MSI MAG 245C X24 earns a VS Score of 28, trailing most of the 91 monitors we compare here, at least on the spec sheet.
- Who it’s for
- Esports on a strict budget – 240 Hz at around $100 exists nowhere else in our catalogue, and for competitive shooters that number is the entire game.
- Who should look elsewhere
- Anyone who cares about colour: about 75% DCI-P3 is genuinely narrow, and photo or design work is out of the question.
- The trade-off that matters
- Pure speed per dollar on a subtle 1500R VA curve, paid for with narrow colour, 300 nits, a tilt-only stand and MPRT marketing figures.
- The main alternative
- AOC's 24G4X plays the same 1080p high-refresh game on an IPS panel with better colour, for a little more.
The VS Score is calculated from the weighted specifications above, measured against every other monitors we track — a shortlisting guide, not a substitute for your own priorities. See how we score.
