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We have been utilizing the MSI MPG 321URX QD-OLED solely as a productiveness monitor for the final six months, and it is time to examine in to see how the panel is holding up when it comes to burn-in. Not a lot has modified in how we have been utilizing this monitor – we have actually been pushing it with a worst-case utilization state of affairs for OLED – however there have been just a few adjustments in comparison with the final time we checked for burn-in.
In the event you missed the final two updates, we advocate going again and trying out at the very least the preliminary article to get an idea of the setup we’re utilizing and why we have chosen MSI’s 4K 240Hz QD-OLED gaming monitor as our workstation show.
Basically, the thought right here is to carry out a real-world check of OLED longevity within the worst attainable configuration, successfully burning within the show on goal. We swapped a 32-inch 4K IPS LCD for this new QD-OLED and altered nothing else in regards to the setup – no darkish mode, no screensavers, or something like that – to see if OLED displays can really be used as LCD-equivalent productiveness shows long-term.
I exploit my monitor greater than 8 hours a day, typically constantly, with no breaks for the show to show off and relaxation. This results in hours upon hours of static utilization in functions like internet browsers, Microsoft Workplace (together with Excel), and manufacturing duties like Adobe Premiere and Photoshop. With nearly no content material consumption and 0 gaming in our each day use of this show, this isn’t how we advocate utilizing an OLED in any respect, although it is a use case that has been completely advantageous for LCDs for a very long time.
After one month of utilization, the MSI 321URX confirmed no indicators of burn-in in any respect, which was anticipated. At that time, we would used the monitor for about 200 to 250 hours. After three months, we began to see faint indicators of burn-in, and by that point, we would used the show for about 650 to 750 hours with 71 panel compensation cycles.
Six months into this experiment, we estimate the utilization to be between 1,200 and 1,500 hours, and the monitor signifies that it has run 141 compensation cycles. This aligns with what we reported beforehand – about double the utilization and about double the compensation cycles. We’re nonetheless seeing round 9 to 10 hours of utilization at 200 nits of brightness per compensation cycle.
As we talked about within the final replace, the beneficial charge for panel safety cycles is each 4 hours, so in our typical utilization, it is working lower than half as usually as is good. Nonetheless, this can be a completely reasonable state of affairs for somebody utilizing this show for full-time work, particularly in case you do not put the monitor to sleep throughout breaks. We have set the show to sleep after two hours, which is way longer than we might advocate for common OLED use, nevertheless it’s the identical setting we used for our LCD.
Burn-In Outcomes After 6 Months
Now, let’s assessment the burn-in progress by evaluating outcomes after one, three, and 6 months, specializing in the middle of the show the place probably the most indicators of burn-in had been noticed beforehand.
For the darkest greys, there’s not a lot distinction between every of the months, with burn-in not considerably affecting deep shadows. A number of steps up the greyscale vary, and there’s a very faint line down the middle of the show, with little to no distinction between the three and six-month examples.
By the point we attain the 4th or fifth greyscale instance within the decrease vary, there is a small improve in burn-in between the three and six-month marks, nevertheless it’s not drastically totally different between these months. The road down the middle of the display, which separates two side-by-side apps in Home windows, is a little more outlined and noticeable after six months, although it isn’t drastically worse after double the utilization.
Once we attain the center greys, the faint line continues to be seen and a bit extra outlined after six months in comparison with three months, however on this vary, the road is more durable to identify than in darker greys. For brighter shades and nearer to white, there’s actually no seen burn-in in any respect, even after six months.
That is additionally true when viewing totally saturated colours. When displaying reds, greens, and blues, there is no such thing as a seen burn-in. Burn-in begins to grow to be seen when viewing darker colours, and right here we are able to separate the burn-in parts by subpixel.
blue, there’s barely extra burn-in after six months in comparison with three months, although this subpixel appears to be holding up effectively. The pink subpixel has additionally degraded barely extra, however to not the purpose of being overly seen, even in these stress checks. Nonetheless, the inexperienced subpixel reveals clearly extra burn-in than the opposite subpixels, although it is nonetheless faint general, with not a lot distinction between the three and six-month marks.
The largest distinction we have observed between the three and six-month updates is that the taskbar space is exhibiting extra seen indicators of burn-in now than three months in the past. We’re not hiding the taskbar throughout utilization, however it’s set to Home windows’ darkish design (with gentle mode for functions). Whereas it is troublesome to see in among the darkish gray examples we captured, it is seen in actual life.
With the burn-in enhancement filter, you possibly can see that whereas the road down the middle of the display is not considerably totally different between three and 6 months, the taskbar space is extra noticeably affected. Flicking between footage with the filter turned on and off highlights this distinction extra clearly. The same take a look at the three-month footage reveals some affect on the taskbar space, however not as a lot as after six months.
Nonetheless, as we’re virtually at all times a display with the taskbar in place, this burn-in has but to have any vital seen affect. Even when viewing full-screen movies or functions, it is onerous to note until your entire display is static and displaying a darkish shade. It isn’t preferrred to see seen taskbar burn-in after roughly 1,300 hours of use, nevertheless it’s additionally not terribly problematic.
What we’re beginning to discover, although, is the vertical line down the middle of the display. In functions with a baseline darkish gray background, the road is unquestionably seen, although not significantly distracting. For instance, in Photoshop and Premiere, which we use incessantly, we are able to spot this line at occasions. Usually, it requires a lot of the display to be comparatively darkish, as shiny sections – like when engaged on a thumbnail in Photoshop – have a tendency to cover the problem and make small variations in darkish areas more durable to note.
It isn’t on the level of hindering our each day use and has little to no affect on our workflow, nevertheless it would not be taking place with an LCD after 1,300 hours of use. After one other six months, we do not count on this line to grow to be much less noticeable, so it is seemingly going to be a visual artifact all through the remainder of our time utilizing this QD-OLED.
As for display brightness, there’s been no discount in peak SDR brightness throughout these six months of use. As of at present, our show is able to 243 nits of full-screen white brightness, in comparison with 238 nits after we first reviewed the monitor. So, it is really 2% brighter now, although this might be because of slight variations in meter place, calibration settings, and so forth. Over time, we count on that compensation cycles and burn-in prevention options will cut back peak brightness to keep up show uniformity, however that hasn’t occurred with our unit but.
What is the Harm So Far?
What ought to we make of those burn-in outcomes after six months? As anticipated, the monitor is exhibiting seen indicators of burn-in after 1,200 to 1,500 hours of unique static app utilization. There is a faint line down the middle of the monitor, equivalent to the place we snap apps facet by facet, and there is some burn-in across the taskbar space.
In comparison with our three-month replace, burn-in has gotten barely worse for the vertical line and reasonably worse for the taskbar space. Nonetheless, burn-in is not having a big affect on our utilization of the show, and it is near, although not fairly, a non-issue.
1,200-1,500 hours of use is equal to eight hours a day, 5 days every week, for 30 to 38 weeks. Based mostly on this, we anticipate that with full-time productiveness work throughout regular work hours, utilizing the monitor in a shiny configuration with no steps taken to reduce burn-in, burn-in will seemingly begin to grow to be seen round six months after you start utilizing it.
Operating the monitor in a extra OLED-friendly configuration, like utilizing darkish mode, a screensaver after 5 minutes of inactivity, and a decrease brightness degree, ought to lengthen the lifespan considerably and forestall burn-in from changing into noticeable after six months. We won’t say precisely how a lot affect these adjustments may have, however we consider that extra pleasant utilization situations would greater than double its life.
Burn-in with OLEDs can be instantly associated to hours of utilization and is cumulative. So, in case you solely use static apps for 4 hours a day, you must count on to see your lifespan double. Nonetheless, mixing in 4 hours of gaming with 4 hours of static app utilization is unlikely to enhance burn-in by working a extra assorted workload – you may nonetheless see 1,500 hours of cumulative static app utilization after a 12 months of each day use, which might end in related burn-in to 1,500 hours of app utilization the place the monitor is simply used for static apps.
In different phrases, you possibly can’t reverse burn-in on an OLED by taking part in dynamic content material often to “clear” the display. Nonetheless, dynamic content material is unlikely to trigger burn-in by itself.
Whereas these burn-in outcomes are usually not preferrred for heavy productiveness customers, we’ll proceed to advise in opposition to utilizing OLED for these instances. Nonetheless, the outcomes aren’t too dangerous for folks primarily shopping for these screens for gaming.
For instance, in case you do 15 hours of internet searching every week in your monitor along with gaming and watching movies, you are most likely round two years of utilization to succeed in the identical outcomes we have seen after 1,200 to 1,500 hours. That is assuming you’re taking no steps to mitigate burn-in. In the event you allow darkish mode and keep away from working the monitor at 200 nits, you would seemingly lengthen that to 3 or 4 years, and by then, the monitor will nonetheless be fairly usable. This aligns with what we have noticed on the Alienware AW3423DW, which has proven considerably much less burn-in than the MSI 321URX regardless of getting used for over two years, primarily for gaming.
This experiment will proceed for a lot of extra months, and we’ll present additional updates on how the burn-in progresses within the coming quarters.
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