Review on Cooler Master Tempest GP27U: High Refresh Rate, Swivel Adjustment, Adaptive Sync, IPS Display by Jose Sood

I've been waiting for a 4K monitor with a high refresh rate and a mini LED for a long time. Even Apple's recent Studio Display lacks a high refresh rate and mini-LED, but it costs $1,599 and includes a single video input. In comparison, the Tempest GP27U comes with all the latest features. Four inputs including one with USB-C (with 90W charging), 160Hz variable refresh rate, mini LED, quantum dot, IPS panel, HDR, high fidelity color, speakers, USB ports, etc. And the price? Currently $799, $800 less than Apple's, in other words HALF the price. I'll give first impressions now and update this review as my experience with it builds over the next few weeks. I'm not a gamer so my impressions are based solely on productivity apps. I'm using a Mac with two monitors side by side: (a) this monitor and (b) Asus 4K 60Hz Designo. This monitor is touted not only for gaming, but also for productive workflows, as it offers high black levels with mini-LED, accurate color reproduction, and a high refresh rate (for smooth window movements). Impressions on Day 1: 1. Zero dead pixels. No manufacturing defects of any kind.2. The monitor is set to a particularly bright non-MiniLED mode with too much contrast. It takes a few minutes to experiment with the various preset picture modes and discrete picture settings. Lowering the contrast to 50%, turning on the mini-LEDs, lowering the brightness, and changing the color temperature to "default" were some of the adjustments I made right away.3. Since the Asus 4K Designo sits next to the Tempest G27U, I can do an A/B comparison fairly easily. In each color mode, Tempest has more saturated and vivid colors. In dark scenes, not only are blacks noticeably darker (i.e. black is black, not gray), but colors also sound like HDR is enabled. (HDR disabled.)4. Text legibility seems a little worse compared to the Asus, but I think a little adjustment to the image controls should help. The text in particular looks a bit "thinner" than on Asus. Each line is thinner. **UPDATE** Reducing the sharpness to 50% fixed this issue.5. The Asus 4K Designo features speakers designed by Bang and Olufsen. For built-in speakers, they're pretty decent. The Tempest speakers easily lose out on the competition, but for me having speakers in the monitor is better than not having them. I switch to headphones or desktop speakers when needed, but most of the time it's very convenient to use the monitor's speakers for all the little noises macOS.6 makes. Mini LED makes a big difference. Black is black. It's incredibly nice to get rid of the backlight blur that comes with any standard backlit monitor. I remember the day my Asus 4K Designo arrived. I was so excited to set it up, but the grin was wiped from my face when the loading screen appeared with the entire dark gray background. That's the main problem this monitor solves for me.7. High refresh rate. My current GPU does not support VRR, so I will update this item soon after upgrading to a newer card. I often draw large windows across the screen and know the importance of a high refresh rate on my 144Hz 1440p monitor.** UPDATE #1** While waiting for a new graphics card, I decided to upgrade my Apple 14-inch to connect MacBook. Pro (Apple Silicon) to the monitor's USB-C port. The MacBook Pro immediately set the frequency to 144 Hz. This monitor pairs very well with the 14" and 16" Apple Silicon MacBook Pros because: * Both have mini-LED screens. *MBP has ProMotion 120Hz and Tempest GP27U has VRR up to 160Hz. on the display (they go very well together) Summary: Pros: 1. Full feature set. Is there anything else that compares to this? 2. Mini LED makes a big difference. 3. Colors are rich and vibrant. 4. Price - - especially when compared to the Apple Studio Display (it's half the price of the Studio Display) 5. Firmware upgradable via USB 6. Fully adjustable (height, pan, tilt, VESA mount) Cons: 1. The standard ones Image settings are not ideal. It will take some time to set them up. The mini-LED is disabled by default, so you see a gray background.2. The text looks a bit thin. Still have to fiddle around with the settings. **UPDATE** Fixed by reducing sharpness to 50%.3. The speakers are ok but I would rather have them than not have them.4. That would be a 5k home run. Current Picture Settings: Picture Mode: Standard Brightness: 50 ---> **UPDATE** changed to 25Contrast: 60 ---> **UPDATE** changed to 52Black Stabilization: 50 ---> **UPDATE** changed to 45Sharpness: 50Current color adjustment settings:Color Temperature: Cool ---> **UPDATE** changed to BlueishGamma: 2.2 ---> **UPDATE** changed to 1.8Color Domain: AutoColor Space: AutoBlue Light Filter: 0Current Advanced Settings:HDR: OffLocal Dimming : LowHDMI Range: AutoRGB Light: Off (LEDs on back of monitor)