Cooler Master Tempest GP27U 160Hz 4K IPS with Mini LED
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HDR (High Dynamic Range) is something of a ‘buzz phrase’, with many monitors claiming to support it. But many models offer an experience that’s far from compelling in this respect. The Cooler Master Tempest GP27U (formerly GP27-FUS) aims to offer a dynamic HDR experience via its FALD (Full Array Local Dimming) Mini LED backlight with 576 dimming zones. The monitor has a medium-dark silver coloured stand with hexagonal ‘ring’ style base. The top and side bezels are dual-stage, with a slim panel border flush with the rest of the screen plus slender hard plastic outer part. The OSD (On Screen Display) is controlled by a joystick at the rear, towards the right side as viewed from the front.
A 27″ 3840 x 2160 (‘4K’ UHD) IPS-type panel is used, more specifically an AUO AHVA panel. The monitor supports a 160Hz refresh rate along with Adaptive-Sync – including AMD FreeSync Premium with a 48 – 144Hz VRR range plus LFC. A 1000:1 (10,000:1 with local dimming) static contrast ratio is specified, alongside 178°/178° viewing angles and support for 10-bit colour. A flicker-free 576-zone QD Mini LED backlight provides a 600 cd/m² (1200 cd/m² HDR peak) typical maximum luminance and 99% Adobe RGB, 98% DCI-P3 and 83% Rec. 2020 colour gamut. An sRGB setting with specified DeltaE <2 is also included. The monitor responds to HDR10 content and puts its powerful Mini LED backlight to good use at the DisplayHDR 1000 level. In addition to high brightness output and local dimming to enhance contrast, the generous colour gamut can be put to good use alongside 10-bit colour processing.
The screen also includes a Low Blue Light (LBL) setting to promote a more relaxing viewing experience, whilst a 1ms grey to grey response time is expected. Pay little attention to this specification, however. The included stand attaches centrally with a quick-release mechanism and can be removed to reveal 100 x 100mm VESA holes for alternative mounting. The stand is fully adjustable, including 110mm (4.33 inches) height adjustment and pivot into portrait. Customisable RGB LED lighting is also included at the rear, with extensive use of matte black plastic otherwise. The ports face downwards and include; DC power input (external ‘power brick’), DP 1.4 (with DSC), 2 HDMI 2.1 ports (full 48Gbps specified), USB-C (90W PD, DP Alt Mode, upstream data), 2 USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports plus Type-B upstream and a 3.5mm headphone jack. 2 x 3W speakers are included for basic sound output. With full bandwidth HDMI 2.1, the monitor should support ‘4K’ UHD @120Hz for modern games consoles such as the PS5 and Xbox Series X. KVM is also supported, allowing easy display input switching and USB peripheral sharing between 2 systems.
Further details can be found on the manufacturer’s website. The monitor is listed for <$1000 USD.
