Connectivity

Regarding video inputs, the Cooler Master Tempest GP27Q is equipped with a DisplayPort 1.4, two HDMI 2.0 ports, as well as a USB-C port, supporting DP Alt mode, data, and 90 W Power Delivery, which comes in exceptionally handy for connecting the monitor to modern laptops and smartphones. Combining the monitor with a laptop boils down to connecting a single cable, which will extend your desktop, enable the use of any peripherals and external drives connected to the monitor, and charge the laptop's battery.


The Cooler Master Tempest GP27Q has a total of four USB ports. Aside from the aforementioned USB-C port, there's also a USB 3.2 Type-B upstream port and a pair of USB 3.2 Type-A ports. All four are tied together with an integrated KVM switch. The KVM switch lets you seamlessly hop between two devices connected to the monitor while using a single set of peripherals. Let's say your work machine is a USB-C laptop, and you're also using a standard desktop PC for entertainment. You'll connect your laptop to the Cooler Master Tempest GP27Q with a USB Type-C cable and your home PC with a regular USB Type-B to USB Type-A cable and a DisplayPort or HDMI video cable. Finally, you'll connect your keyboard and mouse to the USB 3.0 ports on the monitor. After doing so, you just have to switch to the desired input, and the KVM switch should automatically assign the peripherals to it. In case that doesn't happen, you can access the KVM quick menu, which is done by pulling the rear-facing 4-way joystick down and selecting the device you want to control.

The "auto-KVM" feature was hit-or-miss before a recent firmware update for the Cooler Master GP27Q. Updating the monitor is a quick and straightforward affair for which you'll need a USB stick of any size, an appropriate update file, and a single option in the OSD (System > USB Upgrade > Confirm). After the update, the automatic peripheral switching was much more reliable.

Since we're on the subject, I'd also like to point out that the monitor got several other important performance updates through the December firmware update, with some of them requested by reviewers and others by early buyers of the product. Kudos to Cooler Master for responding to customer demands quickly and efficiently. Let's hope they continue with this healthy practice, as it makes their high-end gaming monitors that much easier to recommend.


The Cooler Master Tempest GP27Q also has a 3.5-millimeter audio output.

Power Consumption

The monitor gets its power from a massive external 240 W power brick. The power brick is, of course, supplied with the monitor, along with the accompanying power cable. It doesn't get too warm when in use, but it does take quite a bit of space, so it can be somewhat annoying to deal with. I'd be perfectly fine with a thicker monitor profile but an integrated power supply.

I've used the Brennenstuhl PM 231 E power meter to determine the monitor's power consumption at various brightness levels, as well as in Power Saving mode, which it enters as soon as the PC goes to sleep. My power consumption measurements are summed up in the chart below. They were made after resetting the monitor to factory defaults, which means that the local dimming technology was turned off.



The Cooler Master Tempest GP27Q has a high energy consumption; at factory defaults, it uses almost as much energy as a "regular" gaming monitor at maximum brightness. However, looking at the actual measured brightness values, it becomes obvious why that's the case. While monitors rarely go above 350 cd/m², the GP27Q caps out at 642 cd/m² when set to maximum brightness. And we're not even talking about peak HDR brightness here; it's what you can get in standard dynamic range content across the entire screen. Of course, nobody sane will want to look at a picture as bright, especially during nighttime or for any extended period of time.

It's also worth noting that increasing the OSD brightness by 25 results in an increase in actual brightness of around 200 cd/m² in the 0-50 range and by roughly 100 cd/m² in the 50-100 range. It's always nice to see some correlation between the OSD brightness settings and the actual brightness of the panel, as most users have no hardware tools that can help them adjust their monitor.