Design and Ergonomics

When observed from the front, the Cooler Master Tempest GP27Q doesn't look much different from any modern-day gaming monitor. Its 27-inch panel is flanked by thin bezels, with the bottom one slightly thicker and decorated with the Cooler Master logo. I was pleased to notice that this time around Cooler Master opted for a matte instead of a glossy frame, effectively removing annoying reflections, such as those originating from the keyboard backlight. This was a mildly annoying issue with the Cooler Master GM34-CWQ ARGB, which I reviewed a couple of months ago (read it here).


The base is shaped like the Cooler Master logo, a clever little visual detail. The base is stable and reasonably compact, measuring around 29 x 27 cm (11.4 x 10.6"). As such, it doesn't take up too much room on the table. It is entirely made of metal and feels cold and luxurious to the touch. This is the kind of base you'd expect your high-end gaming monitor to have.


Also made of metal is the stand. The stand itself is round and offers no integrated cable management solution, but you do get a plastic clip to help with cable clutter. Depending on the height you adjust the panel to, you might fail in hiding the cables from sight; if the monitor is propped all the way up, the aforementioned cable clip remains visible.


Separating the stand from the panel reveals four VESA 100x100 mounting holes. Those can be used to mount the monitor to a standard table or wall mount.


The Cooler Master Tempest GP27Q looks much more faithful to its gaming pedigree from behind. Here you'll find a sizeable RGB ring and two "wings" covered in milky white plastic, which diffuses the light emitted by the integrated LEDs nicely, making them individually indistinguishable.


The colors can look attractive, but the brightness of the built-in LEDs isn't high enough to illuminate the wall behind the monitor properly, making this entire feature more or less useless. Much to my surprise, there's also no way to change the color or effects of the RGB backlight system. It simply cycles through various colors, and you can either have it on or off (OSD > System > Advanced > RGB Light > Off).


The screen can be swiveled in both directions by 15°. The swivel motion can be performed with one hand. The base is stable enough to stay put without having to hold it down with the other hand.


The panel can be tilted from -5° to +20°.


Also adjustable is the height of the panel. In the top position, the distance from the table to the bottom edge of the screen is 170 millimeters (6.7 in), dropping to 57 millimeters (2.24 in) after pushing the screen as low as it can go. That gives the monitor a total height adjustment range of 113 millimeters (4.45 in).


The panel can be pivoted by 90° in either direction, too.