MSI Cares about Latency – PS5 Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) Test
Before we dive into this gaming greatness, I want to make it clear that this video is sponsored by MSI. For those that are long time viewers, you might be surprised to hear that from me. Suffice to say that I wouldn’t be taking their money if I didn’t think it was the right thing to do, and when MSI asked if they could pay me to use my Open Source Latency Testing Tool on their monitor, well that’s an offer I can’t refuse. So, without further adieu, let’s get into this!
The monitor to my side here is the MSI MAG 323 UPF – a native 4K 32” 160 hertz RapidIPS panel with a whole bunch of gaming focused features. The primary of which is all to do with this little port, the HDMI 2.1 port. That’s a bit of a rarity on gaming monitors, and what’s more rare is the full implementation of the HDMI 2.1 spec – specifically ALLM and VRR. That’s Auto Low Latency Mode, and Variable Refresh Rate. The latter is one you should be familiar with in the form of Adaptive Sync, G-SYNC, or FreeSync – basically the display only refreshes when the system has a new frame ready making for a smoother and tear free experience. ALLM on the other hand is pretty new, and in short it allows the display to automatically switch modes to give you the best experience – specifically switching to a low-latency game mode when it detects you’re playing a game. It’s worth noting here that within the HDMI 2.1 spec, ALLM and VRR aren’t required features, which means MSI has put the effort into adding support for this in their monitors. This is great to see, and helps make your gaming experience better regardless of what system or console you’re playing on!
So, I think it’s time to crack out my Open Source Latency Testing Tool and see how much of a difference ALLM and the MSI MAG 323 UPF makes – and for this, MSI have kindly provided a PS5 for me to test it on! I’ll be using Call of Duty Modern Warfare Three – the latest, and apparently much improved, version of COD. When it comes to how I’m going to be testing this, I’ll be using a soon-to-be-released update for the latency tool which lets me use the microphone to listen out for button presses – jump specifically – and the light sensor to measure a change in light level. I’m using the very first level in the campaign as it has the perfect spot for me to test with. As you get up onto the ramparts of the gulag, there are a bunch of spotlights. If you line up the camera just right, you can have one of the spotlights be blocked by the brick in front of you. Jumping then reveals that light. So, let’s get testing!
Right, we’ve got our results! Starting with a non-MSI branded monitor, that averaged 45.7 milliseconds, with the lowest result being 32.7 milliseconds, and the highest being 65.2 milliseconds. That isn’t all that much use without some context, so let’s provide some! Testing the MAG323UPF, with ALLM off but VRR on, we get much better results. 36.44 milliseconds on average, or almost 10 milliseconds faster, and in fact only a couple milliseconds off averaging the same as the minimum from before! The real trick though is when you turn ALLM on, where the average drops again down to 32.4 milliseconds! That is less than the lowest result from the other monitor, and actually, the highest result here is a full three milliseconds faster than the average from the first result. That’s a significant difference!
Just to explain why that is so significant, latency is a pretty big deal in gaming. The lower the latency, the more responsive a game is, and in a competitive setting, the quicker you can react. In a true Hann-shot-first style situation, if your system runs with less latency, you’re going to win those engagements more often. If you’re playing a racing game, the quicker the car responds to your inputs, the easier it will be to control and hit the apex every time. There are a bunch of steps in the latency pipeline though, so let me run you through them.
What we’ve been measuring here is the end-to-end latency, as in from you hitting a button or flicking your joystick, to you seeing that change happen on screen. Within that though there’s the latency that the input device adds – in this case that is our controller. The controller takes time to register your input, process it, then send it wirelessly to the PlayStation. Then there is the render time – at 4K 120Hz that means new frames every 8.3 milliseconds. It’s going to take at least 8.3 milliseconds for that input to show up, or often two frames so 16.6 milliseconds. Then there is the time the display takes to draw that frame. That’s where MSI comes in here, and as we’ve seen, they’ve clearly done a good job of keeping that latency down as much as possible.
It’s worth talking about the playing experience on the MAG323UPF, because I’m genuinely impressed. Playing COD at 4K and 120Hz – even on my less than preferred input device (a controller) – is a great experience. The 4K resolution brings a sharp clarity to the in-game visuals, making details stand out well. The 120Hz refresh rate contributes to smooth and responsive gameplay, enhancing the overall fluidity of the experience. Colours are well-rendered and balanced, adding a level of vibrancy without being overly saturated. The combination of these elements creates an enjoyable gaming session for sure.
There’s also a handful of extra gaming features built right into the monitor that can help make your gaming experience even better. The biggest of which – especially for those on console – is the Smart Crosshair. This is pretty unique, as while you can find crosshairs on a range of monitors, this one is the best. Not only does this provide an on-monitor crosshair for the competitive advantage in games that don’t have one, but it adapts to what’s on screen and will change colours so it’s always visible. It’s remarkably quick at that too, making it a fantastic addition to your gaming experience. They’ve also got Night Vision, a mode to help boost the brightness in the darkest areas of the game, making those painful blackout skins the sweatiest of gamers always use a little less effective. The last one I want to mention is their Optix Scope function, basically a picture in picture way to add a zoomed scope to any weapon. I’ll leave it up to you if that’s cheating, or just using the best tech you can… Plus, if you want to control all these settings – everything from brightness to the Scope – you can use MSI’s Gaming Intelligence app from your desktop or laptop and control everything on-the-fly! Pretty handy!
One of the other great features is the ability to update the firmware – something that’s pretty rare to find on monitors. That means if MSI has any more features or tweaks to make your monitor better, it’s an easy process to add them in. You just need the USB cable plugged in and you’ll be good to go! Actually, since we’re talking about the USB port, let’s talk IO. You’ve got the USB B port for the three port USB hub – plenty for your mouse, keyboard and audio – plus a USB C port which acts as both DisplayPort in, USB, and the monitor will provide up to 90W of USB PD charging! You’ve also got two HDMI 2.1 ports which with a compatible device will do the full 4K at 160Hz, alongside DisplayPort 1.4a which will do the full 4K 160Hz too. One great feature with all this IO is the KVM – basically switch both display and peripherals over between devices in one go – say a laptop over USB C and a Desktop with the USB B port, or even to a console like this PS5. Pretty handy!
So, it seems like MSI really cares about latency, and the fully featured MAG323UPF makes for a great pairing with a PS5 – or gaming PC of course. It’s also great to have ALLM support, and it does seem to make a difference even in a gaming monitor like this. If you are interested in finding out more about MSI’s monitors, I’ll leave a link to them in the description for you to check out. Once again thank you to MSI for sponsoring this video, and to you guys for watching. If you want to see more videos like this one, check them out in the cards here, and of course if you want to stay up to date on videos from me, hit the subscribe button and turn on the bell notification icon. If you’ve got any questions, please do leave them in the comments down below! Otherwise, thanks for watching, and I’ll see you all in the next video.
